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This 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...
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...


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=== FRESH GRAVES ===
=== FRESH GRAVES ===
*'''DAMON, Mark (Alan Herskovitz)''' - 4/22/1933, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. - 5/12/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.


*'''ZAMPERLA, Nazzareno''' - 4/25/1937, Treviso, Veneto, Italy - 3/19/2020, Italy
American producer and actor Mark Damon died in Los Angeles on May 12th he was 91. Damon, who was born Alan Herskovitz in Chicago on April 22, 1933, won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his starring role in 1960’s “House of Usher” for director Roger Corman, who died May 9th at 98, then went on to appear in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies shot in Europe, from “Johnny Yuma” to Mario Bava’s “Black Sabbath.” Among the firms Damon led as an international sales agent were PSO, Vision International, MDP Worldwide and Foresight Unlimited. He is survived by his wife, Maggie Markov Damon; son Jonathan; daughter Alexis Damon Ribaut and son-in-law Mathieu Ribaut. Damon was a star of ten Spaghetti westerns: “Death at Owell Rocks” as Harry Boyd/Jeffries; “Johnny Yuma” as Jonathan Tomadaro Jefferson Gonzales/Johnny Yuma; “Ringo and His Golden Pistol” as Johnny Oro/Johnny Ringo) all in 1966; “Kill and Pray” as George Bellow Ferguson; “A Train for Durango” as Brown/Samuel Lee Barrett/Elias MacPherson both in 1967; “Dead Men Don’t Count” as Johnny Dannon Dalton and “Go for Broke” as Johnny Sweet/West both in 1968; “Pistol Packin' Preacher” as Slim in 1971; “The Great Treasure Hunt” as Dean Madison and “They Called Him Veritas” as Verità/Veritas/Verity both in 1972.


It was announced today on Facebook by his son David that film actor, stunt coordinator and stuntman Nazzareno Zamperla died today March 19, 2020 in Italy. He was 82. Zamperla was credited as Nick Anderson early on during his career an appeared in 15 Euro-westerns including both MacGregor films, “The Hills Run Red”; “Sugar Colt” (both 1966), “Those Dirty Dogs” (1973), “California” (1977); “Buddy Goes West” (1981) ending his western career as stunt coordinator on “Tex and the Lord of the Deep” (1985).


*'''RATZ, Günter''' - 5/30/1935, Berlin, Germany - 5/1/2024, Dresden-Omsewitz, Saxony, Germany


*'''BOLOGNESI, Rino''' - 8/14/1932, Cattolica, Emila-Romagna, Italy - 3/19/2020, Rome, Lazio, Italy
East German director, writer, animator Günter Rätz died on May 1, 2024, in Dresden-Omsewitz Saxony, Germany. He was a month shy of turning 89. Born in Berlin on May 30, 1935, he was the son of a bricklayer but abandoned the profession of his father and worked as a puppeteer, discovered animation for himself in 1954 and thus came to the DEFA Studio for Animated Films in Dresden as early as 1955. In 1958 he completed the first of his more than 60 animated films. Rätz was responsible for the feature films “The Flying Windmill” (1981) and his only Euro-western “The Trail to the Silver Sea” (1987–1989), a Western satire that was awarded the "Golden Sparrow" in Gera in February 1991. Subsequently, Rätz wanted to film the Karl May novel “Unter Geiern” (Among Vultures) under the title "The Spirit of Llano Estacado"; the scenario was completed in June 1988. Filming began in the spring of 1990; the dialogues are recorded, and a song by the proven composer Arndt Bause is also played. After about 600 meters had already been filmed, the end follows. The work is abandoned due to lack of funds; around 600,000 marks from the film's budget were used to "clear the debt" of the DEFA animation studio during the monetary union.


Italian actor and voice dubber Rino Bolognesi died in Rome, Italy on March 19, 2020. He was 87. He was best known as the television voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman starring Adam West. He also voice he was noted for was the Hulk in TV’s ‘The Incredible Hulk’. As a voice actor of animated series, he is mainly remembered for his interpretation in the first two animated series of Star Blazers in which he covered three different roles: the Supreme Desslok, Sandor and the Narrator. In the series The Monkey played the Narrator and various secondary characters. He has also worked as an actor in a few films, including “Blue Jeans” (1975). He was the Italian voice of Paolo Gozlino in “Vengeance” (1968); José Torres in “Sartana the Gravedigger” (1969); “Massacre at Fort Holman” (1972); Frank Brana “Tex and the Lord of the Deep” (1985) and Jim Carter in the TV series “The New Zorro” (1990-1993).


