Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Franco De Simone

[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.]

This actor is another conundrum. As Franco De Simone he’s appeared in only one film and in most databases, he’s listed in the cast for, that one film, “Zorro contro Maciste” (Samson and the Slave Queen) in 1963, but in the Italian credits he’s listed as Franco De Leone. De Leone has one film listed in the IMDb which is 1980s “White Pop Jesus” so is this the same actor, an alias or two different people.

No biographical information can be found on either one.

De SIMONE, Franco (aka Franco De Leone) [Italian] – film actor.

Samson and the Slave Queen – 1963

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Luigi Capuano

Luigi Capuano was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his prolific contributions to popular genre cinema, particularly in adventure, peplum (sword-and-sandal), and swashbuckler films during the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Naples on July 13, 1904, he served as a military pilot during World War II before transitioning to filmmaking after the war.

Capuano directed over 40 feature films between 1947 and 1971, frequently writing or co-writing his own screenplays, and he sometimes used the pseudonym Lewis King for later productions. His early career included sentimental dramas, musicals, and light entertainment films, but he gained prominence directing entries in popular adventure cycles featuring characters such as Zorro, Sandokan, and various pirates and musketeers. These mid-budget genre pictures, often characterized by action, historical settings, and exotic locales, were commercially successful in Italy and international markets during the boom of Italian popular cinema. He continued working in related genres, including spaghetti westerns and crime films, until the early 1970s.

Luigi Capuano died in Rome on October 20, 1979.

Capuano directed three Spaghetti westerns: “Il magnifico Texano” (The Magnificent Texan) in 1967, “Sangue chiama sangue” (Blood Calls to Blood) in 1968, “El Zorro, caballero de la justicia” (Zorro the Rider of Vengeance) in 1971.

CAPUANO, Luigi (aka Lewis King) [7/13/1904, Naples, Campania, Italy – 10/20/1979, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, writer.

The Magnificent Texan – 1967 [as Lewis King]

Blood Calls to Blood – 1968 [as Lewis King]

Zorro, Rider of Vengeance – 1971

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Eric Bercovici

Enrico Bercovici was an Italian producer, composer and writer born in New York City on February 27, 1933. He was the son of director and writer Leonardo Bercovici and the nephew of writer Konrad Bercovici.

He’s best known as Eric Bercovici and winning a Primetime Emmy as a producer of the miniseries Shogun, which he also wrote. For TV he wrote for series ranging from ‘Love, American Style’ to ‘I, Spy,’ ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’, ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Hawaii Five-O.’

During the 1970s and ’80s Bercovici also wrote a number of TV movies.

Bercovici died from a heart attack in Kaneohe, Hawaii on February 9, 2014 a few weeks shy of turning 81.

Enrico Bercovi co-wrote the screenplay for only one Spaghetti western, “La parola di un fuorilegge... è legge!” (Take a Hard Ride) with Jerry Ludwig in 1975.

BERCOVICI, Eric (Enrico Bercovici) [2/27/1933, New York City, New York, U.S.A. -

2/9/2014, Kaneohe, Hawaii, U.S.A. (heart attack)] – producer, composer, writer, son of director, writer Leonardo Bercovici [1908–1995], nephew of writer Konrad Bercovici [1882-1961], married to Sylvia Messina [1933-    ] father of director, writer, actor Luca Bercovici [1957-    ], producer, engineer Hilary Bercovici 1959-    ], married to actress Karen Berger [1947-    ] (197?-19??) father of musician/composer, producer Jacob Bercovici [1975-    ], married to secretary Chiho Adachi [1954-    ] (1980-2014)  

Take a Hard Ride – 1975 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Raoul Comte

Raoul Comte was a silent film cinematographer born in Lyon, France on September 5, 1905. He worked on four films in 1919 and 1920.

Comte died in Paris on March 5, 1992 at the age of 86.

His only western credit is as cinematographer on “L'oro degli Azteki” in 1920.

COMTE, Raoul [9/5/1905, Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France – 3/5/1992, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – cinematographer, married to Marie de Montrichard [1912-1986]

L'oro degli Azteki - 1920

 

Sergio Leone's first comment on Henry Fonda: "But what do we do with this?"

Il Messaggero

By Fabio "Fabu" Alberti

2/25/2026

The relationship between Sergio Leone and Carlo Verdone was a relationship that went beyond the simple profession. The two invited each other home, with the former giving directing lessons to the latter, telling him in detail what he had in mind for his masterpiece Once Upon a Time in America.

