Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ José Maria Ecenarro

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

José Maria Ecenarro is/was a Spanish stuntman and character actor. According to the IMDb he has only three film credits. He performed stunts in the 1972 film “The Murder Mansion” and he appeared as an actor in 1963’s “Los conquistadores del Pacífico” (Balboa) and then his only Spaghetti western: “Anche nel West c’era una volta Dio” (Between God, the Devil and a Winchester) in 1968.

I can find no biographical information on him.

ECENARRO, José Maria (aka José Ma. Ecenarro) [Spanish] – stuntman, film actor.

Between God, the Devil and a Winchester – 1968

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Viggo Larsen

Viggo Larsen was a Danish cinema pioneer who advanced from a military background to become an actor, director, scriptwriter, and producer in the silent film era. After initial work in Ole Olsen's cinema chain, he joined the newly founded Nordisk Film Kompagni in 1906, directing its early output—including all films produced between 1906 and 1909, and helming 29 Danish titles, such as the commercially successful “Løvejagten” (Lion Hunt, 1907), which sold 259 prints despite controversy over its depiction of captive animal hunting. Larsen gained prominence for directing and portraying Sherlock Holmes in a series of Nordisk adaptations from 1908 to 1910, including “Sherlock Holmes i Livsfare” (1908) and “Den Graa Dame” (The Grey Lady), 1909, as well as German crossovers like “Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes”.

Relocating to Berlin in 1910, Larsen collaborated with Vitascope and later discovered actress Wanda Treumann, co-founding Treumann Larsen Film GmbH in 1912 to produce dozens of films, including “Die Sumpfblume” (The Marsh Flower), 1913. Over his career, he directed approximately 235 films through 1921, spanning genres from detective stories to early Westerns like “Frank Hansens Lykke” (Frank Hansen's Fortune), 1917, before focusing more on acting in 140 roles up to “Diesel” (1942).

He remained in Germany until after World War II, returning to Denmark in 1945. There he died on January 6, 1957, in Copenhagen at the age of 76.

Viggo Larsen directed two silent Euro-westerns: “Texas Tex” in 1907 and “Frank Hansens Lykke” (Frank Hansen’s Fortune) in 1917.

LARSEN, Viggo [8/14/1880, Copenhagen, Denmark – 1/6/1957, Copenhagen, Denmark] – producer, director, actor, co-founded Treumann Larsen Film GmbH [1912].

Texas Tex - 1907

Frank Hansen’s Fortune – 1917

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Sergio Donati

Sergio Donati was an Italian screenwriter best known for his pivotal role in shaping the spaghetti western genre through his collaborations with director Sergio Leone, most notably penning the expansive screenplay for the landmark film “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968).

Born in Rome on April 13, 1933, Donati initially trained as a lawyer at the city's Faculty of Law but abandoned the profession after publishing three crime novels by the age of 23, including Il Sepolcro di Carta (1956), which was later adapted into the film “I Am What I Am” (1967). His screenwriting career took off in the mid-1960s with uncredited rewrites for Leone's Dollars Trilogy, contributing to “For a Few Dollars More” (1965) and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966), which helped establish the gritty, operatic style of Italian westerns.

Donati's partnership with Leone continued with the 420-page script for “Once Upon a Time in the West”, an epic revenge tale starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson that is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the genre for its intricate plotting and atmospheric tension. He also co-wrote “Duck, You Sucker!” (1971), another Leone-directed western set during the Mexican Revolution, blending action with political themes. Beyond westerns, Donati's prolific output spanned more than 70 films, including the thriller “Orca: The Killer Whale” (1977) and the action film “Raw Deal” (1986) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as later works like “Man on Fire” (1987) and “The Sicilian Girl” (2008).

In his later years, Donati reflected on his career in the memoir Once Upon a Time in the West… I Was There Too (2007), offering insider anecdotes on the filmmaking process while maintaining a self-effacing view of screenwriting as a collaborative craft overshadowed by directors. He passed away in Mentana, near Rome, at the age of 91 on August 13, 2024, leaving a legacy as one of the unsung architects of Italian cinema's golden age.

