From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Alexander Engel

[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.]

Alexander Engel was born Kurt Engel on 4 June. He was a German stage and film actor renowned for his portrayals of menacing and sinister characters in over 90 films spanning from 1932 until his death.

Born in Berlin, Germany, Engel initially pursued theater, studying drama at the Reicherschen Hochschule für dramatische Kunst and making his stage debut in 1923 in Allenstein, Poland, followed by engagements in Königsberg, Rostock, and Berlin from 1931 onward. His transition to cinema began in 1932, where he quickly established himself as a versatile supporting actor, contributing to both dramatic and genre films, including notable works like “Madame Bovary” (1937) as the pharmacist Homais and “The Blue Swords” (1949) as Herr von Tschirnhausen.

Later in his career, Engel appeared in several Edgar Wallace adaptations, such as “The Horror of Blackwood Castle” (1968) as Doc Adams, showcasing his affinity for eerie roles just before his death from a heart attack in Saarbrücken on July 25, 1968 at the age of 66. Beyond acting, he wrote or co-wrote 12 film projects and contributed to librettos for musical adaptations, including “Just a Gigolo” (1931).

Alexander Engel died in Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany from a heart attack on July 25, 1968 at the age of 66.

Alexander Engel appeared in one Euro-western, “Sergeant Berry” as Gomez in 1938.

ENGEL, Alexander (Kurt Engel) [6/4/1902, Berlin, Germany – 7/25/1968, Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany (heart attack)] – writer, theater, film actor.

Sergeant Berry – 1938 (Gomez)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Tinto Brass

Giovanni "Tinto" Brass was an Italian film director and screenwriter, recognized primarily for his extensive body of work in erotic cinema featuring explicit depictions of nudity and sexual themes.

Born in Milan on March 26, 1933, to a family with artistic roots, his grandfather Italico Brass was a noted painter, Brass adopted the nickname "Tinto" early in life and initially pursued avant-garde filmmaking in the 1960s and 1970s, directing experimental works that garnered critical attention for their innovative style.

By the late 1970s, he shifted toward more commercial erotic productions, helming films such as “Salon Kitty” (1976), “The Key” (1983), “Paprika” (1991), and “All Ladies Do It” (1992), which often starred or were influenced by his first wife, Carla Cipriani (known as Tinta Brass), and emphasized unapologetic explorations of female desire and voyeurism.

Brass's most notorious project, “Caligula” (1979), began as a historical drama but devolved into controversy due to producer Bob Guccione's addition of hardcore scenes, leading Brass to disavow the final cut amid legal disputes and bans in multiple countries for its graphic content involving simulated and unsimulated sex acts.

Despite such backlash, his oeuvre has maintained a cult following for pushing boundaries in Italian cinema, with later entries like “Monamour” (2005) continuing his signature focus on eroticism into the 21st century.

Brass died in Rome on 4 November 2026 at the age of 93.

Tinto Brass directed and wrote one Spaghetti western “L'Americano” (Yankee) in 1966.

BRASS, Tinto (Giovanni Brass) [3/26/1933, Milan, Kingdom of Italy – 11/4/2026, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, writer, married to Tinta Brass (Carla Cipriani) [1930-2006] (1957-2006), father of continuity supervisor, actress Beatrice Brass (196?-    ), Bonifacio Brass (196?-    ), married to ​Caterina Varzi [1961-    ] ​(2017- 2026).

Yankee – 1966

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Marcello Fondato

Marcello Fondato is an Italian screenwriter and film director known for his influential contributions to Italian genre cinema, particularly in the horror and giallo fields through key collaborations with director Mario Bava.

Born on January 8, 1924, in Rome, Italy, Fondato entered the film industry in the late 1950s, initially writing scripts for comedies before shifting toward horror and thriller genres. He co-wrote the screenplays for Mario Bava's acclaimed horror anthology “Black Sabbath” (1963) and the seminal giallo “Blood and Black Lace” (1964), both of which helped shape the visual and narrative style of Italian horror cinema during the 1960s. Fondato also penned scripts for other notable films, including “Uncle Was a Vampire” (1959), and contributed to over forty productions between 1958 and 1986.

In addition to his screenwriting career, Fondato directed several films, spanning action-oriented poliziotteschi titles in the 1970s and later works in television formats. His work across genres reflects the versatility of Italian popular cinema during its peak exploitation era. Fondato passed away on November 13, 2008, in San Felice Circeo, Italy, at the age of 84 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Marcello Fondato was a co-screenwriter on two Spaghetti westerns: “El sabor de la venganza” (Gunfight at High Noon) with Joaquín Romero Marchent, Jesus Luis Carrión and Rafael Romero Marchent in 1963 and “I quattro inesorbili” (The Relentless Four) with Manuel Sebares de Caso, Federico de Urrutia and Primo Zeglio in 1965. He also supplied Italian dialogue for the 1964 Spaghetti western “I due violenti” (Two Violent Men).

