Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Mario Dionisi

[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 Dionisi is/was an Italian stuntman and actor. He appeared in sixty-four films between 1959 and 1986. Twenty-nine of those films was an actor were in Spaghetti westerns the rest as a stuntman. There is a Mario Dionisi who is a painter and decorator born in 'Aquila, Abruzzo on September 9, 1939, who in 1954 was apprenticed as a decorator in Rome. In 1959 he attended a school of restoration of ancient art in Florence. In 1961 he studied modern painting and sculpture in Zurich, Switzerland. Could this be our man? 

Mario Dionisi appeared in twenty-nine Spaghetti westerns: “Sansone e il Tesoro degli Incas” (Lost Treasure of the Aztecs) as a Damon/Darmon henchman and stuntman in 1964, “Uccidete Johnny Ringo” (Kill Johnny Ringo) as a Jackson henchman, “Hai sbagliato… dovevi uccidermi subito!” (Kill the Poker Player) as a town thug and “30 Winchester per El Diablo” (Gold Train) as a Blake henchman and stuntman all in 1965, “La resa dei conti” (The Big Gundown) – stuntman, “Mille dollari sul nero” (Blood at Sundown) as a deputy and stuntman, “7 dollari sul rosso” (Seven Dollars to Kill) as saloon patron instigator, “Tempo di massacre” (The Brute and the Beast) as a Scott henchman and stuntman and “Zorro il ribelle” (Zorro the Rebel) as a policeman all in 1966, “I lunghi giorni dell’odio” (This Man Can’t Die) as Graham henchman “Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte” (Sartana) as a Morgan henchman, “Professionisti per un massacre” (Professionals for a Massacre) as a Mexican bandit, stuntman, “Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistola” (The Stranger Returns) as an En Plein henchman and “Wanted Johnny Texas” as a Lucia henchman all in 1967, “Carogne si nasce” (Lynching) as an Adams henchman, “Dos veces Judas” (Twice a Judas) as a Parker henchman, “Lo straniero di silenzio” (The Silent Stranger) as a thief, “El Zorro” (Zorro the Fox) as a soldier, “Tre croci per nopn morire” (No Graves on Boot Hill) stuntman and “Vivo per la tua morte” (A Long Ride from Hell) stuntman all in 1968, “Ciakmull, l’uomo della vendetta” (The Unholy Four) as a Udo henchman, “Ehi amico... c'è Sabata, hai chiuso!” (Sabata) as a bank robber, “El Rojo” as a Lansky/Lasky henchman and stuntman all in 1969. (Sabata) as a bank robber, “El Rojo” as a Lansky/Lasky henchman and stuntman all in 1969, “Lo chiamavano Trinità” (They Call Me Trinity) as a Harriman henchman and “Indio Black, sei che ti dico… sei un gran figlio di…” (Adios, Sabata) as a Mexican prisoner both in 1970, “...continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità” (Trinty is STILL My Name) as a Parker henchman, stuntman in 1971, “E poi lo chiamarono il Magnifico” (Man of the East) as Austin henchman, stuntman “Tutti fratelli nel west… per parte di padre” (Where the Bullets Fly) as a gunman both in 1972 and “Sentivano… uno strano, eccitante, pericoloso puzzo di dollari” (Behold the Strange, Stimulating Smell of Dollars) as a Ramirez henchman in 1973.

DIONISI, Mario [Italian] – painter, stuntman, film actor.