Sergio Donati wrote and co-rote eleven screenplays for Spaghetti westerns: “$100,000 par el Lassiter” (Dollars for a Fast Gun) with Joaquín Romero Hernández and “Per qualche dollaro in piu” (For a Few Dollars More) with Sergio Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1965, “La resa dei conti” (The Big Gundown) with Tulio Demicheli and Sergio Sollima and “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) with Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli), Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincezoni both in 1966, “Faccia a facia” (Face to Face) with Sergio Sollima in 1967, “C’era un a volta il west” (Once Upon a Time in the West) with Sergio Leone in 1968, “Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo” (The Ballad of Ben and Charlie) with Luigi Montefiori and “”Giu la testa” (Duck You Sucker) with Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1971, “Cipolla Colt” (Spaghetti Western) with Miguel de Echarri and Luciano Vincenzoni in 1974, “Occhio alla penna” (Buddy Goes West) in 1981 and “Grand Nord” (North Star” with Lorenzo Donati and Paul Ohl in 1996. Donati was also scheduled to write screenplays for the long-awaited Sergio Leone television series ‘Colt’ which has never materialized.

DONATI, Sergio (aka Sergio Donatti, Serge Given, Lorenzo Ruffino) [4/13/1933, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 8/13/2024, Mentana, Lazio, Italy] – assistant director, writer, film editor, actor, married to Lorena Donati [19??-2024] father of writer, cameraman Lorenzo Donati, writer Duccio Donati, awarded a “Tondo” [2015].

Dollars for a Fast Gun – 1965 (co)

For a Few Dollars More – 1965 (co)

The Big Gundown – 1966 (co)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – 1966 (co)

Face to Face – 1967 (co)

Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 (co)

The Ballad of Ben and Charlie – 1971 (co)

Duck You Sucker – 1971 (co)

Spaghetti Western – 1974 (co)

Buddy Goes West – 1981

Colt (TV) – 1994 [TV series was never made]

North Star – 1996 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Émile Pierre

Ovide Émile Pierre was born in Mohon, Brittany, France on April 27, 1883 he was a French cameraman and cinematographer. He was a cameraman on eight films between 1926 to1935 and mainly as a cinematographer on one-hundred-thirteen films between 1908 and 1934.

Like most silent film crew members little has been written about them other than a filmography. Pierre is no exception and I can find no biographical information on him other than his birthdate and his passing on September 19, 1969 in Paris, France at the age of 86.

Émile Pierre was a cinematographer on one silent Euro-western, “Aux mains des bandits” in 1911.

PIERRE, Émile (Ovide Émile Pierre) [4/27/1883, Mohon, Brittany, France – 9/19/1969, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Aux mains des bandits - 1911

A new British box set “Eastern Trails: The Western at DEFA”

 

Eastern Trails: The Western at DEFA

 

Box set includes 2 discs: “Chingachgook the Great Snake”, “Fatal Error”, “Apaches” and “Blood Brothers”

Label: Eureka Entertainment

Region B

Resolution: 1080p HD, from restorations by the DEFA Foundation

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Language: German

Subtitles: English (optional, newly translated for this release)

Limited Collector's Edition Box Set [2000 copies], hardbound slipcase and interior packaging with new art by Colin Murdoch

Limited Edition 60-page collector’s book featuring part one of a new extended essay on the history of the DEFA Indianerfilme by Lee Broughton [2000 copies]

Extras: audio commentary on Apaches by film historian Michael Brooke; "Singing Cowboy" – new interview on Dean Reed and Blood Brothers with East German cinema expert Seán Allan, co-editor of Re-Imagining DEFA; "Old West, New Perspective" – new video essay on depictions of American history in DEFA’s Indianerfilme by Western scholar Jenny Barrett, author of Shooting the Civil War; Archival musical performance by Dean Reed

Available: September 21, 2026

Spaghetti Western locations Then & Now “For a Few Dollars More”

Here’s a screen shot from 1965’s “For a Few Dollars More” taken from the balcony on the saloon/hotel where Colonel Mortimer was staying. It show’s Indio’s gang hastily leaving town after they had robbed the bank.

