Cemetery with crosses - legends lost but remembered
KÜLOWThis page is our personal hall of fame. A reminder to us all that even though considered a B-genre, Spaghetti Westerns were full of great characters, played by great people. Many have passed away, and while we are young growing up re-watching all these classics, many more will probably leave us. May they be remembered. What follows, is a work-in-progress, a growing list of legends who have passed away...
| sorted by their last names:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z|} FRESH GRAVES
French film and TV actor Victor Lanoux died in Royan, Charente-Maritime, France on May 4th. He was 80. Lanoux had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in 2007. After his assiduous debut on stage in the 1960s, he had revealed himself to the greatest number in the cinema, alongside Jean Gabin in L'Affaire Dominici by Claude Bernard-Aubert (1973), Adieu poulet (1975) by Pierre Granier-Deferre, Cousin, cousin (1975) by Jean-Charles Tacchella, two films that had earned him a César nomination, and Yves Robert's An Elephant (1976). From 1998 to 2014, his role as a second-hand dealer, appreciated by millions of viewers, had made him an inescapable face of the small screen. He appeared as Charles de Vigois in the Euro-western TV film Louisiana in 1984.
Israeli actress Daliah Lavi died at her home in Asheville, North Carolina on May 3rd. She was 76. Born Daliah Lewinbuk on October 12, 1940 in Moshav Shavei Zion, Palestine (now Israel). She began training as a dancer and bit part actress before she abruptly halted her career to serve with the Israeli army. Lavi was a star in Europe long before she made a dent in Hollywood in the late 1960s. Daliah pursued sex symbol status via spy spoofs, erotic thrillers, tongue-in-cheek comedies and rugged adventures. In retrospect, however, she fell quite short of her pedestal amid the large crowd of sexy luminaries at the time. Decked out in tight mini-skirts, thigh-high go-go boots and a helmet of black hair, Daliah fit in perfectly with the times, a swinging chick of the psychedelic 60s. Her last film was Catlow (1971) with Yul Brynner and she quickly abandoned films. Ms. Lavi pursued a singing career back in Europe with little fanfare and only recently has been glimpsed on German television in the 90s. Besides Catlow, Lavi also appeared as Paloma in the 1964 German western Apache’s Last Battle.
The Swiss actor Lukas Ammann, who reached cult status with his role as a detective "Graf Yoster", is dead. The 104-year-old Ammann died in his Munich apartment on May 4th, his close confidant Annemarie von Kienlin told the German press agency. The series "Graf Yoster Gives Itself the Honor" with Ammann in the title role was first broadcast 50 years ago. They ran from 1967 to 1976, were shot 76 episodes - the first 24 episodes still black and white, then in color. "The series was a street sweep," Ammann recalled later. He enthused the audience. And was one of the first crime series on German television. Ammann appeared in one Euro-western "Day of Anger" (1967) as Judge Cutcher/Cutchell.
American supporting and character actor Don Gordon died in Los Angeles, California on April 24, 2017. He was 91. His television successes began with a starring role in the 1960-1961 syndicated series The Blue Angels, based on the elite precision flight demonstration pilots of the United States Navy Blue Angels. In 1962, Gordon was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Joey Tassili on CBS's legal drama, The Defenders, starring E.G. Marshall. During 1977-1978, he co-starred in the short-lived television show Lucan.His most notable film roles were those in which he appeared alongside his friend Steve McQueen: Bullitt, Papillon and The Towering Inferno. Gordon appeared as Jackson Harkness in the Euro-western Cannon for Cordoba (1970).
Actor Gustavo Rojo died in Mexico City on April 22. He was 93. Rojo was born on September 5, 1923 in Montevideo, Uruguay. His mother was the prominent Spanish author Mercedes Pinto, who immigrated to Uruguay for political reasons. His two older siblings, Pituka de Foronda and Ruben Rojo, also became actors. In the late 1920s, Mercedes wrote a play and Gustavo made his theater debut. Gustavo's screen debut came as a child actor in the 1938 Cuban movie Ahora seremos felices, in which his older sister Pituka had a starring role. In the 1940s, the family moved to Mexico, where Rojo worked steadily throughout the 1940s. In 1947, he made his Hollywood debut in the movie Tarzan and the Mermaids, which starred Johnny Weissmuller and Brenda Joyce. Rojo appeared in 13 Euro-westerns such as: “Apaches Last Battle” (1964) as Corporal Bush, “Pyramid of the Sun Gods” and “Treasure of the Aztecs” as Lieutenant Potoca in 1965 “The Christmas Kid” as Mayor Louis Carillo (1966), “The Tall Women” as Gus Macintosh (1966), “A Bullet for Sandoval” as Guadalupano in 1969 and “The Valley of Gwangi” as Carlos in 1969.
World-renowned cinematographer Michael Ballhaus dies. Ballhaus was known for his work on Academy Award winning films "Goodfellas" and "The Departed." He also served as the Head of Jury at the 40th Berlinale Film Festival. German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus died overnight in his home in Berlin, his publisher confirmed on Wednesday, citing information from his family. He was 81. Ballhaus was a highly sought after cinematographer, working with German directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders in the 1970s before making a name for himself in the US in the 1980s. Fassbinder himself was nominated for three Academy Awards for best cinematography in his career. His work on "Broadcast News," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," and "Gangs of New York" earned him the nods. He was cinematographer on two Euro-westerns: Whity (1971), Chetan Indian Boy (1972).
Francisco Pérez-Dolz has passed away at the age of 95 in Barcelona. His debut film 'A tiro limpio' (1963), shot in Barcelona, is considered to be a classic of Spanish police cinema. The valued filmmaker with more than a fifty year career made only three feature films as a director: 'A tiro limpio', 'El mujeriego' (1964) and 'Los jueces de la Biblia' (1965). He learned in a self-taught way. It began as a meritorious and assistant camera operator. Later he was an assistant director until becoming a producer of advertising and industrial cinema. He was an assistant director on “The Savage Guns” (1962) and a cameraman on “Shoot to Kill” (1965).
Legendary Croatian actor Relja Bašić died in Zagreb, Croatia on April 7th. He was 87. Born in Zagreb on February 14, 1930, he graduated in acting from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in the class of dr. Gavella. He would go on to appear in 4,213 stage performances in 340 cities and towns Croatian, Yugoslavia and abroad. He also appeared in 127 films both domestic and international. He entered politics in 1990 and in 1992 was elected to a seat in parliament representing Zagreb. Relja appeared in only one Euro-western as the Commandante in 1961’s “A Taste of Violence” starring Robert Hossein.
Italian theater and film actor Memè Perlini has died at 69. He was a symbol of the Italian avant-garde theater of the 1960s and 70s. Memè had been absent from public view for several years while suffering from severe depression. Today he threw himself from a fifth story window at his Esquilino, Rome, Italy apartment where he lived with a caretaker. He was born Amelio Perlini on December 8 1947 in Sant'Angelo in Lizzola, Marche, Italy. He came to Rome in 1968 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts as an illustrator and designer. From there, with a mythological aura, he drew his love for the theater. He co-founded the Teatro La Maschera with the painter and stage designer Antonello Aglioti. Perlini appeared in two Euro-westerns: Duck You Sucker (1971) as a peon and an uncredited role in The Grand Duel (1972).
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