Lost Treasure of the Aztecs – 1964 (Damon/Darmon henchman) [stunts]

Kill Johnny Ringo – 1965 (Jackson henchman)

The Big Gundown – 1966 [stunts]

Gold Train – 1965 (Blake henchman) [stunts]

Blood at Sundown – 1966 (deputy) [stunts]

The Brute and the Beast – 1966 (Scott henchman) [stunts]

El Rojo – 1969 (Lansky/Lasky henchman) [stunts]

Seven Dollars to Kill – 1966 (saloon instigator)

Zorro the Rebel – 1966 (policeman)

Professionals for a Massacre - 1967 (Mexican bandit) [stunts]

This Man can’t Die – 1967 (Graham henchman)

Sartana – 1967 (Morgan henchman)

The Stranger Returns – 1967 (En Plein henchman)

Wanted Johnny Texas – 1967 (Lucia henchman)

A Long Ride from Hell – 1968 [stunts]

Lynching – 1968 (Adams’ henchman)

No Graves on Boot Hill – 1968 [stunts]

The Silent Stranger – 1968 (thief)

Twice a Judas – 1968 (Parker henchman)

Zorro the Fox – 1968 (soldier)

Sabata – 1969 (bank robber)

Adios, Sabata – 1970 (Mexican prisoner)

They Call Me Trinity – 1970 (Harriman henchman)

The Unholy Four – 1970 (Udo henchman)

Trinity is STILL My Name -1971 (Parker henchman) [stunts]

Kill the Poker Player – 1972 (town thug)

Man of the East – 1972 (Austin henchman) [stunts]

Where the Bullets Fly – 1972 (gunman)

Behold the Strange, Stimulating Smell of Dollars – 1973 (Ramirez henchman)

[Thanks to Michael Ferguson for the addition Mario Dionisi information] 

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Manuel Esteba

Manuel Esteba Gallego was a Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer renowned for his contributions to low-budget genre cinema during the 1960s through 1980s.

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain on April 17, 1941, Esteba began his career in the early 1960s, initially working as a writer and assistant director before transitioning to full directing roles. Over his three-decade career, he helmed 14 feature films, frequently handling multiple creative positions such as writer, producer, and editor, which was common in Spain's independent film scene. His oeuvre primarily encompassed exploitation genres, including horror, sex comedies, and parodies, reflecting the vibrant yet commercially driven Spanish film industry during and after the Franco era.

Among his most recognized works is the 1983 science-fiction parody “El E.T.E. y el Oto”, a humorous take on Steven Spielberg's blockbuster “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’, which Esteba wrote, directed, and produced on a shoestring budget. Other notable films include the erotic thriller “Trampa sexual” (1978), the horror entry “Bloody Sex” (1981), and the Western spoof “Agáchate, que disparan” (1969), many of which featured recurring collaborations with actors and crew in Barcelona's tight-knit production circles. Esteba also ventured into television, contributing to the 1992 series ‘Un jardinero en tu casa’ as writer and director, marking a shift toward lighter comedic fare later in his career.

Esteba's films, often produced under his own company Manuel Esteba P.C., exemplified the resourceful, genre-blending style of Spanish B-movies, prioritizing quick production and entertainment value over high production values. He passed away in his hometown of Barcelona at age 68 on February 24, 2010, leaving a legacy of cult favorites that continue to attract interest among fans of international exploitation cinema.

Manuel Esteba directed three Spaghetti westerns: “Veinte pasos para le Muerte” (Twenty Paces to Death) with Manuel Esteba and José Ulloa in 1969, “Una cuerda al amanecer” (A Cry of Death) and “Una cuerda al amanecer” (The Federal Man) both in 1971,

ESTEBA, Manuel (aka M. Esteba Gallego, Ted Mulligan) (Manuel Esteba Gallego) [4/17/1941, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain – 2/4/2010, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, film editor, founded Manuel Esteba P.C. Productions.

Twenty Paces to Death – 1969 (co) [as Ted Mulligan]

A Cry of Death – 1971

The Federal Man – 1971


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Tito Carpi

Tito Carpi was an Italian screenwriter known for his prolific contributions to Italian genre cinema, particularly in action, post-apocalyptic, adventure, and exploitation films during the 1970s and 1980s. Born on July 10, 1931, in Como, Lombardy Italy, he began his career in the late 1960s with Spaghetti westerns and war films before becoming a key figure in the Italian B-movie scene, often collaborating with directors such as Enzo G. Castellari and Antonio Margheriti. He frequently wrote under pseudonyms including Titus Carpenter and Robert Gold, and his scripts helped define the era's low-budget action and sci-fi hybrids, including sea monster thrillers, dystopian adventures, and fantasy epics.

