.Westerns...All'Italiana!

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

RIP Fabrizio Gianni

Italian assistant director, writer, actor and photographer Fabrizio Gianni died in Italy on October 18^th. He was an Italian second-unit and assistant director best known for working with director Sergio Leone on the classic 1966 Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. Fabrizio was born in Rome on October 21, 1938, one of four children, his father was the head of an international chemical company; at the age of 18, he was sent to Zurich to study chemical engineering. A year spent working in a German laboratory for a chemical company convinced him this was not the road for him; he returned to Rome the following year to study Political Science at the University of Rome and began working as a trainee journalist. By the end of 1960, he had enrolled in a film school in Rome. He started out as a freelance writer, co-writer, assistant director, second unit director, casting director, and location director: his diverse roles in the film industry paved the way for him to work with some of Italy’s finest directors, including Sergio Leone, Mauro Bolognini and Giuliano Montaldo, among other notable names. He worked as an assistant or second-unit director on several films during the 1960s and 1970s, including “An Angel for Satan” (1966), “Violent City” (1970), and “And the Bombs Keep Falling” (1974). He also contributed as a writer and actor. On the advice of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, Gianni transitioned into a decades-long career as an international fashion photographer. He shot for prominent publications like Vogue, Elle, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar, photographing high-profile subjects such as Charlize Theron, Keanu Reeves, and Anthony Hopkins. Gianni was married to former Scottish model/lawyer Gain Inglis. Fabrizio worked on four Spaghetti westerns: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “The Ugly Ones” both in 1966 and “Hate is My God” in 1969 all as an assistant director and “El Puro” in 1969 as the professor and as writer.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Giovanna Dell’Acqua

[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.]

Giovanna Dell’Acqua is the mother of the stuntmen and actor Dell’Acqua brothers and daughter. Coming from a prominent circus family background tied to traditional European circus enterprises such as Circo Impero, Demar, Royal Circus, and Budapest the Dell’Acqua’s circus has gone back to the early 20^th century. Fausto Dell'Acqua and Giovanna Huesca were circus owners and artists who raised a family of performers, acrobats, and film stuntmen (including Alberto, Arnaldo, Roberto, Ottaviano, and Fernanda Dell'Acqu. Other family members continue circus traditions, including contemporary performers in the Dell'Acqua family acts (such as Elder Dell'Acqua ("Ridolini") and younger generation artists like Soery Dell'Acqua)..

Giovann was the sister of the famous Italian clown Nené (Francesco Huesca).

Giovanna Dell’Acqua appeared as Mama in 1972’s “Trinità e Sartana figli di...” (Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches).

DELL’ACQUA, Giovanna (Giovanna Huesca) [10/12/192?, Italy - deceased] – circus owner, film actress, married to circus performer Fausto Dell’Acqua, mother of acrobat, stunt coordinator, stuntman, film, TV actor Arnaldo Dell’Acqua [1938-2024], stuntwoman, film actress Fern Water (Fernanda Dell’Acqua) [1941- ], acrobat, stuntman, film, TV actor Alberto Dell’Acqua [1944- ], circus performer, stuntman, film, TV actor Roberto Dell’Acqua [1946-2018], stunt coordinator, stuntman, film, TV actor Ottaviano Dell’Acqua [1955- ], co-owned with husband Royal Circus.

Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches – 1972 (Mama)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Andrés Francisco García Macho

Andrés Francisco García Macho is a Spanish director and actor born in Benahadux, Almeria, Spain. He’s been active behind and in front of the camera this decade during the resurgence of the Spaghetti western in Spain.

Andrés Francisco García Macho was a director of three Spaghetti westerns: “Bendición Sangre y Nácar” in 2020, “Redito Maldito” in 2024 and “Muerte al Bastardo” in 2025

MACHO, Andrés Francisco García (Andrés García Macho) [4/12/1970, Benahadux, Almeria, Spain - ] – director, film actor, married to Lucia Rodriguez Roldan [1987- ] (2015- ), father of Andres Garcia [1998- , Josela, Garcia [2000- ], married to ?

Bendición Sangre y Nácar – 2020

Redito Maldito – 2024

Muerte al Bastardo – 2025

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Ángel Falquina

Ángel Falquina Bartolomé was a Spanish assistant director, writer and actor. He appeared on screen in six films between 1946 and 1960, was an assistant director on ten films between 1960 and 1970 and co-wrote one screenplay which was his only Euro-western, “Tres eran tres” (Three Were Three) with Antonio de Lara and Eduardo Garcia Maroto in 1954.

FALQUINA, Ángel (aka Lex Faber, Angel Falquina) (Ángel Falquina Bartolomé) [1909, Seville, Andalusia, Spain – 1992, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – assistant director, writer, actor.

Three Were Three – 1954 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Fausto Rossi

Fausto Rossi is/was an Italian cameraman and cinematographer on some fifty films between 1961 and 1975. Yet there is no biographical information about him that I can find. He’s not even mentioned in 1994’s Italian Film: A Who’s Who

Fausto Rossi was a cinematographer on six Spaghetti westerns: “Frontera al sur” (Kitosch, the Man Who Came from the North) in 1966, “I giorni della violenza” (Days of Vengeance), “Il tempo degli avvoltoi” (Last of the Badmen) both in 1967, “Carogne si nasce” (Lynching) and “Sapevano solo uccidere” (Saguaro) both in 1968 and “Sei jellato amico, hai incontrato Sacramento” (You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento) in 1972.

ROSSI, Fausto [Italian] – composer, cameraman.

Kitosch, the Man Who Came from the North – 1966

Days of Vengeance – 1967

Last of the Badmen – 1967

Lynching – 1968

Saguaro – 1968

You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento – 1972