Cemetery with crosses - legends lost but remembered

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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...

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

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FRESH GRAVES

  • PETERSON, Tord (Tord Gregor Pettersson) - 4/21/1926, Stockholm, Sweden - 1/11/2021, Skåne, Sweden

Swedish actor Tor Peterson died in his home in Skåne, Sweden on January 11, 2021. He was 94. Born in Stockholm on April 21, 1926 he was active as an actor for over 50 years, from 1956 until 2013 when he shot his last film, "The Foam Hour". He appeared as Chris Siringo in the Swedish 1973 TV western film “The Blue Hotel”.


  • SABATO, Antonio 4/2/1943, Montelepre, Palermo, Italy - 1/10/2021, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Italian actor Antonio Sabato died of COVID-19 in a Los Angeles, California hospital. He was 77. Sabato’s son Antonio Jr. made the announcement on Twitter. Born in Montelepre, Palermo, Italy on April 2, 1943, Sabato was one of the last stars of the Spaghetti western genre but ended up appearing in seven of them from 1967–1983. Titles include “Beyond the Law” as Ben Novak; “Hate for Hate” as Manuel (both 1967); “I Came, I Saw, I Shot” as Moses Lang; “Twice a Judas” as Luke Barrett (all 1968); “Thunder Over El Paso” as Roy ‘El Santo’ MacFallow (1971); “Where the Bullets Fly” as Jonathan Edgar/Allen Poe/Gipo (1972) and “Thunder Warrior” as Thomas (1983) (Thomas). Another mix up on his passing as Antonio Jr. posted on his twitter page his dad died on the 6th. Both Antonio's wife and daughter later posted he did not die but was still alive and then his daughter posted Sunday that he died that morning on the 10th.


  • RICHARDSON, John (John M. Richardson) - 1/19/1934, Worthing, Sussex, England, U.K. - 1/5/2020

British leading man John Richardson died on January 5, 2020. He was 86. Born in Sussex on Jan. 19, 1934, Richardson started out with small roles in such notable films as “A Night to Remember” (1958), the Kenneth More-starring 1959 remake of “The 39 Steps” and “The League of Gentlemen” (1960). Richardson also starred in the spaghetti Westerns John the Bastard (1967), Execution (1968) and “A Candidate for a Killing” (1969) and had a supporting turn in Vincente Minnelli's “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (1970), starring Barbra Streisand. Richardson was married to Spaghetti Western actress Martine Beswick from 1967 to 1973.


  • PELLY, Wilma (Wilma Episkenew) - 3/5/1937, Fort QuAppelle, Saskatchewan, Canada - 12/28/2020, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Canadian Indigenous actress Wilma Pelly, who was best known for her role as Elsie Tsa Che on the CBC TV series North of 60, died in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on December 28, 2020. Her family says the 83-year-old leaves a legacy of hard work and perseverance. Born Wilma Episkenew in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada, on March 5, 1937, Pelly was a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation. Pelly enjoyed a 25-year career with projects involving Sidney Poitier, Steven Spielberg. A background role in the film “Between Heaven and Earth” was Pelly's first foray into acting, and her career expanded to include parts in the 1995 TV miniseries “Children of the Dust” with Sidney Poitier; the Steven Spielberg-produced 2005 miniseries “Into the West”; and the second season of the FX series “Fargo”. Pelly appeared in two Euro-westerns: as a Nonna Indian in “Il mio West” (aka Gunslinger’s Revenge) 1998 and as Old Multnomah in the 2003 TV film ‘DreamKeeper’.


  • HOSSEIN, Robert (Rustam Huseynov) - 12/30/1927, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 12/31/2020, Essey-lès-Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle France

French actor and director Robert Hossein, famous for his mega-productions of classics such as Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, died Thursday at the age of 93. Hossein died in the hospital after suffering a "respiratory problem", his wife candice Patou said. Born in December 30, 1927 to an Iranian Zoroastrian composer father and a Russian Orthodox mother Hossein began acting in his teens. He made his name in the 1960s as the smoldering count of Peyrac in the "Angelique" series of baroque romances. Hossein appeared in three Euro-westerns: “The Taste of Violence” (1960) as Perez; “Cemetery Without Crosses” (1968) as Manuel and “Judge Roy Bean” (1971) as Black Bird/’The Sicilian’.


