Eduardo Ciannelli
Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969) was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli.
Also recorded as Edward Ciannelli
Eduardo Ciannelli

Indeciso42 at the Italian Wikipedia project. · Public domain
- Name
- Eduardo Ciannelli
- Born
- 30 August 1888
- Birthplace
- Ischia, Kingdom of Italy
- Died
- 8 October 1969
- Place of death
- Rome, Italy
- Occupation
- Singer, actor
- Nationality
- Italy · Kingdom of Italy
- Education
- University of Naples Federico II
- Languages
- Italian
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Documentary summary
Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969) was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli.
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wikidata · Q945605 · wikipedia · Eduardo Ciannelli
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Eduardo Ciannelli • Born — 30 August 1888 • Birthplace — Ischia, Kingdom of Italy • Died — 8 October 1969 • Place of death — Rome, Italy • Resting Place — Cimitero Flaminio, Rome, Italy • Other Names — Edward Ciannelli • Occupation — Singer, actor • Years Active — 1917–1969 • Children — 2
Early life
Early life
Ciannelli was born in Lacco Ameno, on the island of Ischia, where his father, a doctor, owned a health spa. He studied surgery at the University of Naples, and worked briefly as a doctor, but his love of grand opera and the dramatic stage won out and he became a successful baritone, singing at La Scala and touring Europe. He went to the United States from the Port of Naples as a first cabin saloon passenger on board the steamship San Guglielmo, which arrived at the Port of New York on 19 March 1914.
Theatre
Theatre
In New York, Ciannelli appeared on Broadway in Oscar Hammerstein II's first musical Always You and later in Rose-Marie. He appeared in Theatre Guild productions in the late 1920s, co-starring with the Lunts (Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne), and Katharine Cornell. During that period, he appeared in Uncle Vanya, The Inspector General, and The Front Page. In 1935, he played Trock Estrella in Maxwell Anderson's Winterset on Broadway and repeated his performance in the film version (1936). He played Cauchon in Shaw's Saint Joan in 1936, after which he left Broadway permanently, except for one notable occasion when he returned to play in Dore Schary's play The Devil's Advocate in 1961, for which he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor.
Television
Television
Ciannelli appeared in American TV shows such as Climax Mystery Theater, The Time Tunnel, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Johnny Staccato, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, and Dr. Kildare.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Ciannelli was married to Alma Wolfe from 1918 until her death in 1968. They had two sons, Eduardo and Lewis E. Ciannelli, who is also an actor. Ciannelli died in Rome on 8 October 1969, at the age of 81, and was interred in the Cimitero Flaminio there.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Film — Role — Director — Notes • 1917 — The Food Gamblers — The Italian — Albert Parker • 1931 — Così è la vita • 1933 — Reunion in Vienna — Pofferoff aka Poffy — Sidney Franklin • 1935 — The Scoundrel — Maurice Stern — Charles MacArthur • 1936 — Winterset — Trock Estrella • 1937 — Criminal Lawyer — Larkin — Jimmy Anderson (assistant) • Marked Woman — Johnny Vanning — Michael Curtiz • The League of Frightened Men — Paul Chapin — Alfred E. Green • The Girl from Scotland Yard — Franz Jorg — Robert G. Vignola • Super-Sleuth — Professor Herman — Ben Stoloff • On Such a Night — Ice Richmond — Ewald André Dupont • Hitting a New High — Andreas Mazzini — Raoul Walsh • 1938 — Law of the Underworld — Rocky — Lew Landers • Blind Alibi — Mitch — Lew Landers • 1939 — Risky Business — Philip Decarno — Arthur Lubin • Gunga Din — Guru — George Stevens • Society Lawyer — Jim Crelliman — Edwin L. Marin • Bulldog Drummond's Bride — Henri Armides — James P. Hogan • The Angels Wash Their Faces — Martino — Ray Enright • 1940 — Strange Cargo — Telez — Frank Borzage • Outside the Three-Mile Limit — Dave Reeves — Lewis D. Collins • Zanzibar — Koski — Harold Schuster • Forgotten Girls — Gorno — Phil Rosen • Foreign Correspondent — Mr. Krug — Alfred Hitchcock • The Mummy's Hand — The High Priest — Christy Cabanne • Mysterious Doctor Satan — Doctor Satan — As "Edward Cianneli" • Kitty Foyle — Giono — Sam Wood • 1941 — Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery — Count Brett — James P. Hogan • Sky Raiders — Felix Lynx — Ray Taylor • They Met in Bombay — Giovanni Riccio, Hotel Manager — Clarence Brown • I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island — Dr. Victor Martel — Lew Landers • Paris Calling — Mouche — Edwin L. Marin • 1942 — Dr. Broadway — Vic Telli — Anthony Mann • Cairo — Ahmed Ben Hassan — W. S. Van Dyke • You Can't Escape Forever — Boss Greer — Jo Graham • 1943 — For Whom the Bell Tolls — Johnny Salvini — Sam Wood — Uncredited • They Got Me Covered — Baldanacco — David Butler • The Constant Nymph — Roberto — Edmund Goulding • Adventures of the Flying Cadets — Kurt von Helger, alias Corby — Ray Taylor • 1944 — Passage to Marseille — Chief Engineer — Michael Curtiz • The Mask of Dimitrios — Marukakis — Jean Negulesco • The Conspirators — Police Colonel Almeida — Jean Negulesco • Storm Over Lisbon — Blanco — George Sherman • 1945 — Dillinger — Marco Minelli — Max Nosseck • A Bell for Adano — Maj. Nasta — Henry King • Incendiary Blonde — Nick the Greek — George Marshall • Crime Doctor's Warning — Nick Petroni — William Castle — Uncredited • 1946 — Gilda — Cartel Member — Charles Vidor — Uncredited • Perilous Holiday — Señor Aguirre — Edward H. Griffith • The Wife of Monte Cristo — Jacques Antoine — Edgar G. Ulmer • Heartbeat — Baron Ferdinand Dvorak — Sam Wood • Joe Palooka, Champ — Florini — Reginald LeBorg • 1947 — California — Padre — John Farrow • Seven Keys to Baldpate — Cargan — Lew Landers • The Lost Moment — Father Rinaldo — Martin Gabel • The Crime Doctor's Gamble — Maurice Duval — William Castle • Rose of Santa Rosa — Don José de Garfias — Ray Nazarro • 1948 — I Love Trouble — John Vega Caprillo — S. Sylvan Simon • On Our Merry Way — Maxim — King Vidor • To the Victor — Firago — Delmer Daves • The Creeper — Dr. Van Glock — Jean Yarbrough • 1949 — Prince of Foxes — Art Dealer — Henry King — Uncredited • 1950 — Volcano — Giulio — William Dieterle • Fugitive Lady — Ralph Clementi • Pact with the Devil — Giacomo Mola — Luigi Chiarini • The Fighting Men — Barone Occhipinti — Roberto Savarese • Rapture — Arnaldo — Goffredo Alessandrini • 1951 — The People Against O'Hara — Sol 'Knuckles' Lanzetta — John Sturges • It's Love That's Ruining Me — Capo delle spie — Mario Soldati • 1952 — Lieutenant Giorgio — Barone di Polia — Raffaello Matarazzo • The City Stands Trial — Alfonso Navona — Luigi Zampa • Prisoners of Darkness — Marchese Rionero — Enrico Bomba • 1953 — Voice of Silence — G. W. Pabst • Sul ponte dei sospiri — Inquisitore • I Vinti — Claudio's father — Michelangelo Antonioni • The Ship of Condemned Women — Michele — Raffaello Matarazzo • 1954 — The Stranger's Hand — Dr. Vivaldi — Mario Soldati • Mambo — Il padre di Giovanna — Robert Rossen • Uomini ombra — Ammiraglio Zora • Attila — Onegesius, counsellor to Attila — Pietro Francisci • Proibito — Vescovo — Mario Monicelli • La tua donna — Public Prosecutor — Giovanni Paolucci • 1955 — New Moon — don