Here’s a shot from the same location on the balcony of the Yellow Rose in Oasys/Mini Hollywood in 2026.

European Western Comics – Collana Rodeo

 

Rodeo Stories

Rodeo Stories, was a comic book a series written by Gino D’Antonio and illustrated by Renzo Calegari, Renato Polese, Sergio Tarquinio, Louis Bermejo, Giorgio Trevisan, Erminio Ardigò, and Gino D’Antonio. Covers are by Gino D’Antonio. Alternating with Stories of the West (SW) episodes, the series re-published adventures—mostly previously published in strip format—featuring other characters from the publishing house, including Lobo Kid (LK), Rick Master (RM), Sergeant York (SY), El Kid (EK), Yuma Kid (YK), Big Davy (presented as Davy Crockett, DC), The Three Bills (TB), A Boy from the Far West (RFW), The Buffalo Patrol (PB), Joselito (JO), and Gordon Jim (GJ).

Issue #6 reprints Lobo Kid by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Leonardo Ugolini; this story had originally appeared as a supplement to Furio but remained unfinished there.

Issue #7 publishes the conclusion of the Lobo Kid story left unfinished in Furio, with scripts by Glauco Verozzi and art by Leonardo Ugolini.

Issue #32 features a partial reprint of Yuma Kid, specifically the first six strips and part of the seventh, with a concluding panel added.

As a supplement to issue #32, it publishes Ernie Pike by Oesterheld and Pratt.

Regarding A Boy in the Far West, it reprints all stories that appeared in the The Border series (1958), but not the stories that debuted in issues #50 and #51 of the Zenit Gigante Series II (1965), illustrated by Birago Balzano.

Issue #108 publishes Addio alle armi ("A Farewell to Arms"), the previously unpublished concluding episode of A Boy in the Far West, by Decio Canzio and Franco Bignotti.

In issues... Issues #119, #120, #121, #124, #125, #126, #127, #131, and #159 feature previously unpublished standalone stories, with scripts by Giancarlo Berardi, Pier Carpi, Andrea Mantelli, Decio Canzio, and art by Antonio Canale, Virgilio Muzzi, Roberto Diso, Renato Polese, Alfio Ticci, and Giovanni Forgiarini.

Issues #142, #144, #146, #148, #150, and #152 feature the previously unpublished Joselito, with script and art by Armando Monasterolo.

The series was published by SBE in Milan, Italy under director Sergio Bonelli. Issue one was released in June of 1967 and issue #162 was release in December of 1980. Each issue contained 96 black and white pages with color covers.

 

Titles

001 (00.06.67) - “Verso l’ignoto” (SW) (Into the Unknown)

002 (00.07.67) - “Il grande fiume” (SW) (The Great River)

003 (00.08.67) - “Alamo” (SW) (Alamo)

004 (00.09.67) - “Comancheros” (SW) (Comancheros)

005 (00.10.67) - “Soldati di ventura” (SW) (Soldiers of Fortune)

006 (00.11.67) - “Lobo Kid” (LK) (Lobo Kid)

007 (00.12.67) - “Il giorno della vendetta” (LK) (Day of Vengeance)

008 (00.01.68) - “Judok” (Judok)

009 (00.02.68) - “Le carovane” (SW) (The Wagon Trains)

010 (00.03.68) - “Rick Master” (RM) (Rick Master)

011 (00.04.68) - “Texas” (RM) (Texas)

012 (00.05.68) - “L’oro della California” (SW) (California Gold)

013 (00.06.68) - “La pattuglia” (SW) (The Patrol)

014 (00.07.68) - “Rio Kid” (RK) (Rio Kid)

015 (00.08.68) - “Le grandi pianure” (SW) (The Great Plains)

016 (00.09.68) - “Gordon Jim” (GJ) (Gordon Jim)

017 (00.10.68) - “Tamburi di guerra” (GJ) (War drums)

018 (00.11.68) - “Wells Fargo” (SW) (Wells Fargo)

019 (00.12.68) - “Kansas” (SW) (Kansas)

020 (00.01.69) - “Il sergente York” (SY) (Sergeant York)

