Cemetery with crosses - legends lost but remembered: Difference between revisions

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

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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 === FRESH GRAVES ===
-*'''Van GREGORY, Jon''' - 5/21/1944, Lahore, India - 9/19/2021,
+*'''DAMON, Mark (Alan Herskovitz)''' - 4/22/1933, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. - 5/12/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
-British film editor Jon Gregory died on September 9, 2021. He was 77. Born in Lahore, India on May 21, 1944, he began his career with TV series Shoestring (1981), A Year in Provence (1994), Deeply (2000), The Proposition, (2005), In Bruges (2008), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) for which he received an Academy Award for Best Film Editing nomination at the 90th Academy Awards. Gregory was previously nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Editing for Four Weddings and a Funeral (directed by Mike Newell - 1994). He was a member of the American Cinema Editors.  Gregory was film editor on the 2015 Euro-western “Slow West”.
+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.
-*'''Van PEEBLES, Melvyn''' - 8/21/1932, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. - 9/22/2012, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.
+*'''RATZ, Günter''' - 5/30/1935, Berlin, Germany - 5/1/2024, Dresden-Omsewitz, Saxony, Germany
-Filmmaker Melvyn Van Peebles died in his Manhattan, New York home on September 22, 2021. He was 89. The father of actor, director Mario Van Peebles was born in Chicago, Illinois August 21, 1932. melvyn was an American actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist and composer. He was most well-known for creating and starring in the film “Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song”. Melvyn appeared in the Euro-western “Posse” (1993) as Poppa Joe. The film starred his son Mario and a number of Black rap artists and actors.
+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.
-*'''GASPAR, Luis (Luis Gaspar Cortina)''' 11/6/1933, Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain - 9/22/2012, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
+*'''HENGSTLER, Jörg (Jörg Hengstler-Modry)''' - 10/31/1956, Germany - 2024, Oberkrämer, Brandenburg, Germany
-Spanish actor, writer, died in Madrid, Spain on September 21, 2021. He was 88. Gaspar appeared in some 1,500 supporting roles in films, TV and the theater but is most memorable to a scene often cut from Lee Van Cleef’s “The Big Gundown” (1966). Three outlaws are scene making their way through a mountain forest and when they reach the top they think they have met their guide Gulick but it’s lawman, bCCounty hunter Jonathan Caorbett who awaits. Corbett, an honorable and fair man offers the three outlaws a chance to escape if they beat him to the draw in a duel. He puts three bullets on a log in front of the men and each one makes the decision to load his gun and try and outdraw Corbett. Two instantly draw and are slain but the third, the youngest of the bunch surrenders and as Corbett examine the dead outlaws young John O’Leary tries to shoot him in the back. Corbett knows this trick and is ready and shoots and kills his would be slayer. O’Leary is played by Luis Gaspar. Gaspar was born in Burgos, Spain on November 6, 1933 and appeared in five other Euro-westerns: “Dollars for a Fast Gun” in 1965 as Todd Martin; “A Stranger in Paso Bravo” (1966) as the bartender;  “Two Crosses at Danger Pass” (1967) as Mark/Marty/Matt), “Zorro the Lawman” (1969) and “The Black Wolf” (1980) as Ernesto.
+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”.
-*'''VASQUEZ, Rey (Jaime Arturo Vásquez Blanco) - 1/6/1938, Bogota, Colombia - 9/17/2021, Bogota, Colombia
-Colombian film and TV actor Rey Vásquez died in a Colombian hospice of diabetes and COVID 19 on September 17, 2021. He was 83. Vásquez was born in Mexico in 1938 and had a large acting career, as he worked in this field for five decades. Some of his most popular soap operas are: 'Don Chinche' and 'Romeo y Buset' from the 80s ′, as well as' Café con aroma de mujer 'in 1994. He also appeared in feature films such as  "Agent Ñero Ñero 7", "Condors do not bury every day", "The agony of the deceased", "Canaguaro", "The Proud and Damned" and "Each voice carries its anguish". Vásquez appeared in two Euro-westerns: “The Proud and the Damned” (1972) starring Chuck Connors as the innkeeper and “Now My Pistols Speak” (1982) with Emilio Fernández and Aldo Sambrell.