*'''HENGSTLER, Jörg (Jörg Hengstler-Modry)''' - 10/31/1956, Germany - 2024, Oberkrämer, Brandenburg, Germany


*'''WHITMAN, Stuart (Stuart Maxwell Whitman)''' - 2/1/1928, San Francisco, California, U.S.A. - 3/16/2020, Montecito, California, U.S.A.
German voice actor and dubber died sometime this year but no specific date or place is known. Born in Germany on October 31, 1956, he was 67 years old. News of death was learned from an Instagram post by fellow dubber Peter Flechtner. Hengstler has1,295 credits on the German dubbing database Deutsche Synchronkartei. Jörg voiced several Euro-westerns including Juan Vallejo in 1968’s “Zorro the Fox”; the lieutenant in the animated “Lucky Luke” (1984);  “The New Zorro” 1990-1993 TV series where he was the German voice of Nigel Terry, Roddy Piper, Vincenzo Nicoli; the “Lucky Luke” TV series in 1991 where he voiced Neil Summers and Steve Cormier and 1994’s “Troublemakers” where he voiced Summers once again. He was the German voice Brad Johnson in the 2008 TV film “Copperhead”, and the voice of Ronan Vibert in the 2012 TV mini-series “Hatfields and McCoys”.


Stuart Whitman, the rugged actor who starred on TV's Cimarron Strip and received an Oscar nomination for playing a convicted child molester trying to rid himself of psychological demons in The Mark, died at his Montecito, California home on March 16, 2020. He was 92. Born Stuart Maxwell Whitman on February 1, 1928 in San Francisco, California, he made his movie debut in When Worlds Collide (1951), then appeared on TV shows like Boston Blackie and Lux Video Theatre and made an impression opposite Ethel Barrymore and Carolyn Jones as the wild title character in Johnny Trouble (1957). When Charlton Heston bowed out of the high-profile Warner Bros. war movie Darby’s Rangers (1958), James Garner replaced him and Whitman took on Garner's role, playing the soldier Hank Bishop. He starred twice opposite John Wayne, first as the New Orleans gambler Paul Regret in The Comancheros (1961), Michael Curtiz's final feature, and then as an army lieutenant in the all-star World War II epic The Longest Day (1962). Though CBS' Cimarron Strip lasted just one season (1967-68) and 23 original episodes, Whitman remains known for his turn as Marshal Jim Crown on the ambitious series, one of the first on television to run for 90 minutes. He produced and had a financial interest in the period Western as well. He stated that he was offered the role of “The Man With No Name” but turned it down because it was a terrible script. He did appear in one Euro-western as Griffin in 1971’s “Captain Apache”.




*'''GALIN, Carmen (Eugenia-Carmen Galin)''' - 3/14/1946, Bucharest, Romania - 3/13/2020, Bucharest, Romania
*'''ANDREINI, Gabriela (Gabriella Baistrocchi)''' - 4/16/1938, Naples, Campania, Italy - 4/28/2024, Salerno, Naples, Campania, Italy


Romanian theater and film actress Carmen Galin died in Romania on March 13, 2020. She would have been 74 on March 14th. Born Eugenia-Carmen Galin she was an actress known for her roles in plays, as well as for roles in films. In 1995, the actress withdrew completely from her work and public life, devoting herself with discretion to humanitarian actions. In 2016, she received the excellence award of the Transilvania International Film Festival. Galin was married to director, writer Dan Pita for 20 years and appeared in several of his films including two of his Euro-westerns: “The Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians” (1977) as Rebecca Waltrobe and “The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians” (1979) as Mrs. McCallum.
Italian actress Gabriella Andreini died in Salerno, Italy on April 28, 2024 one week after her 86th birthday. She was born Gabriella Baistrocchi on April 16, 1938 in Naples. She moved to Rome at a very young age to attend acting courses at the National Academy of Dramatic Art. After graduating, one of his first roles was with the Gassman-Randone company in Shakespeare's “Othello”. She also had the opportunity to work, with some frequency, in television prose: in 1957 in O'Neill's “Fermenti” directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, then in Turgenev's “A Month in the Countryside” and in several episodes of ‘Le inchieste del commissario Maigret’, directed originally by Mario Landi. She then appeared in around 30 films and TV series from 1957 to 1979 but never in a leading role. Gabriela also was a film dubber working mainly in cartoons and on Rai radio. Andreini appeared in two Spaghetti westerns as Nina in “Zorro the Rebel” in 1966 and as Miss Peabody in 1974’s “The Crazy Adventures of Len and Coby”.




*'''PILAROVA, Eva (Eva Bojanovská)''' - 8/9/1939, Brno, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia - 3/14/2020, Prague, Czech Republic
*'''LEE, Margaret (Margaret Gwendolyn Box)''' 8/4/1943, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, U.K. – 4/24/2024, London, England, U.K.