021 (00.02.69) - “La foresta in fiamme” (SY) (The Forest in Flames)

022 (00.03.69) - “I cavalieri del demonio” (SY) (The Devil’s Horseman)

023 (00.04.69) - “Cielo rosso” (SW) (Red Sky)

024 (00.05.69) - “Sangue sul fiume” (SY) (Blod on the River)

025 (00.06.69) - “L’ultimo duello” (SW) (The Last Duel)

026 (00.07.69) - “Gli scorridori” (SW) (The Raiders)

027 (00.08.69) - “Il fortino abbandonato” (SY) (The Abandoned Fort)

028 (00.09.69) - “Partita d’azzardo” (SY) (High-Stakes Game)

029 (00.10.69) - “El Kid” (EK) (The Kid)

030 (00.11.69) - “Gunman” (EK) (Gunman)

031 (00.12.69) - “Orizzonti lontani” (SW) (Distant Horizons)

032 (00.01.70) - “Yuma Kid” (YK) (Yuma Kid)

033 (00.02.70) - “La diligenza” (SW) (The Stagecoach)

034 (00.03.70) - “Davy Crockett” (DC) (Davy Crockett)

035 (00.04.70) - “Attacco notturno” (DC) (Night Attack)

036 (00.05.70) - “Acque morte” (SW) (Dead Waters)

037 (00.06.70) - “I tre Bill” (TB) (The Three Bills)

038 (00.07.70) - “I Dakota” (SW) (Dakota)

039 (00.08.70) - “La pista rossa” (TB) (The Red Trail)

040 (00.09.70) - “La lunga cavalcata” (SW) (The Long Ride)

041 (00.10.70) - “Corsa tragica” (TB) (Tragic Ride)

042 (00.11.70) - “Un ragazzo nel Far West” (RFW) (A Boy in the Far West)

043 (00.12.70) - “Fiamme di guerra” (SW) (Flames of War)

044 (00.01.71) - “Notte di terrore” (RFW) (Night of Terror)

045 (00.02.71) - “Terra violenta” (SW) (Violent Land)

046 (00.03.71) - “Deserto tragico” (RFW) (Tragic Desert)

047 (00.04.71) - “Il grande rodeo” (RFW) (The Great Rodeo)

048 (00.05.71) - “Il ponte” (SW) (The Bridge)

049 (00.06.71) - “I predoni della foresta” (RFW) (Forest Raiders)

050 (00.07.71) - “Squilli al tramonto” (SW) (Bugles at Sunset)

051 (00.08.71) - “I forzati della gloria” (SW) (Glory’s Conscripts)

052 (00.09.71) - “Terre insanguinate” (RFW) (Blood-Stained Lands)

053 (00.10.71) - “Il trionfo della legge” (RFW) (The Triumph of Law)

054 (00.11.71) - “I guerriglieri” (SW) (The Guerillas)

055 (00.12.71) - “Dusty il «Desperado»” (RFW) (Dusty the Desperado)

056 (00.01.72) - “Veleno giallo” (SW) (Yellow Poison)

057 (00.02.72) - “Ribellione” (RFW) (Rebellion)

058 (00.03.72) - “Forte Stanton” (RFW) (Fort Stanton)

059 (00.04.72) - “Piombo rovente” (RFW) (Red-Hot Lead)

060 (00.05.72) - “Gli avvoltoi” (SW) (The Vultures)

061 (00.06.72) - “Sand Creeck” (SW) (Sand Creek)

062 (00.07.72) - “La caverna dei totem” (RFW) (The Cave of Totems)

063 (00.08.72) - “Furia selvaggia” (RFW) (Wild Fury)

064 (00.09.72) - “Hardin, il mercante” (RFW) (Hardin, the Merchant)

065 (00.10.72) - “L’urlo degli Apaches” (SW) (The Apache War Cry)

066 (00.11.72) - “La foresta pietrificata” (RFW) (The Petrified Forest)

067 (00.12.72) - “Abilene” (SW) (Abilene)

068 (00.01.73) - “Tulak” (RFW) (Tulak)

069 (00.02.73) - “Doppio gioco” (RFW) (Double Cross)

