Father's Day 2026

 

First Day of Summer 2026

 

From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Adriano Domínguez

 [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.]

Adriano Domínguez was a Spanish actor known for his prolific career in film and television spanning nearly five decades, during which he appeared in 150 films from 1945 to 1994.

Born on January 4, 1920, in León, Castilla y León, Spain, Domínguez initially pursued journalism studies before dedicating himself to acting, beginning his career in theater shortly after the Spanish Civil War with companies such as Teatro Infanta Isabel and Teatro Español, where he gained recognition in productions including works by Antonio Buero Vallejo. He transitioned to cinema in the mid-1940s, taking on supporting roles in numerous Spanish films, including “Los últimos de Filipinas” (1945), “Marcelino pan y vino” (1955), and “Tristana” (1970), as well as international co-productions.

His television work included appearances in series such as ‘Estudio 1 and Policía’. Domínguez also survived the GRAPO bombing of the California 47 café in Madrid on May 26, 1979, which killed nine people and injured dozens. He remained active until the 1990s.

He wrote Memoirs of an Actor, published in 1984 by Dyrsa, publisher of the newspaper El Alcázar, of the National Confederation of Combatants. He died at the "Virgen del Camino" Residence in León, on May 9, 2008. He was 88.

Adriano Domínguez appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “El hombre que mató a Billy el Niño” (A Few Bullets More) in 1967, “La salvaje venganza del Gringo” (One by One) as a Stuart hired hand.

DOMINGUEZ, Adriano (aka Adriano Domínguez) (Adriano Domínguez Fernández) [1/4/1920, León, Castilla y León, Spain – 5/9/2008, León, Castilla y León, Spain] – author, theater, film, TV actor.

A Few Bullets More - 1967

One by One – 1968 (Stuart hired hand)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

 Spaghetti Western Director ~ Renzo Genta

Renzo Genta is an Italian director, assistant director and writer born in Vercelli, Vercelli, Italy on January 14, 1941. He was an assistant director on thirteen films between 1966 and 1972, a writer on seven films from 1967 to 1979 and a director on one film which was also his only co-directed Spaghetti western “Jesse e Lester: due fratelli in un posto chiamoto Trinita” (Jesse and Lester, Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity) with Richard Harrison in 1972.

GENTA, Renzo [1/14/1941, Vercelli, Vercelli, Italy -     ] – director, assistant director, writer.

Jesse and Lester, Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity – 1972 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Osvaldo Civirani

Osvaldo Civirani was an Italian filmmaker, still photographer, producer, cinematographer, screenwriter, and author known for his work in genres such as peplum, Spaghetti westerns, and thrillers during the 1960s and 1970s.

Born in Rome on May 19, 1917, Civirani began his career in the film industry as a still photographer and camera operator, contributing to over 200 films from 1935 to 1965, including notable films like “Don Camillo e l'on. Peppone” (1955). By 1963, he transitioned into directing, helming around 20 films under his own name and pseudonyms such as Richard Kean and Glenn Eastman, often blending adventure, erotic, and action elements.

Among his most recognized directorial works are “The Devil with Seven Faces” (1971), a psychological thriller starring Rosalba Neri, and “Lucrezia” (1968), an erotic historical drama. He also produced and wrote screenplays for several projects, including “Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun” (1964) and “Il pavone nero” (1975), frequently collaborating with Italian and international talent in low-budget yet genre-defining cinema, and author of two autobiographical books on his career (1995, 2003). Civirani's multifaceted contributions helped shape the vibrant landscape of post-war Italian B-movies, though his output tapered off in the late 1970s.

Civirani died in Rome on February 20, 2008 at the age of 90.

Osvaldo Civirani co-wrote screenplays for five Spaghetti westerns: “Uno sceriffo tutto d’oro” (A Golden Sheriff) with Roberto Gianvitiand Enzo Dell’Aquila in 1966, “Il figlio di Django” (The Son of Django) with Tito Carpi and Alessandro Ferraù and “Ric & Gian alla conquista del West” (Rick and John, Conquerors of the West) with Tito Carpi, Osvaldo Civirani and Alessandro Ferraù both in 1967, “T’ammazzo…raccomandati a Dio” (Dead for a Dollar) with Tito Carpi and Luciano Gregoretti in 1968 and “I due figli dei Trinità” (Two Sons of Trinity) in 1972.

CIVIRANI, Osvaldo (aka O. Civirani, Glen Eastman, Richard Kean) [5/19/1917, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 2/20/2008, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman.