Czech singer, actress Eva Pilarova died of cancer after a long battle on March 14, 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic. She was 80. Born on August 9, 1939 in Brno, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Eva Bojanovská, became famous under the surname of her first husband, consider this her life number three. She had three marriages, while the emigration of the first two partners made her career considerably more difficult during normalization, she won the Golden Nightingale three times, and her voice, with which she initially began opera studies, had an exceptional three-octave range. Soon, however, she switched to popular music, practically immediately after joining the Prague Semafor Theater during the era of the Suchý-Šlitr duo began recording. With Matuška, who chose her personally for the song “Oh, the Heavenly Love”, she sang often in Semaphore and Rococo. Eva also appeared in films and TV series. She appeared in two European made for TV western films: ‘Revue pro banjo’ in1963 as Barbara Ellie where she also sang and ‘Magnetické vlny lécí’ in 1965 as a saloon singer.
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.




*'''von SYDOW, Max (Max Carl Adolf von Sydow)''' - 4/10/1929, Lund, Skåne län, Sweden - 3/8/2020, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
*'''LAUFER, Josef''' - 8/11/1939, Sables d'Ollone, Vendée, France - 4/20/2024, Prague, Czech Republic


Swedish born actor Max Von Sydow, who appeared in films and TV series including “The Exorcist”, “Flash Gordon” and “Game of Thrones”, died in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France on March 8, 2020, he was 90. Born Max Carl Adolf von Sydow in Lund, Skåne län, Sweden on April 10, 1929 and was nominated for two Oscars during his career - including best actor in 1998 for “Pelle the Conqueror”. His other Academy nomination was best supporting actor for his role in 2011's “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”. Von Sydow made 11 films with Ingmar Bergman, including “The Seventh Seal”, in which he famously played chess with Death. The actor has two sons with his first wife Christina Inga Britta Olin. In 1997, he married Catherine Brelet in Provence and became a citizen of France five years later, meaning he had to relinquish his Swedish citizenship. Max appeared in two Euro-westerns as Karl Oskkar in 1970s “The Emigrants” and its sequel “The New Land” (1972).
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’.




*'''GORDON, Joyce''' - 3/25/1929, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A. - 2/28/2020, U.S.A.
*'''CANTAFORA, Antonio''' - 2/2/1944, Crotone, Calabria, Italy - 4/20/2024, Rome, Lazio, Italy


Commercial and voiceover actress Joyce Gordon, who was the first woman to serve as the president of a Screen Actors Guild branch, died late Friday February 28, 2020. She was 90 years old. Her death was announced by SAG-AFTRA Saturday. Born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 25, 1929, during the days of live television, she appeared in commercials that aired during The Jack Paar Show, Hugh Downs and The Price Is Right. A whole chapter of Alice Whitfield's 1992 book about the voiceover industry, Take It From The Top, was devoted to Gordon. Gordon also played dramatic roles, appearing on live television shows at the beginning of her career. She also used her voiceover skills for English dubs of classic movies when the practice was still common in the U.S. She was most famously the voice of Claudia Cardinale in Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West. She also appeared as a judge in episodes of Law & Order late in life. Gordon was also the English voice of Mara Krup in 1965’s “For a Few Dollars More”. Gordon is survived by her son, daughter, grandson and sister. She was married for over 50 years to actor Bernard Grant who was the English voice of Gian Maria Volonte in “Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More”, who died in 2004.
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.
 
 
*'''McMANUS, Don (Donald Leslie McManus)''' - 8/30/1932, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 2/24/2020, Leslieville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
Canadian opera singer, theater, film, television actor Don McManus died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 24, 2020. He was 87. Born Donald Leslie McManus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on August 30, 1932, Don had a very successful 60 year career as an actor and singer, starting in 1950 in his hometown. He went on to perform operatic bass roles for 20 years with The Canadian Opera Company and performed on stages across Canada including at the Royal Alex, Rainbow Stage, Charlottetown Festival as well as in Australia and Britain. Don later appeared in films and TV series including two Euro-western TV roles as Angus McQuay in 1988’s “The Campbells” and as a photographer in 1990’s “Bordertown”. \
 
 
 
[[Category:Resources]][[Category:Obituaries]][[Category:People]]

Latest revision as of 02:25, 13 May 2024

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

Cemetery.jpg

FRESH GRAVES

  • DAMON, Mark (Alan Herskovitz) - 4/22/1933, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. - 5/12/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

