Cemetery with crosses - legends lost but remembered
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 their last names:
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
Renowned Israeli actor Josef Shiloach died Monday January 3, 2011 in Israel at the age of 69. Shiloach, who starred in several Israeli cult classics such as “Alex Hole Ahava”, “Sapiches” and “Hagiga B’Snuker” passed away following a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind a wife and three daughters. Shiloach was born in Kurdistan in 1941 and immigrated to Israel at the age of 9. He appeared in his first film in 1964 and went on to star in dozens of Israeli films and TV shows. At the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s Shiloach appeared in a number of international film productions including “Rambo 3", “The Mummy Lives” and “Not Without My Daughter. In 2009, Shiloach won the lifetime achievement award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. During his career Shiloach appeared in two European westerns, as Mario in “Carlos” (1971) and as Lupe alongside Lee Van Cleef in “Kid Vengeance” (1976).
American actress Anne Francis died on January 2, 2011 in a retirement home in Santa Barbara, California as a result of complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 80. Francis was born Anne Lloyd Francis on September 16, 1930 in Ossining, New York and was featured in the film “Forbidden Planet” (1956) along with the recently deceased Leslie Nielsen. Anne would go on to gain fame in the TV series “Honey West” as one of TV’s first female detectives and her character was similar to James Bond and ran from 1965-1966. Francis began her career as a child model and progressed to radio and TV. Anne appeared in one Euro-western as Flo in 1972's “Pancho Villa” starring Telly Savalas.
Italian actor Aldo Berti died shortly after midnight in Florence, Italy from brain cancer on December 26,2010 . He was 74. Aldo was born on February 26, 1936 in Florence. Aldo appeared in over 40 films from 1956's “Time of Vacation” with Vittorio De Sica until 1972's “Return of the Holy Ghost”and shot a television series. Half of his films were Euro-westerns. Among them were supporting roles in “A Stranger in Sacaramento” and “Why Go On Killing?” both 1965, “The Dirty Outlaws” and “A Stranger in Town” both 1967, “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968), “El Puro” (1969), “The Ballad of Death Valley” (1970), “Have a Nice Funeral” and “Mallory Must Not Die” both in 1971 and two Spirito Santo films in 1972. Aldo lived a nomadic life traveling all over the world after giving up his film career. Aldo was living life with no cares and a mind like a sponge soaking up everything he could see and hear. He was friends with William Berger, had a romantic relationship with actress Barbara Steele after which he almost committed suicide. Berti was friends with Sarah Churchill, became a poet and wrote a book of poems entitled ‘Canto Finale’. On February 14, 1984 while traveling up the Nile with a load of patients for Juba and the first Doctors Without Borders they were attacked by armed men with machine guns, grenades and burned. Hundreds died and Aldo’s spirit died with them. From that point on he lived a personal life of shame for not dying with them. For many years he lived a simple life in Morocco. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in October of this year and returned to Florence to face death. One of the most recognized Italian character actors has left us. We should best remember Aldo by one of his famous sayings, “To be born is the privilege of all, having lived a privileged few."
Romanian actress Rodica Tapalaga died on Saturday December 18, 2010 after a long illness, her family announced. Known and loved for her numerous roles on stage and in movies, Tapalaga was 71. Her body was could be viewed at the Coltea Sfintii Trei Ierarhi Church in downtown Bucharest on Sunday and colleagues and admirers can pay their respects until the morning of December 21. The actress was awarded with the ACIN Moviemakers' Association Award in 1976 for her role in Tanase Scatiu and in 2001, she got a lifetime achievement award from UNITER. Tapalaga was also awarded at the Bucharest City awards for arts and literature on December 14, 2009, at the Ion Dacian Operetta Theater. She was married to stage designer Ion Popescu Udriste with whom she had a son, Barbu Popescu, and was the sister of actor Stefan Tapalaga. Rodica appeared in one Euro-western, "The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians" (1979) she played the role of 'The Actress'.
A striking face, a squeaky voice, and great versatility - for decades, Alexander Kerst was one of the most popular actors in the German television landscape. On Thursday December 9, 2010, he died at the age of 86 in Munich. His daughter said. “He had been ill for some time". Kerst was born on 2/23/1924 in Kralupy u Chomutova, Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian actor as a TVPioneer: Since the 1950s, he appeared in numerous television productions. In 2005 he played in the ZDFMiniseries "Die Patirarchin" and a year later he was in the critically acclaimed for his appearance on ARDTV movie "Silberhochzeit". Kerst’s film appearances include Alfred Weidemann's "Stern von Afrika," Frank Wisbar Stalingrad-Film "Hunde, wollte ihr ewig leben" and "Mein Schulfreund" with Heinz Ruehmann. He appeared in numerous television thrillers such as "Tatort", "Derrick" and "Der Alte". Kerst had numerous guest roles, and appeared on entertainment shows like "Das Erbe der Guldenbergs” and in a Rosamunde-Pilcher-With film. He was once married to actress Susanne Korda [1940- ]. As Stanley Kerst he appeared in one Euro-western "The Last Tomahawk" (1965) with Anthony Steffen and Daniel Martin. |