070 (00.03.73) - “Campo di battaglia” (SW) (Battlefield0

071 (00.04.73) - “L’enigma dell’idolo azteco” (RFW) (The Enigma of the Aztec Idol)

072 (00.05.73) - “La città del sole” (RFW) (The City of the Sun)

073 (00.06.73) - “Senza legge” (SW) (Lawless)

074 (00.07.73) - “Gli spettri della Mesa” (RFW) (The Ghosts of the Mesa)

075 (00.08.73) - “La pista d’acciaio” (SW) (The Steel Track)

076 (00.09.73) - “La grande sfida” (SW) (The Great Challenge)

077 (00.10.73) - “Il grande corvo” (RFW) (The Great Raven)

078 (00.11.73) - “Scontro a Fargo” (RFW) (Clash of Fargo)

079 (00.12.73) - “Luna Comanche” (SW) (Comanche Moon)

081 (00.02.74) - “Silver Canyon” (RFW) (Silver Canyon)

082 (00.03.74) - “Missione misteriosa” (RFW) (Mysterious Mission)

083 (00.04.74) - “La notte dei vigilanti” (SW) (Night of the Vigilantes)

084 (00.05.74) - “Battaglia al ranch” (RFW) (Battle of the Ranch0

085 (00.06.74) - “Le città silenti” (SW) (The Silent Cities)

086 (00.07.74) - “I pirati del Missouri” (RFW) (Pirates of the Missouri)

087 (00.08.74) - “Dog soldier” (SW) (Dog Soldier)

088 (00.09.74) - “I mercenari” (SW) (The Mercenary)

089 (00.10.74) - “I quattro assi” (RFW) (The Four Aces)

090 (00.11.74) - “Le montagne splendenti” (SW) (The Shining Mountains)

091 (00.12.74) - “Uragano sull’Arizona” (RFW) (Hurricane Over Arizona)

092 (00.01.75) - “Oro tragico” (RFW) (Tragic Gold)

093 (00.02.75) - “Red River” (SW) (Red River)

094 (00.03.75) - “Rio Bravo” (RFW) (Rio Bravo)

095 (00.04.75) - “L’ultimo assalto” (RFW) (The Last Assault)

096 (00.05.75) - “La costa lunga” (SW) (The Long Coast)

097 (00.06.75) - “Il tesoro del fuorilegge” (RFW) (The Outlaw’s Treasure)

098 (00.07.75) - “La legge della violenza” (SW) (The Law of Violence)

099 (00.08.75) - “Le sorgenti misteriose” (RFW) (The Mysterious Springs)

100 (00.09.75) - “L’uomo della frontiera” (SW) (The Frontier Man)

101 (00.10.75) - “Watanka” (RFW) (Watanka)

102 (00.11.75) - “Cacciatori di indiani” (SW) (Indian Hunters0

103 (00.12.75) - “Sangue sul fiume” (RFW) (Blood on the River)

104 (00.01.76) - “Il grande Zapata” (RFW) (The Great Zapata)

105 (00.02.76) - “Il seme dell’odio” (SW) (The Seed of Hatred)

106 (00.03.76) - “Desperados!” (RFW) (Desperados)

107 (00.04.76) - “Il fiume perduto” (SW) (The Lost River)

108 (00.05.76) - “Addio alle armi” (RFW) (Farewell to Arms)

109 (00.06.76) - “La pattuglia dei Bufali” (PB) (The Buffalo Patrol)

110 (00.07.76) - “La valle delle nebbie” (PB) (The Valley of Mists)

111 (00.08.76) - “La stirpe di Caino” (SW) (The Lineage of Cain)

112 (00.09.76) - “Un caso misterioso” (PB) (A Mysterious Case)

113 (00.10.76) - “I conquistatori” (SW) (The Conquerors)

114 (00.11.76) - “Il ritorno dei tre Bill” (TB) (The Return of the Three Bills)

115 (00.12.76) - “Ai ferri corti” (TB) (At Daggers Drawn)

116 (00.01.77) - “Verdi pascoli” (SW) (Green Pastures)

