Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri

Who was Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri?

Alessandro "Dado", Principe Ruspoli was an occasional actor and a playboy and eccentric aristocrat, the 9th Principe di Cerveteri, 9th Marchese di Riano and 14th Conte di Vignanello, who is said to have inspired Federico Fellini into making his famous movie La Dolce Vita. He was the first cousin once removed of Brazilian director Jayme Monjardim. His paternal grandmother's mother, wife of Don Antonio Duca Lante Montefeltro della Rovere, was Mathilda Davis, daughter of wealthy New York real estate developer Thomas E. Davis. Dado's great-great-great-great-great-uncle was Bartolomeo Ruspoli. He was also the former father-in-law of actress Olivia Wilde, father-in-law of Aileen Getty, and a fifth cousin of actor Bart Ruspoli.

Dado was born in Rome in 1924. His mother and father's first wife Claudia dei Conti Matarazzo, who died when he was 9, was heiress to one of the largest fortunes in Brazil. His father Francesco Ruspoli, 8th Prince of Cerveteri, later a poet, fought in both world wars. Dado became known for his extravagant lifestyle in the 1950s and 60s. He was friends with Brigitte Bardot, Salvador Dalí, Truman Capote, Roger Vadim, Roman Polanski, Emmanuelle Arsan and many others.