Enzo Fiermonte | |
|---|---|
_Enzo_Fiermonte_(cropped).png) Fiermonte inBeatrice Cenci (1941) | |
| Born | Vincenzo Fiermonte (1908-07-17)17 July 1908 Casamassima,Apulia, Italy |
| Died | 22 March 1993(1993-03-22) (aged 84) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | William Bird |
| Occupation(s) | Actor,Boxer |
| Years active | 1941–1979 |
| Spouse(s) | Tosca Manetti (div. 1933) |
| Children | John Fiermonte |
| Parent(s) | Donato and Lucrezia Fiermonte |
Enzo Fiermonte (17 July 1908 – 22 March 1993), sometimes credited asWilliam Bird, was an Italian actor and boxer.
Vincenzo "Enzo" Fiermonte was born on 17 July 1908 inCasamassima, a rural village nearBari, in southernItaly to Donato and Lucrezia Fiermonte.[1]
From 1925 to 1934, he was a professional boxer, with a lifetime record of 47 wins (11 by knockout), 17 losses (10 by knockout), and 2 draws. On June 22, 1943, he announced his permanent retirement from boxing.[2]
In 1937, he entered hisMaserati in theVanderbilt Cup auto race inWestbury, New York, but was not allowed to participate because he had no formal auto racing experience.[3]
In 1940, he starred as a boxer inDino De Laurentiis' first film, L'ultimo Combattimento (The Last Fight), directed byPietro Ballerini.[4] Between the 1940s and the 1980s, he hadacting roles in at least 116 films.
Fiermonte was married to Tosca Manetti. In June 1933, Fiermonte's wife announced that he was seeking a divorce so he could wedMadeleine Talmage Force (1893–1940), the former wife ofJohn Jacob Astor IV, who died aboard theRMSTitanic.[5]
Fiermonte married Madeleine on 27 November 1933 inNew York City, shortly after her divorce from her second husband, William Dick, on 21 July 1933. In 1935, they bought the former Dixie Plantation, a 600-acre estate inCharleston, South Carolina overlooking theStono River.[6]
They were divorced on 11 June 1938. He was only four years older than his stepson,John Jacob Astor VI, during the marriage. In 1944, he allegedly got engaged in Italy to PrincessGiulia von Rio[citation needed], but they never married.
Fiermonte died in March 1993 inMentana, Italy.[7]
