Cemetery with crosses - legends lost but remembered

This page is our personal hall of faml'e. 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 last name: 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

• LEE, Margaret (Margaret Gwendolyn Box) 8/4/1943, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, U.K. – 4/24/2024, England

British actress Margaret Lee died on April 24th according to an announcement by her son producer Roberto Malerba. Born Margaret Gwendolyn Box in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England on August 4, 1943, she was a popular leading lady in Italian films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is the mother of production manager/producer Roberto Malerba [1964- ] (from her marriage to Gino Malerba) and production manager/producer Damian Anderson [1973- ]. She was educated at the Italia Conti Theatre School in London, graduating in 1960. She moved to Rome shortly afterwards to pursue a career in films. Her film debut came in the sword and sandal adventure “Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules” (1962), where she played the female lead alongside Reg Lewis, but it was a string of popular comedies that initially made Lee a star in Italy. With a blonde, fluffy look modelled after Marilyn Monroe, Lee spent the first half of the 1960s appearing in numerous Italian comedies and parodies – several of which starred the popular comedic duo Franco and Ciccio. Few of these films received much, if any, distribution in English-speaking territories but they were highly successful in Italy and made Lee a well-known film actress. Lee appeared in three Spaghetti westerns: “The Two Sergeants of General Custer” in 1965 as Beth/Betty ‘The Lynx’ Smith; “Djurado” in 1966 as Mitzy. She was to appear in a 1964 western entitled “I Shot Johnny Ringo” but the film was never made and “Bano de sangre” (Blood Bath) in 1971 but it was never released.

• LAUFER, Josef - 8/11/1939, Sables d'Ollone, Vendée, France - 4/20/2024, Prague, Czech Republic

Czechoslovakian actor and singer Josef Laufer died in Prauge of cardiac arrect after four years in an induced coma following heart valve surgery in March 2020. Laufer was born Don José José Francisco Pérez Rodriguez de Montagnes de Laufer on August 11, 1939, in Sables d'Ollone, Vendée, France to a father of Jewish origin and native Spaniards. His parents met in Spain during the Civil War, where Dr. Maximilián Laufer worked as an interbrigadist in the lazareth. During his military service he began acting and directing amateur theater. After returning from the war, he made guest appearances at the ABC Theater and prepared for exams at the theater faculty, where he was recruited. In addition to acting, he also sang and recorded several records. Laufer appeared as the sheriff in the 1969 Czech TV movie ‘Starosta má starosti’.

• CANTAFORA, Antonio - 2/2/1944, Crotone, Calabria, Italy - 4/20/2024, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Italian actor Antonio Cantafora died in Rome on April 20th. He was 80. Born on February 2, 1944, in Crotone, Calabria, Italy he studied acting with the renowned Alessandro Fersen and made his debut on the big screen in 1967, but it was in the 1970s that he reached the peak of his fame, thanks to his uncanny resemblance to actor Terence Hill. As Michael Coby. He was paired with Paul L. Smith, he embodied the role of the "handsome" in a series of films inspired by the duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. But his career has not been limited to leading roles. Cantafora was also a character actor, working with some of the most important directors of Italian cinema, including Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattuada, Mauro Bolognini. Films such as Lattuada's "The Cicada", Fellini's "Interview" and Carlo Vanzina's "A Spasso nel Tempo" are testament to his versatility and talent for bringing a wide range of characters to life. Cantafora was also a prolific artist, with a passion for painting that he developed over the years. He has created hundreds of works of art, which have achieved success not only in Italy, but also abroad. Cantafora appeared in ten Spaghetti westerns: “The Dirty Outlaws” in 1967 as Bill Flannigan; “Joe Dakota” in 1967 as Tab; “And God Said to Cain” in 1969 as Dick Acombar; “Black Killer” in 1971 as Ramon O’Hara, “Shoot Joe, and Shoot Again” in 1971 as Jack’s henchman; “A Bounty Hunter for Trinity” in 1972 as a town council member; “Carambola” in 1973 as Coby/Toby/Trinity [as Michael Coby]; “The Crazy Adventures of Len and Coby” in 1974 as Toby [as Michael Coby]; “We Are No Angels” in 1975 as Angel) [as Michael Coby] and “Buck and the Magic Bracelet” in 1997 as Sergeant O'Connor.

• BROWNE, Robin (Michael Robin Graham Browne) - 11/24/1941, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, U.K. - 3/28/2024, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.

British cinematographer Robin Browne passed away at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on March 28, 2024. He was born Michael Robin Graham Browne in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England on November 24, 1941. , was a cinematographer specializing in aerial photography and special effects. His father was Bernard Browne, a director of photography who worked with Alexander Korda at Denham studios. A few of the films he worked on were: “Battle of Britain” (1969); “Catch 22” (1970); t”A Bridge Too Far” (1977); “Krull” (1983); “A Passage to India” (1984); “The Jewel of the Nile” (1985); “King Kong Lives” (1986); “Gorillas in the Mist” (1988). Browne worked as a model unit director and cameraman on the 1986 Euro-western “Sky Bandits”.