Carpi's notable credits include “Tentacles” (1977), “Warriors of the Wasteland” (also known as “The New Barbarians”, 1983), “Escape from the Bronx” (1983), “Tuareg: The Desert Warrior” (1984), “Light Blast” (1985), and “Sinbad of the Seven Seas” (1989). His work spanned multiple subgenres, from early westerns and commando stories to the post-apocalyptic wave of the early 1980s and later fantasy projects, reflecting the commercial trends of Italian popular cinema at the time.

Tito died on May 21, 1997, at the age of 65.

Tito Carpi wrote and co-wrote screenplays for twenty-seven: “I magnifici brutos del West” (The Magnificent Brutes of the West ) with Fred Wilson in 1964, “Per mille dollari al giorno” (Renegade Gunfighter) with Silvio Amadio, Luciano Gregorett in 1965, “Django spara per primo” (Django Shoots First) with Massimo Capriccoli, Sandro, Continenza, Alberto DeMartino, Vincenc Flamini and Giovanni Simonelli, “Pochi dollari per Django” (A Few Dollars for Django) with Manuel Sebares both in 1966, “Vado…l’ammazzo e torno” (Any Gun Can Play) with Giovanni Simonelli and Enzo Castellari, “Il momento di uccidere” (The Moment to Kill) with Bruno Leder and Francesco Scardamaglia, “7 Winchester per un massacre” (Payment in Blood) with Enzo Castellari, “Ric & Gian alla conquista del West” (Rick & John Conquerors of the West) with Osvaldo Civirani, and Alessandro Ferraù, “La vendetta è il mio perdono” (Shotgun) with Francesco Degli Espinos, Roberto Natale and Luciana Ribet and “Il figlio di Django” (Son of Django) with Alessandro Ferraù and Osvaldo Civirani all in 1967, “Anche nel West c’era una volta Dio” (Between God, the Devil and a Winchester) with Manuel Martínez Remís, Amedeo Sollazzo and Marino Girolami, T’ammazzo…raccomandati a Dio” (Dead for a Dollar) with Osvaldo Civirani and Luciano Gregoretti, “Ammazzali tutti e torna solo” (Kill Them All and Come Back Alone) with Enzo G. Castellari, Joaquín Romero Marchent and Francesco Scardamaglia, “Il suo nome gridava vendetta” (The Man Who Cried for Revenge) with Mario Caiano and “La salvaje venganza del Gringo” (One by One) with Eduardo M. Brochero, Odoardo Fiory and Marino Girolami all in 1968, Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino” (Sartana the Gravedigger) with Enzo dell’Aquila in 1969, “C’e Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la barer!” (Fistful of Lead), “Una novola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana” (Gunman in Town) with Eduardo M. Brochero and Ernesto Gastaldi, “Reverendo Colt” (Reverend Colt) with Manuel Martínez Remís and “Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino” (Sartana the Gravedigger) with Enzo dell’Aquila all in 1970, “Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato…parola di Spirito Santo” (Blazing Guns) with Federico De Urrutia and Giuliano Carnimeo, “Testa t’ammazzo, croce... sei morto... Mi chimavano Alleluja” (Guns for Dollars) with Giuliano Carnimeo both in 1971, “Il West ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja” (The Return of Hallelujah) with Ingo Hermes and Giovanni Simonelli, “Te Deum” (Sting of the West) with Gianni Simonelli, Enzo Girolami and José G. Maesso both in 1972, “Lo chiamavano Tresette… giocava sempre col morto” (The Man Called Invincible), “Tutti per uno... botte per tutti” (The Three Musketeers of the West) with Bruno Corbucci),  Leonardo Martin and Peter Berling both in 1973, “Di Tressette ce n’è uno, tutti gli altri son nessuno” (The Crazy Bunch) in 1974 and “Buck ai confini del cielo” with Sheila Goldberg and Tonino Ricci.