FONDATO, Marcello [1/8/1924, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 11/13/2008, San Felice Circeo, Lazio, Italy (cerebral hemorrhage)] – producer, director, writer, songwriter.

Gunfight at High Noon – 1963 (co)

Two Violent Men – 1964 [Italian dialogue]

The Relentless Four - 1965 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Enzo Serafin

Enzo Serafin April 16, 1912 was an Italian cinematographer whose career in film spanned from the early 1940s to the 1970s, encompassing over 70 productions in genres ranging from neorealist dramas to spaghetti westerns.

Born in Venice on April 16, 1912, Serafin began his professional journey in the Italian film industry in the early 1940s, quickly establishing himself as a key figure in capturing the visual essence of Italy's cinematic renaissance. His black-and-white cinematography was particularly acclaimed for its naturalistic style, as seen in his collaboration with director Roberto Rossellini on the seminal neorealist film “Viaggio in Italia” (1954), where his camerawork effectively conveyed the emotional distance between the protagonists amid the Neapolitan landscapes.

Throughout his prolific output, Serafin worked on notable titles such as Michelangelo Antonioni's “Cronaca di un amore” (1950), Tonino Valerii's “I giorni dell'ira” (1967), and international projects including episodes of the American TV series ‘It Takes a Thief’ (1968–1970). His contributions extended beyond feature films to television mini-series like ‘L'isola misteriosa’ (The Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo, 1973), showcasing his versatility in both Italian and co-produced works. Serafin passed away in Rome at the age of 83 on December 27, 1995, leaving a legacy of visually striking imagery that influenced generations of filmmakers.

Enzo Serafin was a cinematographer on three Spaghetti westerns: “Al di là della legge” (Beyond the Law), “I giorni dell’ira” (Day of Anger) both in 1967 and “Odia il prossimo tuo!” (Hate Your Neighbor) in 1968.

SERAFIN, Enzo (aka Vicente Serafín) (Vincenzo Serafin) [4/16/1912, Venice, Veneto, Italy – 12/27/1995, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Beyond the Law – 1967

Day of Anger – 1967

Hate Your Neighbor – 1968 

Voices of the Spaghetti Western “Four Came to Kill Sartana”

As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe.

Today we’ll cover “Four Came to Kill Sartana”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English:

Link/Sartana - Jeff Cameron (I) Rino Bolognesi, (S) Jordi Ribes, (G) ?

Frank Colonny/Mormon – Franco Ricci (I) Dario Penne, (S) Antonio Lara, (G) ?

Benson - Paolo Magalotti (I) Sergio Rossi, (S), ?, (G) ?

Von Krassel - Umberto Raho (I) Nino Dal Fabbro, (S) Francisco Garriga, (G) Thomas Reiner

Tom - Gualtiero Rispoli (I) Mario Milita, (S) ?, (G) ?

Jordi Ribes  (1972 -    )

Jordi Ribes is a Spanish actor and prominent Spanish voice actor and dubbing artist born in Barcelon in 1972 and based there. He’s been active in films since 1985 and is known for his deep voice, he has lent his voice to thousands of film, television, and anime productions. He’s known as the Spanish voice of Jon Hamm (such as Don Draper in ‘Mad Men’), Biff Tannen in “Back to the Future” (Parts II and III), the T-1000 in “Terminator 2”, and characters in “The Matrix”, “Transformers”, “The Chronicles of Riddick”, and “Resident Evil”. Most likely Jordi's dubbing of "Four Came to Kill Sartana" was for a video or DVD release.

Special Birthdays

Valeria Moriconi (actress) would have been 95 today but died in 1995.

Judith Shepard (actress) is 75 today.

Danny Garcia (director) is 40 today.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Arthur Endrèze

[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.]

Arthur Endres Kraeckmann was an American baritone opera singer who enjoyed a popular career in Paris and sang in many premieres. His voice was described as "warm, lyrical" and "well suited to the French repertory". Born Arthur Endres Kraeckmann on November 28, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois he studied agronomy at the University of Illinois, and sang for pleasure in his spare time.

He came to the attention of the conductor Walter Damrosch who advised him to go to France to improve his singing; he did so, enrolling at the American conservatoire at Fontainebleau where he studied under Jean de Reszke.

Endrèze made his debut in 1925 in Nice in the role of Don Giovanni, following this with Hamlet, and went on to sing in seasons at Deauville. In Paris he made his début on 4 October 1928 in “Le roi d'Ys” as Karnac, and sang roles in “Madama Butterfly” (Sharpless), “La traviata” (Orbel), “Tosca” (Scarpia), and the revival of “Le rêve” (Hautecœur) in 1939.

Endrèze married Jeanne Krieger-Beligne, Chef de chant at the Opéra. Arrested by the Germans in 1940 he managed to make his way back to the United States but returned to France after the war, and after retiring from the stage devoted himself to teaching.

Arthur Endrèze died in Chicago on April 15, 1975, at the age of 81.

