Saturday, October 31, 2026
RIP Tony Askin
Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Robert Elliott
[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.]
Born on October 9, 1879, in Columbus, Ohio, Elliott began his acting career on stage before transitioning to film in 1916. His career bridged the silent and sound eras, and he was a reliable supporting player whose stern demeanor suited law-and-order roles in numerous features and serials.
Elliott's work included appearances in notable productions such as ''The Doorway to Hell'' (1930) where he played Police Chief Pat O'Grady, and various other films. He remained primarily a supporting actor rather than a leading star.
He continued working until his death on November 15, 1951, in Los Angeles, California at the age of 72.
Robert Elliott appeared in one Euro-western “Die Männer des Nordens” (The Men of the North) as Sergeant Mooney in 1930.
ELLIOTT, Robert (Richard Robert Elliott) [10/9/1879, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. – 11/15/1951, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.] – film actor, married to actress Ruth Thorp [1899-1971] (1920-1951)
The Men of the North – 1930 (Sergeant Mooney)
Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers
Spaghetti Western Director ~ Juan Xiol Marchal
Juan Xiol was a Spanish film director and screenwriter known for his prolific career in genre cinema spanning the mid-1940s to the 1970s.
Born in Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, on September 14, 1921, Xiol entered the film industry in the post-war years and directed his first notable work, “El castillo de Rochal”, in 1946.1 He went on to helm a variety of pictures, including early dramas such as “¿Milagro en la ciudad?” and “Avenida Roma, 66”, before gaining recognition in the 1960s for directing spaghetti westerns and adventure films like “Five Dollars for Ringo” and “Seven Pistols for a Gringo”, sometimes using pseudonyms such as Juan X. Marchal or Xiol Marchal.
Later in his career, he shifted toward more controversial exploitation and erotic films, including “Los farsantes del amor”, “El precio del aborto”, and “Sexy... amor y fantasia”. He died in Barcelona, Spain, in 1977.
Juan Xiol Marchal co-directed two Spaghetti westerns: “5 pistolas de Texas” ($5.00 for Ringo) with Ignacio F. Iquino and “Río maldito” (Seven Pistols for a Gringo) with Ignacio F. Iquino both in 1965.
MARCHAL, Juan Xiol (aka Juan X. Marchal, Xiol Marchal, Juan Xiol Marchel, Juan Xiol) [9/14/1921, Bilbao, Vizcaya, País Vasco, Spain – 1977, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain] – director, writer.
$5.00 for Ringo – 1965 (co) [as Juan Xiol]
Seven Pistols for a Gringo – 1965 (co)
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Luciano Ferri
Luciano Ferri is/was an Italian writer. He was a writer on a dozen films between 1961 and 1971.
I can find no biographical information on him.
Luciano Ferri was a co-writer on one Spaghetti western, “I quattro del Pater Noster” (In the Name of the Father) with Augusto Finocchi and Maurizio Costanzo in 1969.
FERRI, Luciano [Italian] – writer.
In the Name of the Father – 1969 (co)
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Pier Luigi Santi
Pier Luigi Santi is/was an Italian cinematographer. In spite of his large number of films her worked on specifically fifty-two of them there is literally no biographical information on the man. He’s not even listed in Italian Film: A Who’s Who.
Pier Luigi Santi was a cinematographer on one Spaghetti westerns: “Che botte ragazzi” (The Return of Shanghai Joe) in 1974. He was also a cameraman on “Il grande duello” (The Grand Duel) in 1972.
SANTI, Pier Luigi (aka Pierluigi Santi) [Italian] – cinematographer, cameraman.