CARPI, Tito (aka Tom Carp, Titus Carpenter, T. Carpi, Robert Gold, Mathias MacDonald) (Fiorenzo Carpi de Resmini Fabrizio) [7/10/1931, Como, Lombardy, Italy – 5/21/1997, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – writer, composer, brother of writer Fabio Carpi [1925-2018], married to ? father of Simone Carpi [1972-    ]

The Magnificent Brutes of the West – 1964 (co) [as Mathias MacDonald]

Renegade Gunfighter – 1965 (co)

Django Shoots First – 1966 (co)

A Few Dollars for Django – 1966 (co)

Any Gun Can Play – 1967 (co)

The Moment to Kill – 1967 (co)

Payment in Blood – 1967 (co)

Rick & John Conquerors of the West – 1967 (co)

Shotgun – 1967 (co)

The Son of Django – 1967 (co)

Between God, the Devil and a Winchester – 1968 (co)

Dead for a Dollar – 1968 (co)

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone – 1968 (co)

The Man Who Cried for Revenge – 1968 (co)

One by One – 1968 (co)

Sartana the Gravedigger – 1969 (co)

Fistful of Lead – 1970

Gunman in Town – 1970 (co)

Reverend Colt – 1970 (co)

Blazing Guns – 1971 (co)

Guns for Dollars – 1971 (co)

The Return of Hallelujah – 1972 (co)

Sting of the West – 1972 (co)

The Man Called Invincible – 1973

The Three Musketeers of the West – 1973 (co)

The Crazy Bunch – 1974

Buck at the Edge of Heaven – 1991 (co)


Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Çetin Gürtop

Çetin Gürtop was a Turkish cinematographer known for his prolific career in Yeşilçam, the golden age of Turkish popular cinema, where he served as director of photography on hundreds of films across multiple decades.

Born in Istanbul in 1936, Gürtop entered the film industry in the 1950s as a camera assistant before establishing himself as one of the most productive cinematographers in Turkish cinema history, contributing to over 200 feature films in genres ranging from action and comedy to adventure and cult science fiction. His notable works include “Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam” (1982), known internationally as “The Man Who Saved the World”, along with “Davarо” (1981), “Zübük” (1980), “Gırgıriye” (1981), and entries in popular series such as Kara Murat and Süpermenler. He remained active until the early 1990s and died in Istanbul on January 4, 2009 at the age of 72.

Çetin Gürtop was a cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “Küçük Kovboy” (Cowboy Kid) in 1972

GURTOP, Çetin (Çetin Gürtop) [1936, Istanbul, Turkey – 1/4/2009, Istanbul, Turkey] – cinematographer, cameraman, film editor, married to Betül Gürtop (1964-2009), father of director Hakan Gürtop (1964).

Cowboy Kid – 1972 

Metallica and The Ecstasy Of Gold: metal’s greatest intro music

Louder

By Malcolm Dome

May 10, 2026

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

When Ennio Morricone died in July 2020 at the age of 91, the world of classical music lost a giant. The Italian was one of the most important composers of the 20th Century. His music featured in countless movies, from Sergio Leone’s fabled 60s spaghetti westerns A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More The Good and The Bad And The Ugly to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. But he also had an unlikely connection to the world of rock metal world: he was the man who inadvertently wrote the greatest intro music in history.

That piece of music is The Ecstasy Of Gold, a song that has opened countless Metallica shows since 1983. Other bands have their own iconic intros to generate anticipation ahead of gigs. Iron Maiden have long used UFO’s Doctor Doctor, while Ozzy Osbourne kicked off his shows with Carl Orff’s dramatic Carmina Burana (as have several other artists). Nor are Metallica only band to harness the power of The Ecstasy Of Gold - punk legends the Ramones used it for years as outro music at the end of their shows, while it was sampled by hip hop superstar Jay-Z on his song Blueprint.

