[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.]
Mario Doddi is an unknown Italian character actor who appeared in only one film according to the IMDb and that was also his only Spaghetti western appearance in 1968’s “Tepepa” (Blood and Guns)
DODDI, Mario [Italian]
– film actor.
Blood and Guns – 1968
Spaghetti Western Director ~ Pascal Frezzato
Pascal Frezzato is a French independent filmmaker, actor, and special effects artist based in the Mayenne region. Born in Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, Francein 1972, he is best known for his work in genre and amateur short films—frequently producing projects alongside his creative collective, Gremlin'z Prod.
His work is characterized by "do-it-yourself" indie filmmaking, taking on multiple roles across his productions including directing, make-up, camera operation, and set design.
Pascal Frezzato directed two Euro-westerns: “Per un pugno di spaghetti” in 2014 and “Per un pugno di spaghetti 2: Rosalita” in 2015.
FREZZATO, Pascal [1972, Mayenne, Pays
de la Loire, France - ] – director,
cameraman, makeup artist, MSFX.
Per un pugno di
spaghetti – 2014
Per un pugno di
spaghetti 2: Rosalita – 2015
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Borden Chase
Borden Chase was the pen name for (Frank Stanley Gilman Borden Chase Fowler) who was born on January 11, 1900, in New York City. He was an American screenwriter and pulp fiction author whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s, specializing in rugged Western narratives that emphasized moral conflict and frontier survival. he adopted the pseudonym Borden Chase after early jobs including driving for Prohibition-era gangster Frankie Yale and working as a shipyard laborer, before transitioning to writing short stories for magazines like Argosy and Liberty.
Chase's screenwriting breakthrough came with the Howard Hawks-directed “Red River” (1948), co-written with Charles Schnee, which depicted a cattle drive fraught with father-son tension starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift, establishing his reputation for psychologically intense oaters. He forged a key collaboration with director Anthony Mann, scripting three landmark films: “Winchester '73” (1950), featuring James Stewart as a vengeance-driven gunman; “Bend of the River” (1952), a tale of pioneer betrayal; and others that blended action with character-driven drama. Additional hits included “Vera Cruz” (1954), a gritty adventure with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster that influenced spaghetti Westerns, and war films like “The Fighting Seabees” (1944). His protagonists—often flawed men confronting lawlessness and personal demons—reflected a realist view of human nature amid untamed landscapes, contributing to the genre's evolution beyond simple heroism. Chase received Academy Award nominations for his work, underscoring his impact on mid-20th-century Hollywood filmmaking.
Chase died in Los Angeles, California on March 8, 1971 from complications of a stroke at the age of 71.
Borden Chase co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western “Los pistoleros de Casa Grande” (Gunfighters of Casa Grande) with Clarke Reynolds and Borden’s wife Patricia Chase in 1963. He had also written a script for the unmade western “Sierra Trail” in 1969.
CHASE, Borden (Frank Stanley Gilman
Borden Chase Fowler) [1/11/1900, New
York City, New York, U.S.A. – 3/8/1971, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (stroke)]
– boxer, writer, married pianist Lee Keith [1901-1993] (1930-1949) father of
writer, actor Frank Chase [1923-2004], dancer Barrie Chase [1932- ], stepdaughter Patricia Stamm Moore
[1926-1974], married to writer Patricia Chase (Patricia Stamm Moore)
[1926-1974] (1953-1971).
Gunfighters of Casa
Grande – 1963 (co)
Sierra Trail – 1969
[Film was never made.]
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Lucien Joulin
Lucien Joulin was a French cinematographer active in the film industry from the 1930s to the early 1960s, known for his work on over 30 feature films and several documentaries. Born in Paris, France on April 29, 1907, he specialized in directing photography for mid-century French productions, contributing to a range of genres including adventure, drama, and comedy. His career spanned 29 years, during which he collaborated with prominent directors and captured the visual essence of post-war French cinema.
Among his notable feature films as cinematographer are “Alerte au sud” (1953), directed by Jean-Devaivre; “Le vicomte de Bragelonne” (1954), an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel; and “License to Kill” (1964), his final credited work. Joulin also lensed documentaries such as “Présence d'Albert Camus” (1962), a short tribute to the philosopher; “Le rossignol de Kabylie” (1962); and “De terre et de mer” (1960). Dying in Nice at age 56 on February 8, 1964, Joulin left a legacy of technical proficiency in an era of evolving cinematic techniques in France.
Lucien Joulin was the cinematographer on one Euro-western, “Sérénade au Texas” (Texas Serenade) in 1958.