American producer and actor Mark Damon died in Los Angeles on May 12th he was 91. Damon, who was born Alan Herskovitz in Chicago on April 22, 1933, won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his starring role in 1960’s “House of Usher” for director Roger Corman, who died May 9th at 98, then went on to appear in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies shot in Europe, from “Johnny Yuma” to Mario Bava’s “Black Sabbath.” Among the firms Damon led as an international sales agent were PSO, Vision International, MDP Worldwide and Foresight Unlimited. He is survived by his wife, Maggie Markov Damon; son Jonathan; daughter Alexis Damon Ribaut and son-in-law Mathieu Ribaut. Damon was a star of ten Spaghetti westerns: “Death at Owell Rocks” as Harry Boyd/Jeffries; “Johnny Yuma” as Jonathan Tomadaro Jefferson Gonzales/Johnny Yuma; “Ringo and His Golden Pistol” as Johnny Oro/Johnny Ringo) all in 1966; “Kill and Pray” as George Bellow Ferguson; “A Train for Durango” as Brown/Samuel Lee Barrett/Elias MacPherson both in 1967; “Dead Men Don’t Count” as Johnny Dannon Dalton and “Go for Broke” as Johnny Sweet/West both in 1968; “Pistol Packin' Preacher” as Slim in 1971; “The Great Treasure Hunt” as Dean Madison and “They Called Him Veritas” as Verità/Veritas/Verity both in 1972.


  • RATZ, Günter - 5/30/1935, Berlin, Germany - 5/1/2024, Dresden-Omsewitz, Saxony, Germany

East German director, writer, animator Günter Rätz died on May 1, 2024, in Dresden-Omsewitz Saxony, Germany. He was a month shy of turning 89. Born in Berlin on May 30, 1935, he was the son of a bricklayer but abandoned the profession of his father and worked as a puppeteer, discovered animation for himself in 1954 and thus came to the DEFA Studio for Animated Films in Dresden as early as 1955. In 1958 he completed the first of his more than 60 animated films. Rätz was responsible for the feature films “The Flying Windmill” (1981) and his only Euro-western “The Trail to the Silver Sea” (1987–1989), a Western satire that was awarded the "Golden Sparrow" in Gera in February 1991. Subsequently, Rätz wanted to film the Karl May novel “Unter Geiern” (Among Vultures) under the title "The Spirit of Llano Estacado"; the scenario was completed in June 1988. Filming began in the spring of 1990; the dialogues are recorded, and a song by the proven composer Arndt Bause is also played. After about 600 meters had already been filmed, the end follows. The work is abandoned due to lack of funds; around 600,000 marks from the film's budget were used to "clear the debt" of the DEFA animation studio during the monetary union.


  • HENGSTLER, Jörg (Jörg Hengstler-Modry) - 10/31/1956, Germany - 2024, Oberkrämer, Brandenburg, Germany

German voice actor and dubber died sometime this year but no specific date or place is known. Born in Germany on October 31, 1956, he was 67 years old. News of death was learned from an Instagram post by fellow dubber Peter Flechtner. Hengstler has1,295 credits on the German dubbing database Deutsche Synchronkartei. Jörg voiced several Euro-westerns including Juan Vallejo in 1968’s “Zorro the Fox”; the lieutenant in the animated “Lucky Luke” (1984); “The New Zorro” 1990-1993 TV series where he was the German voice of Nigel Terry, Roddy Piper, Vincenzo Nicoli; the “Lucky Luke” TV series in 1991 where he voiced Neil Summers and Steve Cormier and 1994’s “Troublemakers” where he voiced Summers once again. He was the German voice Brad Johnson in the 2008 TV film “Copperhead”, and the voice of Ronan Vibert in the 2012 TV mini-series “Hatfields and McCoys”.


  • ANDREINI, Gabriela (Gabriella Baistrocchi) - 4/16/1938, Naples, Campania, Italy - 4/28/2024, Salerno, Naples, Campania, Italy

Italian actress Gabriella Andreini died in Salerno, Italy on April 28, 2024 one week after her 86th birthday. She was born Gabriella Baistrocchi on April 16, 1938 in Naples. She moved to Rome at a very young age to attend acting courses at the National Academy of Dramatic Art. After graduating, one of his first roles was with the Gassman-Randone company in Shakespeare's “Othello”. She also had the opportunity to work, with some frequency, in television prose: in 1957 in O'Neill's “Fermenti” directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, then in Turgenev's “A Month in the Countryside” and in several episodes of ‘Le inchieste del commissario Maigret’, directed originally by Mario Landi. She then appeared in around 30 films and TV series from 1957 to 1979 but never in a leading role. Gabriela also was a film dubber working mainly in cartoons and on Rai radio. Andreini appeared in two Spaghetti westerns as Nina in “Zorro the Rebel” in 1966 and as Miss Peabody in 1974’s “The Crazy Adventures of Len and Coby”.


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

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.

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