Ennio Morricone in the 1970s | Credit: Mondadori via Getty Images

But it’s the connection to Metallica that has given The Ecstasy Of Gold such huge cultural weight beyond its cinematic origins. For fans, it will forever signal the imminent arrival of one of the world’s biggest bands. That's how deeply embedded it is in both Metallica folklore and the mythology of metal as a whole.

Ennio Morricone – known to those who work with him as ‘Maestro’ – rose to prominence in the 1960s with his thunderous, evocative score for Sergio Leone’s ‘Dollars Trilogy’, kicking off with 1964’s Fistful Of Dollars and starring Clint Eastwood as enigmatic lead character Joe, better known as The Man With No Name.

The Ecstasy Of Gold appeared in the final film of the trilogy, 1966’s The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, where it’s soundtracked outlaw Eli Wallach’s frantic search for lost gold in a vast cemetery (footage of the scene accompanies the music when it’s played at Metallica shows). The song’s escalating drama and haunting, wordless vocals from Italian singer Edda Dell’Orso perfectly matched the tension of the scene.

The Good The Bad And The Ugly cemented Clint Eastwood’s stardom and made Morricone one of the most in-demand modern composers around. As for The Ecstasy Of Gold, it would take on an unlikely life of its 17 years later, when Metallica began using it as the intro tape to their live show on their Kill ’Em All tour:

“Originally we had a really dreadful tape as our intro,” Metallica frontman James Hetfield later said. “Just the sound of a heart with the beat getting faster. Rubbish. Then our manager at the time came up with the idea of replacing it with The Ecstasy Of Gold.”

The manager in question was Jon Zazula, aka Jonny Z, who had given Metallica their big break when he released Kill ’Em All on his newly founded label Megaforce.

“I’ve always been a huge Morricone fan, and I was looking for an intro song to be played prior to Metallica’s performance onstage,” Zazula told Loudwire in 2019. It wasn’t the only Morricone song he was considering: “I was tossing around The Trio [also from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly score] because of the fiery coronets at the finale of the song but The Ecstasy Of Gold won.”

Setlist.fm records the first appearance of The Ecstasy Of Gold in a Metallica set as a show at The Rising Sun in Yonkers, NY, on July 29, 1983, the third date on Metallica’s co-headlining tour with British metallers Raven, though there’s every chance it appeared during the tour’s first two dates, at The Royal North, New Brunswick NJ on July 27 and Utopia, Bridgeport, CT on July 28. Either way, the song’s power was obvious from the start.

“I’m very pleased about it, actually. It means that my music is simple and precious at the same time.” - Ennio Morricone

“From the first time we used it, something happened,” said Hetfield. “It just set us up for the night, and got the fans excited.

The Ecstasy Of Gold rapidly became embedded as Metallica’s intro music and as their stature grew, so did the piece’s popularity. It was dropped on the Pour Touring Me tour in support of 1996’s Load album, but soon returned to its rightful place at the start of the, where it’s stayed – give or take the odd show – ever since.

The power of Morricone’s work has even fed into Metallica’s own music – The Unforgiven, from 1991’s ‘Black’ album, and its subsequent sequels possess a distinct whiff of the Spaghetti Westerns with which the composer is associated with. The Ecstasy Of Gold was performed live by the San Francisco Symphony as part of Metallica 1999’s S&M shows and their 2019 sequel S&M2. The band themselves even recorded their own version of the track for 2007 tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone, even playing a heavied-up version in Copenhagen in 2009.

And what did Morricone himself think of a metal band adopting his music? “I’m very pleased about it, actually,” he told The Quietus in 2010. “It means that my music is simple and precious at the same time.”

In 2018, two years before he died, Morricone appeared at the O2 Arena in London to perform his most famous works with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in front a packed venue. When The Ecstasy Of Gold was played during the main set it received a massive reaction. But when the great man reprised it for the encore, it got an even more rapturous response, with people even standing up to headbang.