+*'''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”.
-*'''CAMUS, Mario (Mario Camus Garcia) - 4/20/1935, Santander, Cantabria, Spain – 917/2021, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
-Spanish film director and writer Mario Camus Garcia died in his home town of Santander, Spain after a long illness on September 17, 2021. He was 86. Born in Santander on April 21, 1935 he He studied Law and later at the Official Film School. He belongs to the generation of New Spanish Cinema of which, among others, Carlos Saura , Basilio Martín Patino, José Luis Borau , Julio Diamante , Miguel Picazo and Manuel Summers are part of.
-Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1983 for “The Beehive”. In 1984, at the Cannes International Film Festival, he won the special mention of the ecumenical jury for “Los santos inocentes”, one of the Spanish films best known to viewers. For these two films, he gains great recognition as a filmmaker, both internationally and nationally.
-His work in television series is equally notable, with very popular hits in the 1970s.
-Camus was involved in three Euro-westerns directing two and writing for three: “Weeping for a Bandit – 1964 [writer]; The Return of El Coyote – 1968 [director, writer]; Trinity Sees Red -1970 [director, writer].
+*'''LEE, Margaret (Margaret Gwendolyn Box)''' 8/4/1943, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, U.K. – 4/24/2024, London, England, U.K.
-*'''RUDY, Thomas (Vittorio Gagliardi)''' - 1941, Puglia, Apulia, Italy, - 9/14/2021, Fontana Liri, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy
+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.
-Vittorio (Vito) Gagliardi known to Spaghetti western film fans as Thomas Rudy died in Fontana Liri, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy on September 15, 2021. I can find no reference to where and when he was born but estimate he was born in the early 1940s in Italy. He was an Italian character actor appeared in small roles in the Italian Spaghetti westerns and comedy sex films of the 1970s. He’s probably best remembered as Emiliano in “They Call Me Trinity”; and as Luis Miguel Cortejo in “Adiós, Sabata both 1970.
+*'''LAUFER, Josef''' - 8/11/1939, Sables d'Ollone, Vendée, France - 4/20/2024, Prague, Czech Republic
-*'''GAYFORD, John (John Gayford Harry)''' - 2/20/1933. Hertfordshire, England, U.K. - 7/9/2021, Rome, Lazio, Italy
+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’.
-British film actor, dubbing director and scriptwriter John Gayford died in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2021. John Gayford Harry was bon in Hertfordshire, England on February 20, 1933. John was brought up in India, schooled in Britain, RAF officer, Drama school, London, 10 years an actor, theatre, film, TV, then wrote & directed. Gayford went to Rome to appear as a guard in Cleopatra, then stayed and became involved in voice dubbing and writing English dialogue for Italian films.
+*'''CANTAFORA, Antonio''' - 2/2/1944, Crotone, Calabria, Italy - 4/20/2024, Rome, Lazio, Italy
-*'''ALIGHIERO, Carlo''' - 2/2/1927, Ostra Marche, Italy - 9/11/2021, Ostra, Marche, 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.
-Italian theater, film, TV and voice dubber Carlo Alighero died in Ostra, Marche, Italy on September 11, 2021. He was 94. Born in Ostra on February 2, 1927. He first appeared on stage with “L’Agamennone” by Aeschylus directed by Gianfranco De Bosio. With the theater came his relationship with Elena Cotta, they married and had two daughters, Barbara and Olivia, and then came grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Carlo appeared in only one Euro-western in 1969 as Captain Gutierrez “The 5-Man Army.” He specialized in dubbing and did yoeman’s work in the genre, voicing Craig Hill, Luis Induni and Anthony Quinn as well as many others.