Their partnership continued in the 80s, when Leone became the producer of Un sacco bello in 1980 as well as Bianco, rosso e Verdone in 1981. Classics of Italian comedy driven by masks that have become legends and have survived to the present day. During the years of dating, Verdone collected quite a few anecdotes shared by the iconic director of Spaghetti Westerns, as stated by the Roman comedian himself in a recent appearance at the Spazio Teratro of the European Institute of Design (IED).

One of Sergio Leone's dreams from the very beginning was to work together with Henry Fonda, the good cowboy of American western films. A dream that did not materialize until the end of the 60s when Leone, at his fourth spaghetti western after the successes of A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly had the opportunity to aspire to the top of the top with Once Upon a Time in the West. A film also recognized - at the time - for being the most ambitious western film ever made. And so, in the end, Leone knocked on Henry Fonda's door, but the first meeting between the director and the successful actor was not exactly exciting, as Verdone recalled.

"Perhaps this is his funniest anecdote - the comedian and actor told the Milan audience - he told me: 'When I chose Henry Fonda I was convinced that I had chosen the greatest actor who still held up. I was waiting for him at Cinecittà. Sergio Donati [the screenwriter of Once Upon a Time in the West] and I leaned against the window. The car was supposed to arrive from the airport, a blue car with Henry Fonda inside." A wait that was, however, disillusioned when the actor revealed himself.

"A little guy gets out of the car who walks like this," Verdone continued, imitating Fonda's walk. "A' Se', but what do we do with this?'", Leone's comment in the direction of the screenwriter. So Leone was stunned to see the aged appearance of an actor considered a legend and whom he admired very much, but who in reality - or rather, off the screen - appeared very different. Nevertheless, Fonda, as Frank, the antagonist of the film, proved to be an exceptional choice, and seeing him for the first time on the side of the villains shocked viewers.

The Western Movie Gunslinger Who May Be Even Faster Than Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name

Screenrant

By Nicholas Raymond

July 10, 2025

The Trinity movies feature a character who could rival Clint Eastwood's The Man With No Name for the title of the fastest gun in the West. Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy introduced the world to The Man With No Name, an anti-hero who has since become a pop culture icon, as well as the most famous character ever portrayed by Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood.

There's much to appreciate about Eastwood's character in For a Few Dollars More, Fistful of Dollars, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, from his cool demeanor to his incredible one-liners. But ultimately what brings it all together is the Man With No Name's prowess with a gun; his deadliness with a revolver serves as the framework for several of Clint Eastwood's best scenes in the Dollars Trilogy.

Eastwood's role in the Dollars Trilogy has cemented The Man With No Name's status as one of the greatest gunslingers in the history of the Western movie genre. It's hard to find a character with equally impressive skills, but at least one does exist in the form of Terence Hill's Trinity.

The Trinity Movies Feature An Amazing Shooting Trick Even The Man With No Name Movies Couldn't Top

Trinity Has Superhuman Speed As A Gunslinger

A series of two great Western comedies tells the stories of Trinity and Bambino, two ne'er-do-well siblings. Bud Spencer's Bambino is the muscle of the pair, who does most of the fighting whenever the duo gets caught up in a fist fight. As for Terence Hill's Trinity, he can fight as well, but his main skillset is his almost superhuman shooting abilities.

As comedies, They Call Me Trinity and Trinity is Still My Name are able to have fun with Trinity's accuracy and speed and allow him to accomplish seemingly impossible feats. The depth of Trinity's skill is on display in Trinity is Still My Name when he gets into a showdown with a gunslinger.

Rather than beat him in the traditional manner, Trinity uses his lightning speed to unholster not his own gun, but his enemy's. Afterward, he returns the gun to its holster and then slaps his opponent. He repeats the process multiple times, to hilarious results, and much to the shock of the gunslinger, who can barely follow his movements, much less retaliate.

The Trinity Movies Are Some Of The Best Spaghetti Westerns Ever Made

Both Are Must-Watch Westerns

Although considerably different in tone from the movies of Sergio Leone and the like, They Call Me Trinity and its 1971 sequel are standout entries in the Spaghetti Western subgenre. Both films expertly mix comedy with action to deliver fun adventures for its two lead characters.

They Call Me Trinity and Trinity is Still My Name are made better by the unique dynamic shared by Bambino and Trinity, who are introduced as estranged brothers. Trinity is friendly towards Bambino, whereas the latter sees him as an endless source of trouble - yet, he always gets roped into Trinity's shenanigans.

At first, Trinity may come across as a parody of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, but the nuances of Terence Hill's character make him so much more than just a quickshot gunslinger. The two movies depict Trinity as a troublemaker whose parents desired him to be a career criminal. He tries to fulfill his parents' wishes, but his inherently good nature generally stands in the way of that.

What's more, the Trinity movies give Trinity quirks that make him one of the genre's most entertaining heroes, such as his trademark stench and odd habits of sitting with his legs up in his saddle and sleeping on a mattress dragged by his horse. But his unmatched shooting skills are by far his most defining trait.

Special Birthdays

Sam Jaffe (actor) would have been 135 today but died in 1984.

Radoslav Pavlovic (actor) would have been 115 today but died in 1991.

Mosko Alkalai (actor) would have been 95 today but died in 2008.

RIP Raoul

 

Italian, singer, musician, actor Raoul died in Rome on January 8^th he was a month shy of turning 87. Born Ettore Raul Lovecchio in Foggia, Puglia, Italy on February 12, 1939, his career in music began as a keyboardist, and then as a singer and composer where he had embellished numerous soundtracks with his notes and his distinctive voice. He was a member of Alessandro Alessandroni’s “I Cantori Moderni” but was often called on for solos singing the main theme songs in particular Spaghetti western where his voice can be heard in 19. After he had left the genre, he then became an actor during the 1970s. He then left the film industry and was the owner of a boutique for Oriental fashion in Rome. “The Relentless Four” 1965 [sings: ‘Ranger’], “Death at Owell Rock” [sings ‘Danny’], God Will Forgive My Pistol” [sings: ‘The Man Called Texas’], “The Man from Nowhere” [sings: ‘Arizona Colt’] all in 1966. “Any Gun Can Play” [sings: ‘Stranger’, ‘Come Mai’], “The Moment to Kill” [sings: ‘Walk by My Side’], “Payment in Blood” [sings “Seven Men”], “Two Crosses at Danger Pass” [sings: ‘Without a Name’] and “A Wreath for the Bandits” [sings: “La balata della carogne”] all in 1967, “Between God, the Devil and a Winchester” [sings: ‘Heart of Stone’]. “Death Rides a Horse [sings: ‘Death Rides a Horse’], “15 Scaffolds for a Killer” [sings: ‘Will You be Mine’], “Hate Your Neighbor” [sings: ‘Two Friends’], “Heads or Tails” [sings: ‘Arizona’s Waiting’], “Kill Them All and Come Back Alone” [sings: ‘Gold’, ‘Come mia’], “Sonora” [sings: ‘Maybe Somewhere, Maybe Someday”], “A Taste of Death” [sings: ‘Who is the Man?’] and “Tequila” [sings: “A Man Alone”] all in 1968 and “Vendetta at Dawn” [sings: “Walk by My Side”] in 1971.

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Dario Desiderio

[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.]

Pipino Desiderio was an Italian character actor born in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy on November 11, 1911. He was active in the film industry from 1962 to 1974. He appeared almost exclusively in supporting and small character roles across a range of Italian genre films, including spaghetti westerns, poliziotteschi and gangster-oriented crime pictures, dramas, and comedies.

His verified credits total approximately eight to nine, drawn from primary film databases, with all roles being secondary in nature and none qualifying as leads. Desiderio's brief career produced no documented major awards, critical accolades, or widespread recognition, reflecting his position as a minor figure in Italy's prolific but often low-budget genre cinema of the era.

Desiderio died in Rho a community in Milan, Italy on December 27, 2000, at the age of 89.

Pipino Desiderio appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “Bastardo…vamos a matar” (Bastard Go and Kill) in 1971 as Timothy and “Il magnifico west” (The Magnificent West) as Fred in 1972

DESIDERIO, Pipino (aka Pino Derio, Dario Pino, Derio Pino) [11/1/1911, San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy – 12/27/2000, Rho, Milan,Lombardy, Italy] – film, TV actor.

Bastard, Go and Kill – 1971 (Timothy) [Derio Pino]

The Magnificent West – 1972 (Fred) [as Derio Pino]