“It’s hair-raising for us as a band,” said James Hetfield in 2011 of The Ecstasy Of Gold. “We do our little circle and just talk. But as soon as the first note… when that starts, the show has started. Every sense is heightened. The heart is going. My body knows what’s coming. Here comes life, intense life: ‘Yeah, this is happening.’ Hearing the crowd sing along to the intro tape, all the nerves go away. Everyone is here for the same idea, for the same feeling, for the same result. When the crowd is singing that, I know it’s gonna be great.”

Following Morricone’s death in 2020, Metallica paid tribute to the man who inadvertently helped shape their live shows.

“The day we first played The Ecstasy Of Gold as our new intro in 1983 it was magic,” wrote Hetfield on Instagram. “It has become a part of our blood flow, deep breathing, fist bumping, prayers and band huddle pre-show ritual ever since. I have sang that melody thousands of times to warm up my throat before hitting the stage. Thank you Ennio for pumping us up, being a big part of our inspiration, and a bonding between band, crew, and fan. I will forever think of you as part of the Metallica family.”


“The Wild and the Tame West”

 

Der wilde und der zahme Westen – German title

O'Henry erzählt – German title

[The Wild and the Tame West – English translated title]

 

A 1974-1977 German television production [Westdeutsches Werbefernsehen (WWF)

     (Berlin)]

Producer:

Director: Uli Edel, Hajo Gies, Rudolf Jugert

Story: O. Henry (William Sidney Porter)

Teleplay:

Photography: [color]

Music:

Running time: 10 x 25 minutes

 

Story: Humorous stories from the Wild West, e.g. the story about Tramp Dick, who gets a job as a reward from a farm he warned of a robbery. But because he would then have to work a lot, he quickly leaves.

 

Cast:

Aileen - Ingeborg Schöner

Guest - Joachim Wichmann

Young Dandy - Frithjof Vierock

Helen - Britta Fischer

Derring - Dieter B. Gerlach (Dieter Brian Gerlach)

Tramper Dick – Herbert Fux

With: Christian Kohlund, Christine Buchegger, Pedro Müller, Rudolf Fernau (Andreas Neuberger)

 

Ep:  01: Tildy (11/02/74)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: The Brief Debut of Tildy (1906)

C: Ingeborg Schöner (Aileen) & Joachim Wichmann (The Local Guest)

Ep: 02: Ein Weihnachtsfest nach Wunsch / ‘A Christmas as You Wish’ 12/23/74)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]

Ep: 03: Die Dritte Zutat / ‘The Third Ingredient’ (01//11/75)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]

Ep: 04: Der Hellebardier vom Kleinen Rheinschloss / 'The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss' [?] (02/08/75)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss

C: Britta Fischer (Helen), Dieter B. Gerlach (Derring) & Frithjof Vierock (Young Dandy)

Ep: 05: Schachmatt um Sieben / ‘Checkmate at Seven’ (07/03/75)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]

Ep: 06: Liebesgeschichte eines vielbeschäftigten Börsenmaklers / ‘Love Story of a Busy Stockbroker’

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: The Romance of a Busy Broker

Ep: 07: Der Weihnachtsstrumpf / ‘The Christmas Stocking’ (1975)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking (1909)

C: Herbert Fux (Whistling Dick, tramp),

Syn: Tramp Dick, is given a job as a reward for warning a farmer of a robbery. But then realises he would then have to work a lot: he quickly packs up and leaves.

Ep: 08: Die Zuständige Stelle / ‘The Competent Authority’ (1975)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]

Ep: 09: Eine Story, die Keine ist / ‘A Story That Isn't a Story’

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: No Story [?]

EP: 10: Kurier des Herzens / ‘Courier of the Heart’ (08/1/77?)

St: O Henry [William Sidney Porter]: By Courier [?]

C: Christine Buchegger, Christian Kohlund & Pedro Muller


Submitted by Michael Ferguson

Special Birthdays

Fernand Raynaud (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 1973.








Sabrina (actress) would have been 90 today but died in 2016.







Sylvie Fennec (actress) is 80 today.








Sylvia Poggioli (actor) is 80 today.