Arthur Endreze appeared in one Euro-western, “Dynamite Jack, la terreur de l'Arizona” (Dynamite Jack) in 1960.

ENDREZE, Arthur (aka Arthur Endrèze) (Arthur Endres Kraeckmann) [11/28/1893, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. – 4/15/1975, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.]– singer, film actor, married to opera singer Jeanne Krieger-Beligne (Jeanne Krieger) [1887-1973] (1936-1973).

Dynamite Jack – 1960

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Bruno Mattei

Bruno Mattei was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing over 50 low-budget exploitation films in genres such as Nazisploitation, zombies, women-in-prison, nunsploitation, cannibal, and mondo documentaries.

Born in Rome, Italy on July 30, 1931, Mattei grew up in a family involved in the film industry, as his father owned a small editing studio where he began working odd jobs at age 20 in the early 1950s. He started his professional career as a film editor, contributing to more than 100 productions during the 1960s and 1970s, before transitioning to directing with his debut feature, “Armida, il dramma di una sposa” (1970), released under the pseudonym Jordon B. Matthews. Throughout his career, Mattei frequently collaborated with screenwriter and director Claudio Fragasso and employed numerous pseudonyms, including Vincent Dawn and Andy Lamar, to navigate the international market for his often controversial, trend-following works produced on shoestring budgets.

Mattei's films gained notoriety for their graphic content and imitation of popular Hollywood and Italian hits, with standout titles including the Nazisploitation entry “Women's Camp 119” (1977), the zombie film “Hell of the Living Dead” (also known as “Zombie Creeping Flesh”, 1980), and the post-apocalyptic horror “Rats: Night of Terror” (1984). He later contributed to the zombie subgenre with “Zombie 3” (1988), completing it after Lucio Fulci's involvement, and directed “Cruel Jaws” (1995), an unauthorized Jaws knockoff filmed in Florida, where he increasingly worked in the Philippines in his later years.

 Despite lacking formal awards, Mattei's output earned him a cult following among fans of Italian genre cinema for his unapologetic embrace of exploitation tropes and rapid production pace.

In his final years, Mattei announced a return to horror with “Zombies: The Beginning” (2007), intended as part of a new trilogy, but he died on May 21, 2007 in Rome at age 75 from complications following surgery for a brain tumor, entering a coma shortly after the procedure.

Bruno Mattei was a director on three Spaghetti westerns: “Les aventures galantes de Zorro” (Red Hot Zorro) with Gilbert Roussel in 1972, “L’Apache Bianco” (White Apache) with Claudio Fragasso in 1985 and “Scalps!” in 1986.

MATTEI, Bruno (aka Michael Cardoso, Norman Dawn, Vincent Dawn, David Graham, David Hunt, Bob Hunter, Frank Klox, Andy Lamar, Pierre Le Blanc, Jimmy B. Matheus, Jimmy Matheus, J.B. Mathews, B. Mattei, J.B. Matthews, Jordan B. Matthews, J. Metheus, Martin Miller, Erik Montgomery, Herik Montgomery, Stefan Oblowsky, Gilbert Roussel, George Smith, William Snyder, A. Swyftte) [7/30/1931, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 5/21/2007, Ostia, Rome, Lazio, Italy (brain tumor)] - producer, director, assistant director, writer, cameraman, film editor. 

Red Hot Zorro – 1972 (co)

White Apache – 1985 (co) [as Vincent Dawn]

Scalps! – 1986 [as Werner Knox]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Franco Fogagnolo

Franco Fogagnolo as/was an Italian production manager, assistant director and writer. His career in the film industry was basically as an administrator working on 10 films between 1994 and 2003. He was an assistant director on three films between 1969 and 1983 and as a production manager and unit manager on three films between 1971 and 1972. For some unknown reason he was a co-writer on one film the Spaghetti western, “10.000 dollari per un massacre” ($10,000 for a Massacre) with Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino and Sauro Scavolini in 1967.

I can find no biographical information on him.

FOGAGNOLO, Franco [Italian] – production manager, assistant director, writer.

$10,000 for a Massacre – 1967 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Sándor Senkó

Sándor Senkó is a Hungarian film maker. He’s been a producer, director, writer and cinematographer on several documentaries. Sándor also competes in fast dram competitions and is an avid collector and researchers of firearms.

Sándor Senkó was a cinematographer on three Euro-westerns: “Apache Bow”, “The Ballad of the Three Outlaws” and “Pistolero” all in 2023 and “Good Trade”, “Winnetou’s Tomahawk” and “Az elfelejtett Winchester Titka” (The Secret of the Forgotten Winchester) all in 2024.

SENKO, Sándor (Sándor Senkó) [Hungarian] – producer, director, writer, cinematographer.

Apache Bow - 2023

The Ballad of the Three Outlaws – 2023

Pistolero - 2023

Good Trade – 2024

Winnetou’s Tomahawk - 2024

The Secret of the Forgotten Winchester - 2024