-*'''GRAZIOSI, Franco''' - 7/10/1929, Macerata, Marche, Italy - 9/8/2021, Rome, Lazio, Italy
-Italian film and theater actor Franco Graziosi died in Rome, Italy on September 8, 2021 at the age of 92. Graziosi was born on 10 July 1929 in Macerata. He was an actor for both theater and cinema. The beginning of his artistic career is on the stage of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano directed by Giorgio Strehler, but the actor boasts in his curriculum various works directed by other leading directors, such as Orazio Costa, Luigi Squarzina, Luca Ronconi, Diego Fabbri, Giorgio Albertazzi, Vittorio Gassman, Mario Missiroli. He’s probably best remembered as Governor Don Jaime in 1970’s “Duck You Sucker” starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn. He also appeared in “One Damned Day at Dawn... Django Meets Sartana!” (1970) and as General Lucius Morton in “Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears” in 1972.
-*'''CASTELNUOVO, Nino (Francesco Castelnuovo)''' - 10/28/1936, Lecco, Lombardy, Italy - 9/6/2021, Rome, Lazio, Italy
-Italian actor of stage, film and television has died in Rome on September 6, 2021. He was 84. Born in Lecco, Italy on October 28, 1936, after practicing artistic gymnastics and dance in 1955 he moved to Milan where he became a pupil of Giorgio Strehler's Piccolo Teatro school. He then began working for television in 1957, and made his film debut as the protagonist in Un cursed imbroglio in 1959 directed by Pietro Germi. He continued playing supporting roles as a young actor in films such as Il hunchback (1960) by Carlo Lizzani and Rocco and his brothers (1960) by Luchino Visconti. He also starred in one of the most awarded films, The English Patient (1996). Nino appeared in two Euro-westerns: “The Brute and the Beast” (1966) as Jason Scott Jr./Jonah/Junior) and “The 5-Man Army” (1969) as Luis.
-*'''WILLIAMS, Michael K.''' - 11/22/1966, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. - 9/6/2021, New York City, New York, U.S.A.
-American actor Michael K. Williams was found dead in his New York City apartment on September 6, 2021. He was 54. Born Michael Kenneth Williams in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York on November 22, 1966. He found playing the role of Omar Little in award winning drama “The Wire”. Williams also appeared in such films as “Boardwalk Empire”, “Lovecraft County” and the 2013 Euro-western “They Die by Dawn” as Nat Love.
-*'''MARTIN, George''' - 9/18/1937, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain - 9/1/2021, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
-Spanish stuntman, director, writer and leading actor George Martin died in Miami on September 1, 2021. He would have turned 84 on September 18th. Born Francisco Martínez Celeiro in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain he was a member of the Spanish acrobatic team which led to him being cast in films in the late 1950s. His good looks and athletic ability led to lead roles in Spaghetti westerns and action films. George appeared in 40 films between 1956 and 1975. He also wrote scripts and directed a few films along the way. Some of his best known films were “A Pistol for Ringo” and “Return of Ringo” both in 1965. “A Taste of Killing” (1966); “Clint the Stranger” and “15 Scaffolds for a Killer” both (1967); “Return of Clint the Stranger” (1972) and “3 Supermen Out West” (1973). He ended his career abruptly and moved to Miami, Florida where he became a successful land developer. He was given an award in recognition of his contribution to the Spanish westerns at 2017 Almeria Western Film Festival and more recently married Mercedes Piedra in 2018.
-*'''VILARINO, Matilde F. (Matilde Fernandez Vilariño)''' - 8/13/1921, Madrid, Madrid, Spain - 8/20/2021, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
-Spanish theater, film, radio TV actress and voice actress Matilde Vilariño died in Madrid, Spain on August 20, 2021. She was 100. Born Matilde Fernandez Vilariño in Spain in 1921 she began her career as a stage actress then appeared in a few films and then radio and television but found her niche as a voice actress especially in dubbing children’s voice. For 16 years she was the radio voice of Periquin on the popular radio series “Matilde, Perico and Periquin” between 1955 and 1971. She’s best remembered as the voice of child actor Pabito Calvo aka Joselito in all his films. She was also the Spanish voice of Maya the Bee a popular 1978 Japanese TV series. She was the Spanish voice of Monica Randall in 1965’s “Charge of the 7th”; Maria Badmajew in 1966’s “Two Violent Men”; Solvi Stubing in 1966’s “The Sheriff Won’t Shoot”; Miguelito in 1975’s “Zorro” with Alain Delon.