Monday, May 18, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Frank Diogene

[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.]

Concetto Franco Diogene was born on October 20, 1947, in Catania, Sicily was an Italian actor and comedian renowned for his prolific screen career, appearing in around 60 films from 1966 until his death, often in memorable character roles as bumbling bureaucrats, henchmen, or jovial figures in low-budget Italian comedies, crime thrillers, and gialli. He relocated to Genoa as a child and began performing in school plays at age six, laying the foundation for a versatile career that spanned theater, cabaret, film, and television. His distinctive chubby, sweaty on-screen persona drew comparisons to fellow Italian character actor Gianni Rizzo, making him instantly recognizable in the vibrant landscape of 1970s and 1980s Italian cinema.

Diogene's professional breakthrough came in 1972 upon graduating and joining the prestigious Teatro Stabile di Genoa under directors Ivo Chiesa and Luigi Squarzina, where he honed his craft in prose and dialect theater. He began his film career in 1966 and gained prominence with an early role in “Teresa la ladra” (1973), starring Monica Vitti, quickly becoming a staple in genre productions directed by filmmakers like Mario Landi, Gianni Martucci, and Michele Massimo Tarantini, contributing to titles such as “Il viziaccio” (1975), “Blazing Flowers” (1978), and “La poliziotta della squadra del buon costume” (1981). Beyond Italian fare, his fluency in English enabled roles in international projects, including a part in the Oscar-winning “Midnight Express” (1978), where he delivered his lines in his own voice, and the historical mystery “The Name of the Rose” (1986) alongside Sean Connery. Diogene also cherished appearances in films like “The House of Spirits” (1993), “Innamorato pazzo” (1981), “7 chili in 7 giorni” (1986), and “Piccolo Grande Amore” (1993), which he highlighted as career standouts in interviews.

In addition to acting, Diogene was a multifaceted performer who wrote and starred in cabaret shows, frequently collaborating with Turi Ferro, and served as a presenter for fashion events, singing competitions, and other entertainment formats into the 2000s. He emphasized the importance of foundational training in parish theater and dialects for aspiring actors, reflecting his own journey from Sicily to Genoa's stages and eventually Rome and Milan. Diogene passed away from a heart attack in Genoa at age 57 in Genoa, Italy on May 28, 2005, leaving a legacy as a reliable and engaging presence in Italian popular culture

As Fran Diogene he appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Arizona violenta” (Arizona Road) as Sheriff Baker in 1990 and “Esercizi di stile” in 1996

DIOGENE, Frank (aka Franco Diogene) (Concetto Francesco Diogene) [10/20/1947, Catania, Sicily, Italy – 5/28/2005, Genoa, Liguria, Italy (heart attack)] – comedian, film, TV actor, married to Mariella Denari (1975-2005) father of Giusy Diogene.

Arizona Road – 1990 (Sheriff Baker)

Esercizi di stile – 1996

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ George Erschbamer

George Erschbamer is a Canadian film director, producer, and writer known for his work in the horror and action genres, particularly through low-budget and direct-to-video films in the 1990s and 2000s. He is best recognized for directing the supernatural horror sequels ''Prom Night III: The Last Kiss'' (1990) and ''Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil'' (1991), which extended the ''Prom Night'' franchise with elements of dark humor and gore.

His filmography includes other genre entries such as the women-in-prison sequel ''Chained Heat II'' (1993), the action thriller ''Crackerjack'' (1994), and the bounty hunter action film ''Bounty Hunters'' (1996). Erschbamer often served in multiple roles on his projects, including producing and writing, and his work primarily targeted home video markets during a period when direct-to-video horror and action films thrived. He remains associated with Canadian independent cinema, though detailed personal biographical information is limited in public sources.

George Erschbamer directed on Euro-western, “Aliens in the Wild Wild West” in 1999 and a co-director on the Euro-western TV series “Bordertown” in 1989.

ERSCHBAMER, George (George Peter Erschbamer) [1954, U.S.A. -     ] – director, assistant director, writer, cameraman, SFX.