  • BOLLING, Claude 4/10/1930, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France – 12/29/2020, St. Cloud, Île-de-France, France

The jazz pianist, conductor and composer Claude Bolling, who wrote numerous scores for films like that of "Borsalino" and arranged "La Madrague", a famous song by Brigitte Bardot, has died at the age of 90, his entourage announced to AFP. Mr. Bolling, who suffered from various pathologies, died on Tuesday at Saint-Cloud, France hospital, west of Paris. Born in Cannes on April 10, 1930, he left Paris for Nice during the Occupation and followed the teaching of Marie-Louise "Bob" Colin, pianist, trumpeter and drummer in one of the many popular female orchestras in between. two wars. She encouraged him to return to Paris where he created his first orchestra at 16 and recorded his first record at 18. In France, he is considered a benchmark in the world of jazz. Among those who passed in his "big band" were renowned musicians such as his alto saxophonist Claude Tissendier. Bolling scored five “Lucky Luke” films and TV series and the French Euro-western “Louisiana” (1983) starring Margot Kidder.


  • FENTON, Mike (Ronald Michael Fenton) - 1/29/1935 Los Angeles, California - 12/30/2020, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

American casting director Mike Fenton died in a Los Angeles hospital on December 30, 2020. He was 85. Born Ronald Michael Fenton in Los Angeles on January 29, 1935, he spent more than a half-century in show business. After starting out in the mailroom at Music Corporation of America and becoming an agent at the Lew Wasserman firm, Fenton served as casting director for Paramount and then for Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard's T&L Productions, where he worked on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’, ‘The Andy Griffith Show’, ‘That Girl’, ‘Gomer Pyle: USMC’ and ‘I Spy’. Fenton co-founded the Casting Society of America (then known as American Society of Casting Directors) in 1982. He was presented with the CSA's Hoyt Bowers Award for career achievement in 1989 and was a champion of casting directors everywhere. Fenton was casting director for two Euro-westerns: “Another Man, Another Chance” (1977) and “Louisiana” (1984).


  • OLMI, Corrado - 10/24/1926, Jesi, Marche, Italy - 12/29/2020, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Italian actor Corrado Olmi died in a Rome hospital on December 29, 2020 from a disease aggravated by COVID-19. He was 94. Born in Jesi, Marche, Italy on October 24, 1926 he was at first a theater actor then he moved to Rome and entered the film industry and appeared in over 90 films including five Euro-westerns including: ‘Questa sera parla Mark Twain’ (TV 1965) where he played the newspaper editor); “Ace High” (1968) where he played the man on street that Eli Wallach forces to gamble with him; “A Stranger in Paso Bravo” (1968) as Jonathan; “Joe Dakota” (1971) as the cowboy assaulting Rosy; “Apache Woman” (1976) as Jeremy.


  • PIPINIC, Hermina - 5/1/1928, Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia - 12/19/2020, Zagreb, Croatia

Croatian actress Hermina Pipinic died in Zagreb on December 19, 2020. She was 93. Born in Zagreb on May 1, 1928, she appeared in over 70 films and TV series from 1955 to 1996. She played Molly in the 1965 Winnetou film “Frontier Hellcat” with Pierre Brice and Stewart Granger.


