SWDB Hall of Fame/Writers

From The Spaghetti Western Database
Jump to: navigation, search

Writer.png Tito CarpiSergio DonatiErnesto GastaldiFernando Di LeoFranco SolinasLuciano Vincenzoni

Tito Carpi

Carpi HOF.jpg
Tito Carpi

Born Fiorenzo Carpi July 10, 1931 (Italy)- 1998 A prolific screenwriter, Carpi had a hand in providing stories for a total of 26 Spaghetti Westerns and nearly 100 films overall. He worked frequently with directors Enzo G. Castellari and Giuliano Carnimeo. Among some of the westerns that he either wrote or co-wrote were Django Shoots First (1966), Any Gun Can Play (1967), Payment in Blood (1967), Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (1968), Johnny Hamlet (1968), I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death (1969), Sartana’s Here, Trade Your Pistols for a Coffin AKA Fistful of Lead (1970), Light the Fuse, Sartana is Coming (1971), and They Call Me Hallelujah (1971). After the Spaghetti Western genre had run its course he continued to write numerous exploitation classics such as Jungle Holocaust (1977), Tentacles (1977), The New Barbarions (1982), and Bronx Warriors 2 (1983), continuing his collaborations with Castellari as well as with Ruggero Deodato and Antonio Margheriti.
Year of Induction: 2010

Sergio Donati

Donati HOF.jpg
Sergio Donati

April 13, 1933 (Rome, Italy) A friend and collaborator of Sergio Leone, Donati had a hand in writing some of the greatest Spaghetti Westerns ever made. He contributed, albeit uncredited, to For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966). He worked on Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Duck, You Sucker (1971). He also co-wrote two of Sergio Sollima’s westerns, The Big Gundown (1966), and Face to Face (1967), as well as two of Michele Lupo’s, Ben and Charlie (1972), and Buddy Goes West (1981). He worked on 11 Spaghetti Westerns in all and close to 80 films in a career spanning over half a century. Among the better known non-westerns that he has had a hand in writing are Raw Deal (1986), and Orca: The Killer Whale (1977), both with fellow Spaghetti Western writer Luciano Vincenzoni. He has also appeared in interviews on several documentaries and DVD featurettes on Leone’s films.
Year of Induction: 2010

Ernesto Gastaldi

Gastaldi HOF.jpg
Ernesto Gastaldi

September 10, 1934 (Graglia, Italy)- Gastaldi has had writing credits on 18 Spaghetti Westerns, of which several of them were considerable box office successes. These westerns include My Name is Nobody (1973), A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe AKA Nobody’s the Greatest (1975), Day of Anger (1967), A Reason to Live a Reason to Die (1972), The Grand Duel (1972), The Price of Power (1969), I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death (1969), $10,000 Blood Money(1967), and Light the Fuse, Sartana is Coming (1971). Sometimes credited as Julian Berry, he has had writing credits on nearly 120 films, including a number of Giallo classics, having worked frequently with director Sergio Martino. His best known non-western writing credits are The Whip and the Body (1963), on which he also worked as Mario Bava’s assistant director, as well as The 10th Victim (1965), The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971), The Taste of the Scorpion’s Tail (1971), Torso (1973), 2019 - After the Fall of New York (1983).
Year of Induction: 2010

Fernando Di Leo

Di Leo HOF.jpg
Fernando Di Leo

January 11, 1932 (San Ferdinando di Puglia, Italy)- December 1, 2003 (Rome, Italy) Fernando Di Leo started out working in uncredited capacities for A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965). He would go on to be one of the premier Spaghetti Western screenwriters during the earlier years of the genre, writing and assistant directing on Return of Ringo (1965), and acquiring writing credits for Navajo Joe (1966), Massacre Time (1966), Sugar Colt (1966), Johnny Yuma (1966), Beyond the Law (1968), The Ruthless Four (1968) and 10 others. Di Leo would go onto become a well regarded writer and director of Euro-Crime films, including Caliber 9 (1972), The Italian Connection (1972), Il Boss (1973) and Mr. Scarface (1976). He also wrote and directed Asylum Erotica AKA Slaughter Hotel (1971) and Being Twenty (1978). Overall, Di Leo had a hand in writing over 40 films and directed 23.
Year of Induction: 2010

Franco Solinas

Solinas HOF.jpg
Franco Solinas

January 19, 1927 (Cagliari, Italy)- September 14, 1982 (Fregene, Italy) He was involved in the writing process of four classic Spaghetti westerns. A member of the Italian Communist party, he was known for infusing his work with his brand of political awareness. Sergio Sollima’s hit western The Big Gundown (1966) as well as Sergio Corbucci's The Mercenary (1968) were originally based on Solinas' screenplays. He also helped to write two more classic Zapata westerns, Damiano Damiani’s A Bullet for the General (1966) and Giulio Petroni’s Tepepa (1968). Outside of the western genre, he worked on a number of acclaimed thrillers and war dramas including The Battle of Algiers (1966) for which he was nominated for an Oscar for best writing, story and screenplay. He also received writing credits for Salvatore Giuliano (1962), Queimada (1969), State of Siege (1972), The Assassination of Trotsky (1972) and Mr. Klein (1976). He was set to write a film for director Martin Scorses but died before that could happen.
Year of Induction: 2010

Luciano Vincenzoni

Vincenzoni HOF.jpg
Luciano Vincenzoni

March 7, 1926 (Treviso, Italy)- September 22, 2013 (Rome, Lazio Italy) Known as the “Script Doctor”, Vincenzoni played an instrumental part in the success of two of Sergio Leone’s westerns. He co-wrote For a Few Dollars More (1965) and was the one who had first conceived of the idea for The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966). For both films, Vincenzoni helped to negotiate the selling of the film rights to United Artists for international release. Vinzenzoni also had writing credits for three other hit Spaghetti Westerns, Death Rides a Horse (1967), The Mercenary (1968) as well as another Leone western, Duck, You Sucker (1972). His last western writing credit was Enzo G. Castellari’s Cipolla Colt (1976). He also wrote a sequel to The Good, The Bad and the Ugly but the project never got off the ground. Overall, Vincenzoni helped to write nearly 70 features as an award winning screenwriter, often co-writing with fellow Spaghetti Western writer Sergio Donati. His credits include Malena (2000), Raw Deal (1986), Orca (1977), Once Upon a Crime (1992), Miami Supercops (1985), The Great War (1959), Flatfoot (1973) and Seduced and Abandoned (1964).
Year of Induction: 2010

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.