Biography
The suave and dapper Spanish actor José Luis de Villalonga specialized in polished, upper-crust, high-society characterizations -- which in fact mirrored his offscreen social status, image, and persona. Born in 1920, de Villalonga debuted prominently under the aegis of
Louis Malle on that helmer's 1958
succès de scandale Les Amants -- as a smug, self-satisfied polo player. The actor only achieved an international breakthrough, however, three years later -- as Jose da Silva Perriera, a Brazilian millionaire engaged to Manhattan playgirl Holly Golightly (
Audrey Hepburn) but unexpectedly passed over for
George Peppard -- in the
Blake Edwards classic
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). De Villalonga maintained an occasional onscreen presence through the late '80s, in films such as
Darling (1965),
Voltati Eugenio (1980),
Patrimonio Nacional (1980), and
Blood and Sand (1989). He gained much broader recognition in his later years, however, as a social fixture of Euro bohemian life and as an author of several well-received tomes. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide