While several of the train engines used in the Spaghetti
western genre are stored in a trainyard in Gaudix the steam locomotive featured
in “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
(affectionately nicknamed "La Verraco" or "The Boar"') is
permanently parked and on display as a public monument in Los Barrios in the
Province of Cádiz, Spain.
[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.]
Jean Eudes Drouvin is French stuntman. He’s former certified first responder at Ordre de Malte France. Drouvin started performing stunts in 2017 and is now a member of the Warlegends stunt team.
Jean Eudes Drouvin appeared in one Spaghetti western as a stuntman in “Bloody Fury” in 2022 and the French TV series “Zorro” in 2024.
DROUVIN, Jean Eudes [French] –
stuntman, film, TV actor.
Bloody Fury – 2022 [stunts]
Zorro (TV) – 2024 [stunts]
Spaghetti Western Director ~ Rudolf Hrusinsky
Rudolf Hrušínský was a Czech actor known for his versatile performances across theatre and film, widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed and popular figures in Czech cinema during the communist era and beyond. His ability to seamlessly transition between comic and dramatic roles, combined with a distinctive style marked by calm delivery, subtle intonation, sparse gestures, and melancholic expression, earned him enduring recognition in Czechoslovak and European film.
Born on October 17, 1920, in Nový Etynek, South Bohemia, into a multi-generational acting family—his grandfather ran a nomadic theatre company, and both parents were actors—Hrušínský began performing on stage early in life. Expelled from high school due to absences from theatre commitments, he transitioned to film and by age 25 had appeared in seventeen movies.
He rose to major popularity in the 1950s with his title role in Karel Steklý’s film adaptation of Jaroslav Hašek’s “The Good Soldier Švejk”. His most iconic performance came in Juraj Herz’s “The Cremator” (1969), where he portrayed the chilling Karel Kopfrkingl in a black satire on Nazism and collaboration that became a cornerstone of the Czechoslovak New Wave, though it was banned until 1989. He enjoyed a notable collaboration with director Jiří Menzel on films such as “Capricious Summer” (1968), “Cutting It Short”, and “My Sweet Little Village”, contributing to key works of the era.
Politically engaged during the Prague Spring, he signed the reformist “Two Thousand Words” manifesto, resulting in near-total exclusion from work during the subsequent normalization period; he later signed the regime-supporting Anti-Charter 77 under pressure. In the 1990s, he appeared in Italian productions including Ermanno Olmi’s “La Valle di Pietra” (1992) and the TV series ‘La Piovra’.
Hrušínský pursued directing in theater alongside his primary career as an actor, contributing to several notable productions primarily in Prague's established theaters. In the 1950s, while engaged at Městská divadla pražská (Prague City Theatres), he directed the acclaimed staging of N. Richard Nash's “Obchodník s deštěm” at Komorní divadlo, which premiered on May 7, 1957. Critics hailed the production as one of the most successful of the 1956/1957 season, praising Hrušínský's direction for its emphasis on naturalism, civil simplicity, and atmospheric evocation of drought and longing, which transformed the play into a deeper meditation on life, faith, and dreams
Following the Velvet Revolution, he briefly served as a member of parliament. Hrušínský diedar 73 on April 13, 1994, in Prague, remembered as an icon whose voice and presence defined a golden age of Czech cinema.
Rudolf Hrusinsky directed one Euro-western, “Pancho se žení” (Pancho’s Wedding) in 1944.
HRUSINSKY, Rudolf (aka R. Hrusínský, Rudolf Hrusínský ml., Rudolf Hrusínský st.) (Rudolf
Hrušínský) [10/17/1920, Nová Vcelnice, Czechoslovakia – 4/13/1994, Prague,
Czech Republic] – director, writer, actor, son of Rudolf Hrusínský [1897-1956],
married to Eva Hrušínská [1928-1997] (1945–1994) father of actor Rudolf
Hrusínský [1946- ], actor Jan
Hrusínský [1955- ], grandfather of
actor, singer Rudolf Hrusínský [1970-
].
Pancho’s Wedding –
1944
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Luis G. de Blain
Luis G. de Blain was a Spanish writer and screenwriter known for his pioneering contributions to crime and thriller genres in radio and cinema during the mid-20th century. Born on April 23, 1916, in Herrerías, Cuevas de Almanzora, Almería, he settled in Barcelona in 1920 and launched his career as a radio scriptwriter in 1942 at Radio Barcelona, where he gained widespread popularity through detective programs such as ‘Piense y acierte’, ‘Radio Club’, and especially the long-running series ‘¿Es usted buen detective?’ and ‘Taxi Key’ (1948–1962), establishing himself as a master of radio crime fiction.
He extended his work to cinema, penning screenplays for approximately fifteen feature films between 1947 and 1976, most of them crime thrillers or genre pieces including” Las aventuras de Taxi Key”, “Palmer ha Muerto”, “Black Story”, and “Las siete vidas del gato”. In addition to his scriptwriting, de Blain worked as a journalist and editor for publications such as Fotogramas (where he served as chief editor for eight years and created the character Mr. Belvedere), ¡Hola!, Garbo, and others, while also authoring crime novels and short stories, many in the noir tradition.
De Blain died on November 8, 2001, in Barcelona, remembered as one of the key figures in Spanish popular entertainment across radio, film, and print media. He was 85.
Luis G. de Blain wrote screenplays for two Spaghetti westerns: “Hai sbagliato… dovevi uccidermi subito!” (Kill the Poker Player) with Mario Bianchi and Paola Bianchi and “Il bianco, il giallo, il nero” (The White, the Yellow, the Black) with Mario Amendola, Renee Asseo, Luis Sergio Corbucci and Santiago Moncada in 1975.
de BLAIN, Luis G. (aka Luis G. Blain,
Luis G. De Blain) [4/23/1916, Las Herrerías, Cuevas
del Almanzora, Almería, Andalucía, Spain – 11/8/2001,
Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain] – writer.
Kill the Poker
Player – 1972 (co)
The White, the
Yellow, the Black – 1975 (co)
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Manuel Merino
Manuel Merino was born in Madrid, Spain on July 9, 1918. He was a Spanish cinematographer who primarily worked in his home country's film industry, though he has been attached to several British and Italian productions as well. Not to be confused with the Peruvian politician.
Merino was also an actor, known for “Mission Stardust” (1967), “X312 - Flight to Hell” (1971) and “María de los Reyes” (1948). He died sometime in 2001 at the age of 82.
Manuel Merino worked as a cinematographer on seven Spaghetti westerns: “La Gitana y el Charro” (The Gypsy Girl and the Charro) with Raúl Martínez Solares and “Los pistoleros de Casa Grande” (Gunfighters of Casa Grande) with José F. Aguayo and “Brandy” (Ride and Kill) with Mario Sbrenna all in 1963, “El proscrito del rio Colorado” (Outlaw of Red River) in 1963, “Fugitivos de Yuma” (Kid Rodelo) and “Sie nannten ihn Grongo” The Man Called Gringo) both in 1965, “Joe l’implacable” (Dynamite Joe) in 1966.
MERINO, Manuel (aka Mann Merin, M. Merino, Mel Merino) (Manuel Merino Rodriguez)
[7/9/1918, Madrid, Madrid, Spain – 2001, Spain] – assistant director, writer,
cinematographer, cameraman, actor, brother of producer, production manager,
director, assistant director, writer, film actor José Luis Merino (José Luis Merino
Boves) [1927-2019], director, assistant
director Fernando Merino [1931-2006]
The Gypsy Girl and
the Charro – 1963 (co)
Gunfighters of Casa
Grande – 1963 (co)
Ride and Kill – 1963
(co)
Outlaw of Red River
- 1964
Kid Rodelo - 1965
The Man Called
Gringo 1965 [as Mel Merino]
Dynamite Joe – 1966
“El Mercenario”
(The Mercenary)
(1968)
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Starring: Franco Nero, Tony Musante, Jack Palance
Country: France
Label: Sidonis Calysta
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
Language: French
Subtitles: English
Running time: 111 minutes
ASIN: B0H2ZZLJBH
Available: August 7, 2026
“Navajo Joe”
(1966)
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Nicoletta
Machiavelli
Country: France
Label: Sidonis
Calysta
Aspect Ratio: 2.35.1, 16:9
Language: French
Subtitles: English
Running time: 93 minutes
ASIN: B0H313G5KJ
Available: August 7, 2026
Nando Martellini (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 2004.
Evy Marandi (actress) is 85 today.
Italian classical guitarist, teacher and composer Bruno
Battisti D’Amario died in Italy on August 5, 2026. he was 88. Considered one of
the leading exponents of the guitar both nationally and internationally, Bruno
Battisti D'Amario was born in Rome on October 5, 1937. Coming from a family of
musicians he received his artistic training at the Conservatorio Musicale di
Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he studied under Maestros Benedetto Di Ponio and
Mario Gangi. In 1960, he met Ennio Morricone, who involved him in many
collaborations as lead guitarist (classical and electric) in the soundtracks of
his films. He also took composition lessons from him, thus creating a solid
working relationship that lasted more than 20 years. He has collaborated with
composers such as Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli, Luis Bacalov, Nicola Piovani
and others. D'Amario knows the guitar perfectly, exploring all its timbres and
colors, creating fantastic soundscapes, sophisticated harmonies and flowing
melodies. Guitarist Adriano Sebastiani is a pupil and now close friend of
D'Ammario, his playing shows deep knowledge and close affection for the idiom
of this wonderfully original music. For years he was Professor of classical
guitar at the Conservatorio "S. Cecilia" in Rome and held numerous
training courses in Italy and abroad. His guitar work can be heard on several
Spaghetti western soundtracks including: “Fistful of Dollars” in 1964, “For a
Few Dollars More” in 1965, “A Bullet for the General” and “The Good, the Bad
and the Ugly” both in 1966, “Once Upon a Time in the West” in 1968, “Duck You
Sucker” in 1972 and “My Name is Nobody” in 1973.
[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.]
Dorin Dron was born in Cernesti, Romania on February 27, 1920. He was an athlete who was a goalkeeper on several Romanian hockey teams. With the Romanian Team he participated in the World Ice Hockey Championship in 1947. For a time, he was a translator of the anthological texts of international dramaturgy, which were mounted on the stages of theatres in Romania.
In the 1940s he attended the Faculty of Law and the Commercial Academy in Bucharest and in 1942 he held a Doctorate in Legal Sciences at the Faculty of Law in Milan, after which he returned to Bucharest, where he practiced law for a short time.
Dron performed on the stage of the Lucia Sturdza Bulandra Theatre and at the National Radiophonic Theatre, but also sporadically, in television shows. He was an assistant director with Liviu Ciulei.
His debut film came in 1957, was the “Eruption”, following this role Lucia Sturdza-Bulandra, employed him at the Municipal Theatre, where he worked permanently.
In Bucharest, Dorin Dron was the adept and promoter of Malagamist fashion, characterized by the jacket in specific plaid, the costume launched by the drummer and orchestra chief Sergiu Malagamba.
In early 1960 he joined some intellectuals who believed that translations from Western literatures were a "breech" to be exploited, later making translations from American dramaturgy.
Between 1957 and 1987 he appeared in over 35 Romanian artistic films and cinematographic co-productions with international participation.
Dorin Dron died in Bucharest on April 30, 1994, at the age of 74.
Dorin Dron appeared in three Euro-westerns: “Aventurile lui Tom Sawier” (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) and “Moartea lui Joe Indianul” (Death of Injun Joe) both in 1967. He also appeared in the Euro-western TV miniseries “Lockruf des Goldes” (Burning Daylight) as Doygt.
DRON, Dorin [2/27/1920, Cernesti, Romania –
4/30/1994, Bucharest, Romania] – director, theater, film, TV actor.
The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer - 1967
Death of Injun Joe – 1967
Burning Daylight (TV) - 1975 (Doygt)