A Golden Sheriff – 1966 (co)

The Son of Django – 1967 (co)

Rick and John, Conquerors of the West – 1967 (co)

Dead for a Dollar – 1968 (co)

Two Sons of Trinity – 1972

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ James Kenyon

James Kenyon was an English businessman and early film pioneer who, in partnership with Sagar Mitchell, became a leading figure in British non-fiction filmmaking during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England on May 26, 1850, Kenyon initially worked as a cotton spinner before inheriting and operating a cabinetmaking and furniture business, while also engaging in local Labour politics. In 1897, he formed the firm Mitchell and Kenyon with photographer Sagar Mitchell (1866–1952), trading under the name "Norden" and establishing premises in Blackburn to produce and exhibit films using their custom-built cinematograph.

The partnership specialized in short actuality films—typically around two minutes long—capturing everyday life in the North of England, including factory workers leaving mills, street scenes, sporting events, processions, and phantom rides from trams, often commissioned by traveling showmen for fairground and music hall screenings. Their output, which peaked between 1900 and 1905, encompassed over 800 non-fiction titles filmed across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, the Midlands, and parts of southern England, documenting Edwardian society with a focus on regional industries and leisure. Notable works include “Employees Leaving Williamson's Factory” (1901), “Newcastle United v. Liverpool” (1901), and “Blackpool North Pier” (1903), which vividly portray crowds, labor, and public events to engage local audiences. They also ventured into fictional and dramatized films, such as “Boer War” simulations and titles like “Diving Lucy” (1904), produced at an outdoor studio in Blackburn until activities waned after 1913.

Kenyon's contributions gained renewed recognition in the early 21st century following the 1994 rediscovery of approximately 800 original negatives from the partnership's collection, acquired by the British Film Institute in 2000 and preserved as a key archive of early British cinema. By 1904, trade press hailed Mitchell and Kenyon as one of Britain's leading film manufacturers, underscoring their role in commercializing non-fiction filmmaking and bridging photography with motion pictures in the pre-World War I era. Kenyon retired to Southport in 1915, dissolving the partnership in 1922, leaving a legacy of films that offer invaluable insights into working-class life and regional history.

James Kenyon was the cinematographer on one Euro-western, “Kidnapping by Indians” in 1899.

KENYON, James [5/26/1850, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, U.K. – 2/6/1925, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, U.K.] – producer, cinematographer, cameraman, married to Elizabeth Fell [1851-1931] (1872-19??), father of Gertrude L. Kenyon [1873-    19??] grandfather of the eminent diplomat Sir Frank Kenyon Roberts [1907-1998], co-founder of Mitchell & Kenyon Produtions aka Norden [1897-1922].

Kidnapping by Indians – 1899

They denounce the removal of several crosses related to Carlo Simi from the cemetery of Sad Hill

The crosses were missing on the 1st, but perhaps they have been missing for a long time.

[Crosses that refer to people linked to Carlo Simi.]

A group of promoters of the recovery of the Sad Hill Cemetery have denounced that, when they went on May 1 to carry out maintenance work, they found that he had removed the five crosses dedicated, at the request and authorization of the families, to Italian actors and film directors especially linked to the work of Carlo Simi, as well as the close link maintained with Italian associations and institutions.

Among them were those of actor, producer and film director Franco Nero and Bud Spencer, whose figure will be honored this summer on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death.

Those affected speak of a "deliberate action" against a space that "had been recovered and dignified with effort and respect.

The removal of the crosses has been brought to the attention of the management of the Sabinares del Arlanza natural park and the City Council of Santo Domingo de Silos.

Who Are Those Singers & Musicians ~ Paolo Villaggio

 

Paolo Villaggio was an Italian actor, writer, comedian, singer and director best known for creating and portraying the character Ugo Fantozzi, a hapless accountant satirizing the petty tyrannies of office life, bureaucracy, and modern existence in a series of novels and films. Born in Genoa, Italy on December 30, 1932. He began his career in radio and television during the 1950s and 1960s, developing grotesque and paradoxical characters such as the sadistic Professor Kranz before achieving widespread acclaim with the publication of Fantozzi in 1971, which spawned thirteen sequels and a film franchise starting in 1975 that grossed significantly and defined an era of Italian comedy. Villaggio appeared in over 80 films and television productions, including roles in Federico Fellini's “The Voice of the Moon” (1990), earning him the David di Donatello Award for Best Actor that year, and received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1992, recognizing his contributions to satirical cinema. His work often blended black humor with social critique, portraying the alienation and misfortunes of the average Italian amid post-war economic and cultural shifts.

VILLAGGIO, Paolo [12/30/1932, Genoa, Liguria, Italy - 7/3/2017, Rome, Lazio, Italy (diabetes)] – director, writer, film, TV actor, singer, married to Maura Albites [1924-    ] (1958-2017) father of Elisabetta Villagio [1959-    ], photojournalist Pierfrancesco Villagio [1965-    ].

In the Name of the Father – 1969 [sings "I quattro del pater noster" with Oreste Lionello]