Rita Jenrette

Rita Jenrette (née Carpenter, born November 25, 1949) is an American celebrity, actress, television journalist, and real estate executive. She gave an interview to the New York Times about her work in restoring the Casino dell'Aurora of the Villa Ludovisi and in making it open to the public.[1]

Rita Jenrette
Rita Jenrette in 2007
Born
Rita Carpenter

(1949-11-25) November 25, 1949
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
OccupationActress, model, television reporter, real estate broker
Known forActivism on behalf of architectural preservation.
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1976; div. 1981)​

Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi
​
​
(m. 2009; died 2018)​

Early career

Jenrette earned her Bachelor's degree, cum laude, from the University of Texas in 1971.

In 1973, she became the director of research for the Republican Party of Texas. In 1974, Jenrette was a visiting lecturer at the Taft Political Institute at Trinity University. In 1975, she was Opposition Research Director of the Republican National Committee, under the chairmanship of Mary Louise Smith.

In 1977, Jenrette worked as a research associate at the Office of Technology Assessment under the co-chairmanship of Senators Hubert H. Humphrey and Edward M. Kennedy. She co-authored a report with Ray Hoehle on the Food for Peace program, which was presented to the Presidential Commission on World Food Hunger.

In 1978, Jenrette was picked by the Washington Post Sunday magazine as one of four dynamic young women of Washington, D.C.[2] On September 10, 1976, she married freshman Democratic whip John Jenrette of South Carolina, 18 months after meeting him on Capitol Hill.[3]

She was also a Clairol model.[4]

Scandal

Her husband John was convicted for taking a bribe during the Abscam investigation in October 1980.[5] She appeared on the Phil Donahue Show and he called in live to join the conversation. At his trial, she testified in her husband's defense.

Subsequently, she alerted authorities to $25,000 she found in her husband's closet, saying it was part of the Abscam money.[6]

She gave an interview to Playboy that appeared in the April 1981 issue, accompanied by a nude pictorial.[7] The article's revelation that she and her husband had sex on the steps of the U.S. Capitol during a break in an all-night House session caused a hoopla. She claimed that the couple were still "happily married" at the time the Playboy pictorial was photographed,[8] although they had separated by the time it was published. The comedy group Capitol Steps takes its name from this escapade.

Jenrette again appeared in Playboy in the May 1984 issue on the cover and in a pictorial.[9]

Acting and writing career

She separated from her husband in January 1981 and they were divorced shortly thereafter. She has written two published books, one called My Capitol Secrets in 1981 that detailed her experiences as a Congressional spouse, and Conglomerate, published in 1986.

In 1982, Jenrette received the Drama Logue Critics Award for her performance in The Philadelphia Story.[10] She also appeared in several movies and television series in the mid-1980s.

In 1989, Jenrette became an on-air journalist on Fox television’s A Current Affair on which she interviewed celebrities.

Real estate career
Photo from 2009 wedding to Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi of Piombino

In 1994, she began a career in real estate. In 1996, Crain's New York Business described Jenrette as a "Power Broker New York Style."[11] In 1999, she sued Simon Properties for $6 million for failing to pay her a commission on the $800 million sale of the General Motors Building to Donald Trump;[12] the parties agreed to a settlement before the case went to trial.[13] In 2003, she completed an Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School.[14]

Second marriage

On May 27, 2009, Jenrette married Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi of Piombino (1941-2018). To commemorate the marriage, the prince commissioned the recreation of a fragrance originally devised for one of his ancestors, who included two popes (Gregory XIII and Gregory XV).[15] They lived in his 16th-century family home in Rome, called the Casino dell'Aurora, or sometimes Casino Ludovisi.[16] They have renovated it.[17] She still resides on the premises and has opened it to the public, giving tours and hosting charitable events there.[18][19] She has promoted new research on the history of the property as well as the creation of a related scholarly resource, the Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi.[20]

Filmography

Jenrette appeared in the following films and television shows:

She also acted on stage:

References
  1. Hervieux, Linda (July 15, 2010). "U.S.-Born Princess Opens Historic Villa to the Public (Published 2010)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  2. Maxa, Rudy (January 1, 1978). "The Gorgeous Blondes". The Washington Post Magazine. Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  3. Albert, James A. (1989). Pay Dirt: Divorces of the Rich and Famous. Berkley Books. p. 191. ISBN 9780425128251.
  4. "Rita Jennrette denies posing in the nude". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, OR. UPI. December 2, 1980. p. 7A. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  5. "Nation: Refund, Please". Time. December 1, 1980. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  6. Bandy, Lee (March 27, 1988). "Eight Years After Abscam, Jenrette Plans A Political Comeback". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  7. "Rita Jennrette debuts in issue of Playboy". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, OR. UPI. February 21, 1981. p. 4A.
  8. ""Destination Scandal" tour of DC". The Washington Post.
  9. Tillman, Nat (August 22, 1984). "Even Miss America contestants are in the skin business". Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, FL. p. B1.
  10. Benarde, Scott (February 9, 1986). "Rita Jennrette wants to be taken seriously". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. She points to her 1982 Drama-Logue Critics Award for her performance in a Los Angeles production of The Philadelphia Story as giving her legitimacy as an actress.
  11. Furman, Phyllis; Lentz, Philip; Willis, Gerri (April 1–7, 1996). "Power Broker, New York Style". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  12. Grant, Peter (January 14, 1999). "Judge To Power Agent: You Lose". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  13. Grant, Peter (May 6, 1999). "Macklowe's Midtown Tower May Not Rise". New York Daily News. New York.
  14. Kamen, Al (July 21, 2010). "Rita and John Jenrette, Where are they now". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  15. Rose, Sandra (July 20, 2009). "Ancient perfumes revived to celebrate royal engagement". Basenotes. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  16. "Villa Aurora". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  17. Levy, Ariel (November 28, 2011). "THE RENOVATION". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  18. Hervieux, Linda (July 15, 2010). "U.S.-Born Princess Opens Historic Villa to the Public". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  19. "Villa Aurora". 100 Weeks in Rome. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  20. "Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi". Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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