The Grand Duel – 1972 [cameraman]
The Return of Shanghai Joe - 1974
New U.S.A. DVD release “Soda Pop Joe”
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Deaf Crocodile
SKU: 850066568880
Region A
Limited Slipcover Edition (1250 copies)
Video: restored in 4K by the Národni filmový archiv, Prague
Language: Czech
Subtitles: English
Running time: 100 minutes
Also included: Four rare short films, 1) “My Darling Clementine” – 1959, 6 min. Jiří Brdečka’s Folk Art style animated short set to a Czech version of the famed song. 2) “Song of the Prairie” – 1949, NFA, 19 min. Jiří Trnka’s stop-motion homage to John Ford’s STAGECOACH, adapted from a Jiří Brdečka novel., 3) "The Face -- 1973, 3 min. Dir. Jiří Brdečka. Pre-Bill Plympton, this minimalist short shows a man’s face changing as he passes through life. 4) "Reason and Emotion" -- 1962, 15 min. Dir. Jiří Brdečka. This mid-century animated short follows a man with a trumpet who tries to modify the world around him.
48-page booklet featuring: New essay by film historian Jonathan Owen; new essay by film critic Walter Chaw; New commentary by film critic and screenwriter Tereza Brdečková and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company; New visual essay “Soda Pop Joe: The Gospel of the Brand” (2026, 13 min.) by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer
Available: October 31, 2026
A new British, Chinese, Taiwan, U.S.A. film co-production western “Gold Mountain”
A 2026 British, Chinese, Taiwan, U.S.A. film co-production [The Ink Factory (London),
DaiMai Entertainment (Beijing), Haishang Films, Central Motion Picture (Taipei),
Fifth Season (Los Angeles)]
Producers: Cary Cheng, Luyuan Fan, Guo Guangchang, Cliff Lanning, David Lee, Delai
Li, Joe Tsai, Arthur Wang, Michele Wolkoff, Anthony Bregman, Simon Cornwell,
Stephen Cornwell, Peter Cron, Gregory Goodman, Ang Lee, Changtian Wang
Director: Ang Lee
Story: How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
Screenplay: Hansol Jung, Chang-rae Lee
Cinematography: Joshua James Richards, Emanuel Lubezki
Music: Mychael Danna
Running time:
Cast:
Red Beard Rufus – John Lee Ames
Cornelius – Sawyer Holt
Josiah Crane – Martin Harris
Caleb - Dominic Bogart
Annie – Blu Owens
Edwin - Jackson Janowicz
Edith - Everly Wild Goerdel
Clara - London E. Mitchell
Cornelius - Sawyer Holt
Silas - Joseph O'Malley
Murphy - Troy Sloan
Young Ba - Nigel Fuego Zhang
Amos - Logan Langevin
With: Zine Tseng, Owen Teague, Sophia Xu, Yao, Chedi Chang
Josh Stewart, James Landry Hébert
Stunt coordinator: Charles Croughwell
THREE-TIME ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER ANG LEE BRINGS EPIC GOLD RUSH DRAMA TO THE BIG SCREEN
Based on C. Pam Zhang’s acclaimed novel, the feature film is an sweeping Western drama set during the dying embers of the American Gold Rush.
Gold Mountain, helmed by three time award-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi), is a period adventure film set in 1850s San Francisco during the booming, violent times of the Gold Rush. The story of a canny widow and the girl she transports from China, who together overcome innate distrust to form a bond while running a marriage con on unsuspecting men. Scheduled to film from May 18, 2026 to July 23, 2026 in Folsom, Sacramento County, California. Produced by Stephen Cornwell, Simon Cornwell, Ang Lee, Anthony Bregman, Gregory Goodman, and Peter Cron through Likely Story and The Ink Factory.
The film stars Chedi Chang (The Resident), Sophia Xu (Beef), yao (Sinners), Zine Tseng (3 Body Problem), and Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes). The book was adapted for the screen by acclaimed novelist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Chang-Rae Lee and unites a distinguished and award-winning creative team that includes Academy Award nominee Joshua James Richards as cinematographer, four-time Academy Award nominee Jack Fisk as production designer, Academy Award winner Mychael Danna as composer, two-time Academy Award nominee Tim Squyres as editor, and three-time Emmy winner Avy Kaufman as casting director.
The novel How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a national bestseller which released to critical acclaim in 2020. Listed as both a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of the Year, the novel was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize and also named a Barack Obama Book of the Year.
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