JOULIN, Lucien (aka Joulin)
[4/29/1907, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 2/8/1964, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes,
France] – cinematographer, cameraman.
Texas Serenade -
1958
Fernando Di Leo: Master of Italian Film Noir
Authors: Roberto Curti, Domenico Monetti
Country: U.S.A.
Publisher: McFarland
Pages: 279
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1476696403
ISBN-13: 978-1476696409
Available: June 9, 2026
Labeled "the Italian Don Siegel" by Quentin Tarantino, Fernando Di Lio (1932-2000) helped create the distinct style of Italian film noir. His crime films, Caliber 9, The Italian Connection, The Boss (also released as Wipeout!), Shoot First, Die Later, and Mister Scarface (also released as The Rulers of the City), combined genre conventions with social observation, receiving international recognition. Collaborating with actors like Henry Silva, James Mason, Jack Palance, and Ursula Andress, Di Leo developed a body of work that later gained critical and cult attention.
Di Leo's career extended beyond crime cinema. He trained
as a playwright and poet, contributing as a screenwriter to the development of
the Italian Western and working on films directed by Sergio Leone, Duccio
Tessary, Sergio Corbucci, and Lucio Fulci. As a director, Di Leo worked across
multiple genres, including giallo, comedy, and erotic cinema. This book
examines Di Leo's life and career, including his work as a screenwriter and
poet, and his unproduced projects. Interviews with family members, collaborators,
and performers provide firsthand insights.
Dubbing in Rome
By Johan Melle
May 29, 2026
JM: Can you do a little rundown of the many great dubbers who were active on the Roman scene during the 1960s and 70s?
RB: So many people from that era have passed on. One director was Ted Rusoff, who always used his favorite dubber on leads… himself! Sometimes I got a bone. But we were friends. He was married to Carolyn de Fonseca, good actress, dubber and sala assistant.
Frank Latimore did a lot of leads in the early 1960s; I last saw him on Patton (1970), which I was also in uncredited along with Mel Gaines, another actor dubber. Dan Sturkie was good and worked a lot after we got him off pills. Ed Mannix, a writer, and Bob Sommer, opera singer, were both good dubbers. Mike Forest was a good friend, actor and dubber. We played a lot of tennis together, as did I with Frank Wolff, and with Larry Dolgin. Tony Russo was president of ELDA for a while and was often busy filming.
The busiest female dubber was probably Susan Mueller, actress who did not act. May have had a fling with Ugo Tognazzi. Other leading female dubbers were Linda Gary; Jodean Russo, Tony’s wife; and Peggy Nelson. Sally Amarù was another girl who was good, pushed by John Fonseca, writer and sala assistant. Another was Joan Rowe, who Ted Rusoff had a fling with before marrying Carolyn, or maybe even after. Silvia Faver was English and good. Uti Hof was German, accented. I used her when I translated, wrote and directed many episodes of the cartoon Calimero (1970) for a fellow from Milano.
English actors who worked for us were John Stacy, Roland Bartrop, John Steiner, even Edmund Purdom a bit. And Charles Borromel, who was Scottish – good actor, bit of a flake.
Meyer Glickman directed the dubbing of Dustin Hoffman’s Alfredo, Alfredo (1972). Other directors were Gino Bardi, Lew Ciannelli, Bob Spafford (who married Susan Mueller), Dick McNamara and Gene Luotto, one of the best – did all the Terence Hill and Bud Spencer films. Gene and Lew cast honestly and that’s why they got the best films.
Gene did his funny little accented characters and he was good. Mel Welles did older guys. Curt Lowens did Nazis. Nona Medici did older women… maybe in more ways than one. Other older femmes who dubbed were Gisella Mathews, Cicely Browne, Louise Lambert and Irene Guest, a singer.
Some others were Jay Riley, wild man entertainer – Afro. Chrystel Dane was on the fringe. Also Shirley Herbert – tiny voice. Yvonne Pizzini was a young voice. Chuck Howerton dubbed me in The Black Hand (1973) with Lionel Stander, with whom I beat Ty Hardin and his partner at tennis. Ty was an asshole. No extra charge for that.
Carol Danell is another name I remember. Which reminds me of Sylvia Daneel, a Polish actress who worked at the Polish embassy in Rome and did some dubbing.
Frank Gregory, writer, was a nice man – roomed with Frank Latimore. Camilla Trinchieri was a good sala assistant, worked with Lew Ciannelli. Gene’s little cousin, Clementina, was the sala assistant on his films.
I left Rome in July 1980, so anything after that I know nothing. The market for English dubbed films dwindled in the 1980s and I think ARA closed the office and was handled at home by Frank von Kuegelgen and Leslie La Penna.
