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

• de BERNAL, Farnesio - 11/20/1936, Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico - 4/7/2023, Mexico

Veteran Mexican theater and film actor Farnese de Bernal died in Mexico on April 7, 2023 at the age of 96. He was born in Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico on November 20, 1926 and began his entertainment career as was a choreographer, actor and dancer. He appeared with Angelina Jolie in the film “Original Sin” (2001) but the theater was his passion. "There are actors who succeed and already, they do the same character, the same character, there are people who get into theater, acting not because they love acting, but they want to be famous, rich, admired. Not because they want to dedicate themselves to the theater, they succeed, but I say. It would not give me satisfaction for reasons other than the talent, the love you have for your career," he said. Farnesio appeared in one Euro-western as the monk in 1979’s “Eagle’s Wing” with Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston and Harvey Keitel.

• GARCIA, Andres - 5/24/1941, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - 4/4/2023, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Famed Latin actor Andres Garcia known for his Mexican telenovela roles, died in Acapulco, Mexico on April 4, 2023. He was 81. García was a naturalized Mexican and was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on May 24, 1941. He became a household name after starring in the film adaptation of the comic series Chanoc. García would go on and have many acting credits in film titles like La noche del halcón, Las tres magnificas, Minifaldas con espuelas and El cinico. Garcia had been ill for some time and died of hepatic cirrhosis, which is severe scarring of the liver. He appeared in one Euro-western as Pancho in 1979’s “Garden of Venus” starring Chuck Connors, John Ireland and Jorge Rivero.

• CANTARELLA, Alfio - 7/19/1941, Biancavilla, Catania, Italy - 3/30/2023, Villafranca di Verona, Veneto, Italy

Former drummer for Equip 84 died in Villafranca di Verona, Veneto, Italy on March 30, 2023. He was 81. Born in Biancavilla, Catania, Italy on July 19, 1941. As a boy Alfio Cantarella moved to Milan and in 1960 joined the ‘Marino’s’. The group, after merging with Francesco Guccini and Victor Sogliani’s Snakers, later became ‘I Gatti’. From the union of some elements of this complex and another Modena group, ‘Le Tigri’, a new formation was born in 1963 that Victor Sogliani, Maurizio Vandelli, Franco Ceccarelli and Alfio Cantarella decided to call themselves ‘Equipe 84’. The group debuted with the 45 rpm “Canarino va”, the anthem of the Modena football team and, after signing his first recording contract, made their debut on the Vedette label with two 45 rpm singles (“Papà e mammà” and “Now You Can Return”) in 1964. The year later, in addition to releasing five 45s, Equipe 84 released the eponymous debut album and in 1966 participated in the Sanremo Festival with “Un giorno tu mi cercherai”, which has on the back “L’antisociale”, written by Francesco Guccini. After the group’s first real success with “Io ho in mente te” and the album of the same name, followed by the album “Stereoequipe”, in 1970 Alfio Cantarella was found in possession of drugs and, due to the arrest, was forced to suspend his activities with the group. Once these problems had been resolved, in 1973 Cantarella returned fully to the line-up, which in the same year released the album “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Equip appeared and performed in the 1966 film “A Fistful of Songs” performing ‘Io ho in mente yu’ (I Have You in Mind).

• MINA, Gianni - 5/17/1938, Turin, Piedmont, Italy - 3/27/2023, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Italian journalist, documentary film director Gianni Minà died in Rome from a heart attack on March 27, 2023. He was 84. Born in Turin on May 17, 1938, Mina was one of Italy’s most respected journalists who began his career in 1959 at the sports newspaper Tuttosport, where he was also director between 1996 and 1998. In 1960 Minà made his debut at Rai as a sports reporter for the Olympic Games in Rome. Five years later was his baptism in the renowned sports program Sprint, directed by Maurizio Barendson. At that time, his reports began to be very recognized. The same goes for his documentaries and feature films that marked an era on Italian TV at the time. Gianni wrote and directed “Il ritorno di Zapata” in 1994 and “Once Upon a Time There was Cinema: Sergio Leone and His Films” in 2014.