Giuseppe — Luigi Capuano • 1956 — Helen of Troy — Andros — Robert Wise • I Love Lucy — Mr. Martinelli • 1957 — Il ricatto di un padre — Alessandro Arlandi • Monster from Green Hell — Mahri — Kenneth G. Crane • 1958 — Tumulto de Paixões • Houseboat — Arturo Zaccardi — Melville Shavelson • 1959 — Wagon Train — Clyrio Soriano • 1962 — The Untouchables — Gregory Pindar / Joe Genna • 1962–1965 — Insight — Friedrich Nietzsche / Prisoner • 1964 — The Visit — Innkeeper — Bernhard Wicki • Grand Canyon Massacre — Eric Dancer — Stanley Corbett • 1966 — The Chase — Party Guest — Arthur Penn — Uncredited • 1966 — The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Arturo 'Fingers' Stilletto / Carlo Farenti • 1967 — The Time Tunnel — Count Enrico Galba • The Spy in the Green Hat — Arturo 'Fingers' Stilletto — Joseph Sargent • 1968 — The Brotherhood — Don Peppino — Martin Ritt • 1969 — Mackenna's Gold — Prairie Dog — J. Lee Thompson • Stiletto — Don Andrea — Bernard L. Kowalski • The Secret of Santa Vittoria — Luigi — Stanley Kramer • Boot Hill — Judge Boone — Giuseppe Colizzi • 1970 — The Syndicate: A Death in the Family — Parker — Piero Zuffi — Released posthumously (final film role)
Selected Television
Selected Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1958 — Have Gun – Will Travel — Renato Donatello — Season 1 Episode 23: "Bitter Wine" • 1959 — The Father — Season 2 Episode 39: "Gold and Brimstone" • 1962 — Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Priest — Season 7 Episode 19: "Strange Miracle" • Mr. Marino — Season 7 Episode 20: "The Test"
Identity
Identity
Eduardo Ciannelli is recorded with the occupation television actor. Recorded with the occupation opera singer. Recorded as a citizen of Kingdom of Italy.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1889
Eduardo Ciannelli born at Ischia.
1969
Eduardo Ciannelli died on 8 October 1969.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Eduardo Ciannelli was born at Ischia.
Birthplace
Eduardo Ciannelli died at Rome.
Deathplace
Ischia.
Birth place
Rome.
Death place
Eduardo Ciannelli was born in Ischia.
Birthplace
Eduardo Ciannelli died in Rome.
Deathplace
Film
• Illustration — Trailer for Society Lawyer (1939) Ciannelli's Hollywood career consists of close to 150 film and television appearances. Notable among these are Marked Woman (1937) with Bette Davis, Strange Cargo (1940) with Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, and perhaps his most famous role, as the fanatical Thuggee guru in Gunga Din (1939) with Cary Grant. In the 1940 serial Mysterious Doctor Satan, he played the villain, an evil scientist with an army of robots. • Illustration — Ciannelli in Cineguida 54 In the 1950s and throughout the 1960s, he divided his time among U.S. films, including Houseboat (1958), The Visit (1964), The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando, and The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), with Anthony Quinn and Anna Magnani, and Italian films such as The City Stands Trial, directed by Luigi Zampa, Attila (1954) with Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren, and Helen of Troy (1956).
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Eduardo Ciannelli stands. Established in Library of Congress under n80018752. Within the Encyclopedia. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Eduardo Ciannelli”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q945605: Eduardo Ciannelli
General reference · Wikidata
References
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References
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Studied at
1- University of Naples Federico IIOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
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