A former journalist turned handsome, muscle-bound lead of international films, Vallone came to prominence co-starring in Giuseppe De Santis' eroticized neorealist landmark, "Riso Amaro/Bitter Rice" (1949). He subsequently appeared opposite Sophia Loren in "Two Women" (1960), won praise for his performance in Sidney Lumet's "A View From the Bridge" (1962). He has played a number of priest roles, notably in Otto Preminger's "The Cardinal" (1963), Henry Hathaway's "Nevada Smith" (1966) and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather, Part III" (1990).