• GAME, Marion - 7/31/1938, Casablanca, French Protectorate in Morocco - 3/23/2023, Paris, Île-de-France, France

French theater, film, TV and voice actress died in Paris on March 23, 2023. She was 84. Born in Casablanca on July 31, 1938, she was known for her TV role of Huguette in the series ‘Scènes de Ménage’. She had begun her career in the theater in the 1960s, where she had quickly established herself as a talented actress. Over the years, she explored different facets of the artistic world, moving into television and film with success. Throughout her career, she has worked with great directors and actors, and has thus marked the history of French entertainment. Game was known to Euro-western fans as a voice actress and was heard in two Lucky Luke films and TV series: “Lucky Luke and the Escape from Grumble Gulch” 1983 [various voices] and ‘Lucky Luke’ (TV) 1983-1984 [French voice of Arabella Films, Madam Van Buren].

• SILVA, Maria - 8/16/1941, Palencia, Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain - 3/17/2023, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

It was announced by friend of Spanish actress Maria Silva passed away on March 17, 2023. No official obituary has been posted but there has been references to her passing on Facebook.

Born on August 16,1941, Palencia, Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain, Silva began her career in 1959 with “Una gran señora” (April in Portugal) playing the role of a model. Her career continued on for 74 more films and television appearances finishing in the 1991-1992 TV series ‘Taller mecánico’ in the role of Consuelo. Born María Jesús Marín Rodríguez on August 16, 1941 in Palencia, Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain she was married to director, writer, cinematographer José Grañena [1933- ].

Silva appeared in ten Spaghetti westerns: “Shadow of Zorro” 1962 (Irene); “The Terrible Sheriff” 1962 (Clementine); “Zorro the Avenger” 1962 (Irene) [as Mary Silvers]; “Shoot to Kill” 1963 (Mary Thompson); “Cavalry Charge”1964 (Valerie Jackson) [as Mary Silvers]; “Kill the Wicked!” 1967 (Shelley); “I Do Not Forgive... I Kill!” 1968 (Isabel Alvarez) [as Mary Silva]; “Santana Kills Them All” 1970 (María Anderson); “The Black Wolf” 1980 (Marquesa); “Revenge of the Black Wolf” 1981 (Marquesa).

• JELLINEK, Uwe - 12/25/1953, East Berlin, East Germany - 3/17/2023, Germany

German actor and voice dubber Uwe Jellinek died on March 17, 2023, in Germany he was 69. Born in East Berlin on December 25, 1953, Jellinek began his film career in East Germany beginning in 1980 and made 36 films and TV appearances until 2018. He was most well known as a film dubber and voice actor who was known for the ‘Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog’ television series. As well as that, he was the German voice actor for Baraqiel from ‘HighSchool DxD Born’ and Tom Dupain from ‘Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.’ His lone Euro-western was as Private Harper in 1982’s “The Scout” starring Gojko Mitic. He was also the German voice of Randy Roybal in one episode of Terence Hill’s 1991 TV series ‘Lucky Luke’ as Barbiere and was most recently heard in the new 2023 ‘Django’ TV series as the German voice of Adam Astill in the role of Bobby McGee.

• BLUDAU, Jochen - 7/2/1941, Krefeld-Hüls, North Rhine-Westfalen Germany - 3/9/2023, Elspe, Sauerland, Germany

German producer, director, playwright, writer and actor Jochen Bludau died in Elspe, Sauerland, Germany on March 9, 2023. He was 82. Bludau was the heart and soul of the Elspe Karl May Festival and played many roles on stage and behind the curtains, He wrote all the plays from the Karl May novels, appeared as Winnetou for many years and then switched to playing villains. He was instrumental in getting Pierre Brice to play the stage character of his film character of Winnetou. Bludau was also a co-producer on the 1993 Euro-western "Texas - Doc Snyder hält die Welt" in Atem. In the summer of 2013, Jochen Bludau was presented with the aforementioned "Scharlih", the honorary award of the Karl May Archive, which until then had mainly only been awarded to participants in the Karl May films. This showed the special status that the festival maker from the Sauerland enjoyed in the scene and will probably always enjoy.

• TOPOL (Chaim Topol) - 9/9/1935, Tel Aviv, Palestine - 3/9/2023, Tel Aviv, Israel

Oscar-nominated actor, an Israel Prize laureate, gained global recognition for his role as the grumbling ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ milkman, Chaim Topol, died on March 9, 2023, at the age of 87 in Tel Aviv after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer’s. Topol was a prolific actor with a wide range of credits including one Euro-western 1969’s “A Talent for Loving” (aka “Gun Craz”) starring Richard Widmark and Cesar Romero where he played a Mexican bandit.