  • GILER, David (David Kevin Giler) - 1943, New York City, New York, U.S.A. - 12/19/2020, Bangkok, Thailand

David Giler, a writer, producer or both on some of the most high-profile films of the 1970s and ’80s, from the controversial Myra Breckinridge to the immensely popular Alien franchise, died of cancer December 19, 2020 at his home in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 77. Born in 1943 Giler. Giler’s screenwriting credits include The Parallax View (1974), Fun With Dick And Jane (1977) and The Money Pit (1986). He has writing or story credits for both Aliens (1986) and Aliens 3 (1992), and was a producer of the original Alien (1979) and its seven sequels, up to 2017’s Alien: Covenant (though his and Hill’s involvement lessened in the later sequels). In television, Giler wrote scripts for ’60s series Burke’s Law, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. In 1970, at 25 years old, Giler took on Gore Vidal’s Myra Breckinridge, his battles with director Michael Sarne becoming nearly as infamous as the legendary Raquel Welch-Rex Reed flop itself. One significant outlier: Vidal himself, who praised Giler’s original draft and became a lifelong friend. David Giller was a producer of 1985’s Euro-western “Rustlers’ Rhapsody” starring Tom Berenger.


  • KNIGHT, Rosalind (Rosalind Marie Knight) - 12/3/1933, Marylebone, London, England, U.K. - 12/19/2020, England, U.K.

British actress Rosalind Knight died at the age of 87 on December 19, 2020. The actress was best known for her roles in the Carry On movies and Friday Night Dinner. Born in Marylebone, London, England on December 13, 1933, her family confirmed the news in a statement, which read: ‘It is with huge sadness that the family of Rosalind Knight announce her death following a glorious career as a well-loved actress in theatre, TV and film. ‘She was known to so many generations, for so many different roles, and will be missed as much by the kids today who howl at Horrible Grandma in Friday Night Dinner as by those of us who are old enough to remember her in the very first Carry On films.’ Knight appeared in the 1998 Euro-western “Il mio West” (Gunfighter’s Revenge) as Miss Willow.


  • MAIRE, Fred - 5/20/1932, Munich, Bavaria, Germany - 12/19/2020, Germany

German actor, voice dubber Fred Maire died on December 19, 2020. He was 88. German actor and voice dubber Fred Maire died on December 19th, 2020 he was 88. Maire was believed to have been born in Munich, Germany on May 20, 1932. He began his career in the theater as an actor on stage in Berlin, Munich Basel, Bremen and Cologne. In the 1970s Fred travelled to Indonesia where he worked for a time at a Balinese-Javanese theater. Returning to Munich he took over a private theater for a year, but it failed financially despite great public success. He then worked until 2000 as a voice actor, author and director. In 2000 he returned to the theater where he made his second debut in Carl Orff’s “Die Bernauerin”. He was the German voice of Klaus Kinski, Dennis Hopper, David Bradley, Spencer, Tracy, Tomas Milian and Lee Van Cleef. Fred’s daughter Laura Maire is also an actress. Fred’s Euro-western German dubbing include “Dynamite Jack” (1961) [German voice of Piggot]; Adios, Gringo (1965) [German voice of Massimo Righi]; The Texican (1966) [German voice of George Rigaud]; Hallelujah for Django (1967) [German voice of Jeff Cameron]; Dead Men Don’t Count (1968) [German voice of Mark Damon]; The Big Gundown (1968) [German voice of Tomas Milian]; “Blood and Guns“ (1968) [German voice of Tomas Milian]; “Run Man Run” (1968) [German voice of Tomas Milian]; “If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death” (1968) [German voice of Klaus Kinski]; “$10,000 for a Massacre” (1968) [German voice of Claudio Camaso]; “Vengeance” (1968) [German voice of Claudio Camaso]; “White Comanche” (1968) [German voice of William Shatner]; “Guns of the Magnificent Seven” (1969) [German voice of Reni Santoni]; “Light the Fuse… Sartana is Coming” (1970) [German voice of Sal Borgese]; “The White, the Yellow, the Black” (1975) [German voice of Manuel De Blas]; “God’s Gun” (1976) [German voice Lee Van Cleef]; “Kid Vengeance “ (1977) [German voice of Lee Van Cleef] and “Todlicher Irrtum” (1985) [German voice of Michael Elphick].

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