JM: How did you first end up working with dubbing? Was there an auditioning process to go through for roles?
RB: When I first got to Rome, I found The Daily American, local rag. The paper had an article about dubbing and ELDA and a number to call. Spoke with Rhoda Billingsley, after filming It Happened in Athens [shot in 1960; released in 1962], and she put me in Two Women (1960) for crowd noises – a group of American soldiers marching and singing. Sophia Loren won the Oscar for that film in 1961.
Directors sometimes auditioned for roles if they weren’t sure who to use, or if there were new people they hadn’t heard.
JM: I realize that most of these films were dubbed fairly quickly one after another, but do you have any specific memories of other films or actors that you dubbed?
RB: My first real dubbing job was a Hercules film with Reg Park [Hercules Conquers Atlantis (1961)]. Bill Kiehl with the six-ball voice dubbed Reg, Frank Latimore did the second lead, and then I did Luciano Marin.
George Higgins gave me my first lead, dubbing Guy Stockwell, brother of the more famous Dean.
I usually did actors around my age, 30 to 40-45. I did Giuliano Gemma once. I did Tom Skerritt. Brad Harris. Richard Harrison.
Rodd Dana and I dubbed a film for Mark Savage [One Night at Dinner, a.k.a. Love Circle (1969)]. Rodd did Jean-Louis Trintignant and I did Lino Capolicchio with sort of an androgynous accent. Fun stuff. Johan, the things you are making me remember!
I also did quite a bit of Italian dubbing when they
needed foreigners speaking Italian. One nice gig was dubbing John Phillip Law
in the Nino Manfredi episode in Alta infedeltà (1964). I played him as being a
little light in the loafers. They seemed to like it and I realized I was
speaking Italian quite well if I could speak, act, and sync in it.
[Roger got his first dubbing break as the voice of Luciano Marin in Hercules Conquers Atlantis (1961).]
[Lino Capolicchio in One Night at Dinner (1969), one of the few individual roles Roger remembered having dubbed, but unfortunately, the English dub is currently not available anywhere.]
[Roger dubbed John Phillip Law in Italian (but with an American accent) in Alta infedeltà (1964). The film was also released in English under the title High Infidelity.]
JM: Guy Stockwell was the first lead you dubbed? In Three Swords for Zorro (1963), I presume?
RB: Johan, you are a font of information! Of course, Three Swords for Zorro! I have these things written down someplace, but since my wife died my interest in things has waned. Interestingly enough I had Guy Stockwell as a patient years later while working as a physical therapist right here in Burbank. He didn’t like to hear that I had dubbed him. They never do. Terence Hill was offended that he had to be dubbed, but he would have sounded funny with his Peter Lorre voice. It never bothered me being dubbed. I was glad someone got a gig.
Dubbing was a strange bird. I usually dubbed guys like me, 6 ft 175/180 who could move. Maybe not act, but that’s where dubbing often saved the film. Worst film I ever did was The Three Centurions (1964). My English script was terrible! I decided to do it in Italian and let the Italian dubbers deal with it. I doubted it would ever be sold for English distribution. Ralph Zucker, a little a-hole distributor, got it and didn’t even call me to dub myself, which I couldn’t care less about because he wouldn’t have paid me. So, I think he got Frank Latimore, who he had to pay.
[To be continued]
Antonín Soukup (actor) would have been 135 today but died in 1975.
José Chávez (actor) would have been 110 today but
died in 1988.
Antonio Dimitri (actor) would have been 95 today
but died in 2019.
Hélène Chanel (actress) is 75 today.
Ivan Greeve (actor) is 75 today.
Italian theater, film and television actor Corrado Solari
died in Rome on June 9th. He was 79 years old. Thought of by film viewers
as a villain par excellence, Solari was an actor with a severe face, a sharp
gaze, and a stage presence capable of making even the most marginal character
unforgettable. With a career spanning over fifty years and a solid theatrical
training, he has played numerous complex characters, often antagonists,
criminals and authoritarian figures and with a strong expressive intensity. In
his private life, however, he was known as a cultured, kind person and deeply
passionate about art and literature. Corrado Solari appeared in one Spaghetti
western as Sebastian, one of Juan’s family in 1971’s “Duck You Sucker.”
Attention Canadian readers the new 2024 French Zorro TV
series starring Jean Dujardin. Will be broadcast on Canadian MAX TV (Canada) on
Rogers Cable 629 (Ontario) [subscription required] is repeating the "New
Zorro" Jean Dujardin (2024) in FRENCH. It started Wednesday June 10th.
This was originally aired in July of 2025 but is being shown again.
