Febo Mari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alfredo Giovanni Leopoldo Rodriguez[1] 18 January 1884 or 16 January 1884[1] |
| Died | 6 June 1939 (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | Peloritana University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, director |
| Years active | 1912-1938 (film) |
| Spouses | Berta Vestri
(m. 1908; died 1938)Nietta Mordeglia (m. 1938) |
Febo Mari (1884–1939) was an Italian actor and film director. He found success as a leading man during Italy's silent film era.[1][2]
Febo Mari was born Alfredo Giovanni Leopoldo Rodriguez in Messina, Sicily. His family were wealthy and of Iberian descent. He graduated from Peloritana University, having studied literature and philosophy, and soon began acting in theatre. By age 27 he was managing the Manzoni Theater in Milan.
He entered the silent film industry in the early 1910's. His first feature length film was La ribalta (1912), directed by prolific Mario Caserini. The first film Mari acted in and scripted was Il fuoco (1915).[1] Il fauno (1917), one of Mari's best known films, it was restored in 1994 by Cinematek from original nitrate prints, obtained from the Cineteca Friuli and the National Museum of Cinema.[3][4][5]
On 23 December 1908, Mari married the actress Berta Vestri. The relationship did not last, and Mari and Vestri eventually separated informally. He began a long-term romantic relationship with actress Antonietta "Nietta" Mordeglia[5] (also known as Misa Mordeglia Mari). The duo starred together in Il Fauno (1917). As divorce was not yet legal in Italy, Mari and Mordeglia married on 8 October 1938, after Vestri's death.[1]
