by Marisa Brown One of eight children in a Corsican family, Constantino Rossi, the quintessential "Latin lover," known not just for his music but for his good looks and film roles, began performing at an early age, and not wanting to stay in the family business, left Corsica for mainland France as a teenager, competing in amateur singing contests while working for a mortgage company to support himself. Though a failed marriage detoured him and his career briefly, eventually, in 1929, a promoter saw Rossi performing and signed him to a short tour circuit. Although that and the two songs he recorded with Parlophone, "O Ciuciarella" and "Ninni Nanni," didn't bring him immediate success, in 1933 Columbia offered him the deal he wanted. In October of the next year Rossi represented Corsica in La Parade de France, where he was met with much acclaim, but his fame didn't truly commence until he began starring in films (which were accompanied by songs)...