117 (00.02.77) - “Tracce nel deserto” (TB) (Tracks in the Desert)

118 (00.03.77) - “La pista dei ladri” (SW) (The Thieves’ Trail)

119 (00.04.77) - “L’ombra della forca” (The Shadow of the Gallows)

120 (00.05.77) - “Gli strangolatori” (The Stranglers)

121 (00.06.77) - “Terra maledetta” (Cursed Land)

122 (00.07.77) - “Sangue di guerriero” (SW) (Warrior’s Blood)

123 (00.08.77) - “Uomini violenti” (SW) (Violent Men)

124 (00.09.77) - “Il serpente d’argento” (The Silver Serpent)

125 (00.10.77) - “Il mestiere di spia” (The Spy’s Trade)

126 (00.11.77) - “Un uomo e la sua colt” (A Man and His Colt)

127 (00.12.77) - “L’esploratore scomparso” (The Missing Scout)

128 (00.01.78) - “Grido di guerra” (SW) (War Cry)

129 (00.02.78) - “Requiem per un legionario” (Requiem for a Legionnaire)

130 (00.03.78) - “Il giorno del massacro” (SW) (Day of the Massacre)

131 (00.04.78) - “Wyatt Doyle” (Wyatt Doyle)

132 (00.05.78) - “Furia apache” (GB) (Apache Fury)

133 (00.06.78) - “L’ombra del passato” (GB) (Shado of the Past)

134 (00.07.78) - “Oklahoma” (SW) (Oklahoma)

135 (00.08.78) - “Le colline d’oro” (SW) (The Golden Hills)

136 (00.09.78) - “Rio Bravo” (GB) (Rio Bravo)

137 (00.10.78) - “Aquila nera” (GB) (Black Eagle)

138 (00.11.78) - “Giorno di gloria” (SW) (Day of Glory)

139 (00.12.78) - “Arizona” (GB) (Arizona)

140 (00.01.79) - “Joselito” (JO) (Joselito)

141 (00.02.79) - “Vento d’autunno” (SW) (Autumn Wind)

142 (00.03.79) - “Per seicentomila pesos” (JO) (For Six Hundred Thousand Pesos)

143 (00.04.79) - “Sentieri selvaggi” (SW) (Wild Trails)

144 (00.05.79) - “Veracruz” (JO) (Vera Cruz)

145 (00.06.79) - “La lunga marcia” (SW) (The Long March)

146 (00.07.79) - “I macheteros” (JO) (The Macheteros)

147 (00.08.79) - “La via dell’inferno” (SW) (The Road to Hell)

148 (00.09.79) - “Pancho Villa!” (JO) (Pancho Villa!)

149 (00.10.79) - “Rio Grande” (SW) (Rio Grande)

150 (00.11.79) - “Broncho Apache” (Broncho Apache)

151 (00.12.79) - “I cavalieri” (SW) (The Horseman0

152 (00.01.80) - “Seta gialla” (JO) (Yellow Silk)

153 (02-03.80) - “Vittoria amara” (SW) (Bitter Victory)

154 (00.04.80) - “L’ultimo apache” (SW) (The Last Apache)

155 (00.05.80) - “Colpo su colpo” (SW) (Blow to Blow)

156 (00.06.80) - “A ovest del Pecos” (SW) (West of the Pecos)

157 (00.07.80) - “I combattenti” (SW) (The Fighters)

158 (00.08.80) - “Vento caldo” (SW) (Hot Wind)

159 (00.09.80) - “L’astronave perduta” (The Lost Spaceship)

160 (00.10.80) - “Croce di fiamma” (SW) (Cross of Flame)

161 (00.11.80) - “L’inferno bianco” (SW) (The White Hell)

162 (00.12.80) - “La fine della pista” (SW) (End of the Trail)

Special Birthdays

Derrick De Marney (actor) would have been 120 today but died in 1978.

Carla Calo (actress) would have been 100 today but died in 2019.

Teresa Gimpera (actress) would have been 90 but died on 2024.

Karl Willetts (actor) is 60 today.

 

Kisha Sierra (actress) is 45 today.

From the WAI! vault