• DUX, Eckart (Eckart Hermann Dux) - 12/19/1926, Berlin, Germany - 4/9/2024, Sassenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany

Veteran German actor and voice dubber Eckart Dux died in Sassenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany on April 9th he was 97. Born Eckart Herman Dux in Berlin on December 19, 1926. Dux completed his training as an actor with Else Bongers in Berlin and made his stage debut in 1948 at the city's Renaissance Theatre. He then had numerous roles on the Berlin stage and in theatres in Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. He also had many roles as a character actor in film and television. From 1949, he became the longest active German-speaking voice actor, dubbing Hollywood films into German. In the 1950s and 1960s he was regularly the German voice of Audie Murphy. He also dubbed Anthony Perkins in many roles including Psycho, Steve Martin, Fred Astaire, George Peppard (in the action series The A-Team) and Jerry Stiller. He has also worked as an actor and narrator on radio and audio books. Dux was married to the actress Gisela Peltzer in the 1950s, and then later to the editor Marlies Dux [1945- ] in 1970. Dux’s work in Euro-westerns consisted of appearing as Jimmy in the 1964 TV western film ‘Prairie Saloon’ and he was the German voice of Mark Damon in “Ringo’s Golden Pistol” and Phillippe Leroy in “Yankee” both in 1966. Brad Harris in “Rattler Kid” 1967, George Hilton in 1968’s “The Ruthless Four”, Christian Duroc, J. P. Compain the 1969 TV mini-series “The Leatherstocking Tales”. He was Dean Reeds voice in “Adios, Sabata” and the voice of Lucky Luke in both the animated “Lucky Luke: Ballad of the Daltons” in 1978 and “Lucky Luke: The Daltons on the Run” in 1983 and as Sam Hawkens in 2009’s “WinneToons - Die Legende vom Schatz im Silbersee”.

• CRUZ, Ernesto Gómez - 11/7/1933, Veracruz, Verazcruz, Mexico - 4/6/2024, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Veteran Mexican actor Ernesto Gómez Cruz died from complications of Alzheimer’s in Mexico City on April 6th. He was 90. Gómez Cruz was born in Veracruz, Mexico, on November 7, 1933. His first professional job was as a photographer; Later, through a friend, he was introduced to dramatic arts. Thus, he moved to the Aztec capital where he studied acting at the National Institute of Fine Arts. Although he had musical interests, he discarded them because he considered that he did not have enough preparation. He made his film debut in 1967 with the film “Los caifanes”, where his performance as El Azteca which earned him the national Silver Goddess Award. Subsequently, he would obtain other awards and recognitions such as the Ariel. Ernesto’s only Euro-western was as the witch in 2006’s “Bandidas” with Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek.

• INANOGLU, Türker - 5/18/1936, Safranbolu, Turkey - 4/2/2024, Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish producer, director, and writer Türker İnanoğlu died in Istanbul, Turkey on April 2nd he was 87. İnanoğlu became interested in the cinema when he was a student at the Istanbul Academy of Applied Fine Arts in 1957. After working as an assistant to directors Ömer Lütfi Akat and Nişan Hançer in eleven movies, he directed his first feature Senden Ayrı Yaşayamam in 1960. After directing nine movies he founded his own film company Erler Film in 1960, which is today the oldest film production company in Turkey still in business. Since then, he produced 126 black-and-white and color films, among them 21 co-productions with Greece, Italy and Iran. He executed also the productions of American, Japanese, French and German filmmakers’ documentary films shot in Turkey. He directed 82 movies. He produced only Spaghetti western “Cowboy Kid” in 1973 directed by Guido Zurli in which his son was İlker starred.

• WEPPER, Fritz - 8/17/1941, Munich, Bavaria, Germany - 3/25/2024, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

German actor Fritz Wepper died in Munich, Germany on March 25, 2024. He was 82. He started his acting career in a production of Peter Pan at the age of eleven. He got his first important film role in Tischlein deck dich, a film adaption of the Brothers Grimm fairytale The Wishing Table. Fritz is best known for his role as Inspector Harry Klein in the long-running crime series ‘Derrick’ (1974–1998). Wepper is also remembered for his roles in the films “Cabaret” (1972) and “The Bridge” (1959) and as Mayor Wöller in the TV series ‘Um Himmels Willen’ (2002–2021). Wepper appeared in one Euro-western as Tampico in the 1963 television production of “Ein Sheriff für den Sarg”.