Bordertown (TV) – 1989 (co)

Aliens in the Wild Wild West – 1999


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Giuliano Carnimeo

Giuliano Carnimeo was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his extensive work in Italian genre cinema, particularly spaghetti Westerns, sex comedies, gialli, and exploitation films from the late 1960s through the 1980s. Born on July 4, 1932 in Bari, Puglia, Italy, Carnimeo began his career in the early 1960s as an assistant director on various peplum, comedy, and adventure productions before transitioning to directing. He made his directorial debut co-directing with the spaghetti Western “The Two Sons of Ringo” and subsequently helmed over thirty low-budget features, frequently under pseudonyms such as Anthony Ascott, Arthur Pitt, and Jules Harrison. His notable films include “Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin” (aka Have a Nice Funeral My Friend) (1970), “The Case of the Bloody Iris” (1972), “Convoy Buddies” (1975), “The Exterminators of the Year 3000” (1983), and “Rat Man” (1988), reflecting his versatility across Westerns, horror, science fiction, and erotic comedies typical of the Italian B-movie industry during that era.

Giuliano Carnimeo died on September 10, 2016 in Rome, Lazio, Italy, at the age of 84.

 “Joe! Cercati un posto per morire” (Find a Place to Die) with Ralph Grave (Leonardo Benvenuti), Hugo Fregonese in 1968, “Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato…parola di Spirito Santo” (Blazing Guns) with Tito Carpi, Federico De Urrutia in 1971 and “Testa t’ammazzo, croce... sei morto... Mi chimavano Alleluja” (Guns for Dollars) with Tito Carpi in 1971,

CARNIMEO, Giuliano (aka A. Ascot, Anthony Ascot, Anthony Ascott, Jules Harrison, Arthur Pitt) [7/4/1932, Bari, Puglia, Italy - 9/10/2016, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, actor, married to ? father of Lorenzo Carnimeo.

Find a Place to Die – 1968 (co) [as A. Ascot]

Blazing Guns – 1971 (co)

Guns for Dollars – 1971 (co) [as Anthony Ascott]


Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ David Gurfinkel

David Gurfinkel is an Israeli cinematographer known for his prolific and influential career in Israeli cinema, where he has shaped the visual language of numerous landmark films over more than five decades. Born in Tel Aviv on December 12, 1938, he is widely regarded as one of Israel's most important cinematographers, celebrated for capturing the essence of life in Israel and creating some of the rarest and most magical cinematic moments in the nation's film history.

After serving in the IDF Spokesperson Unit’s film division during his military service, Gurfinkel began his professional career as a newsreel director of photography with Geva Films. His feature film debut came in 1965 with Uri Zohar’s “Hole in the Moon”, marking the start of a significant collaboration that helped establish the "New Sensibility" in Israeli arthouse cinema, combining European stylistic influences with Israel’s distinctive natural light.  He went on to serve as cinematographer on many acclaimed Israeli films, including “Three Days and a Child” (1967), “The Policeman” (1971), “Kazablan” (1973), “Aviya’s Summer” (1988), “Under the Domim Tree” (1994), and “Nina’s Tragedies” (2003), earning four Ophir Awards for Best Cinematography. In 2015, he received the Israel Prize for his contributions to cinema

Gurfinkel has also worked on international productions such as “Enter the Ninja” (1981) and has screenwriting credits on select projects. He is the father of film directors Yoav Gurfinkel and Jonathan Gurfinkel. His body of work continues to be honored for its role in facilitating Israel’s golden age of cinema and leaving a lasting impact on the country’s cinematic landscape

David Garfunkel was the cinematographer on on Spaghetti western, “L’uomo di Santa Cruz” (Kid Vengeance) in 1976.

GURFINKEL, David [12/12/1938, Tel Aviv, Israel -     ] – cinematographer, married to ? father of director, cinematographer Yoav Gurfinkel [1968-    ], director, actor Johnathan Gurfinkel [1976-    ], one other son.

Kid Vengeance – 1976