RIP Ralf Richter

 

German actor Ralph Richter died at his home on Cologne, Germany on September 14^th for COPD and heart conditions. He was 69. Richter became widely known after appearing in Wolfgang Petersen’s acclaimed 1981 war film “Das Boot.” He later became a cult figure in German cinema through his portrayal of Kalle Grabowski in the 1999 crime comedy “Bang Boom Bang.” His other credits included “Superstau,” “Was nicht passt, wird passend gemacht,” “Goldene Zeiten,” “Tatort” and “Alarm für Cobra 11.” Richter appeared in numerous films and television productions during a career spanning more than four decades, frequently playing tough or unconventional characters. Ralf Richter appeared in two Euro-westerns: “ProSieben Funny Movie – Spiel mir das Lied und Du bist tot” a television film as Grandpa St.John in 2007, “Scalped Alive” as a Confederate Colonel in 2014.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Leena Brusiini

[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.]

Leena Marketta Brusiini was born in Turku, Finland on May 8, 1946. She was 1967 Miss Cinema Europa and 1968 Miss Finland and Miss Finland Europe. In the 1968 Miss Universe pageant, she was chosen as the second heirloom princess

Brusiini met the writer Jussi Talve in the early 1970s, and they had a son in 1971. The couple never appeared together in public.

Brusiini fell ill with rubella at a young age, but it took another ten years from the onset of the first symptoms before the disease was diagnosed. In 1982, when she finally had access to thorough examinations. In an interview published in 1982 in the magazine Kauneus ja terveys, Brusiini talked about the effects of her illness on her ability to move and then withdrew from the public eye. The symptoms also included pain attacks.

Brusiini starred in two Finnish films released in 1970. In the early 1970s, she founded a gift and paper shop near Töölöntori Square, which she ran until 1977.

Leena Brusiin's health deteriorated in her last years, and it became more difficult to move. She died on February 11, 2019, at the age of 72.

Leena Brusiini appeared in one Euro-western as Rosa in 1973’s “Speedy Gonzales, noin 7 veljeksen poika” (Speedy Gonzales).

BRUSIINI, Leena (Leena Marketta Brusiini) [5/8/1946, Turku, Finland – 2/11/2019, Vantaa, Finland (autoimmune disease)] - Miss Cinema Europa in 1967, Miss Finland 1968, 2nd Runner-Up at Miss Universe [1968], model, film, TV actress, daughter of legal philosopher Otto Brusiin [1906-1973], sister of ex-member of Parliament Kaarina Suonio [1941-    ], mother of Karo Talvilla [1971-    ] with writer Jussi Talvilla [1920-    ].

Speedy Gonzales – 1973 (Rosa)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Mario Lanfranchi

Mario Lanfranchi was an Italian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor celebrated for his versatile contributions to opera, cinema, theater, and early television, often described as a Renaissance man due to his multifaceted talents and passions. Born in Parma in the Po Valley, Parma, Italy on June 30, 1927, he graduated from the Accademia dei Filodrammatici in Milan in the early 1950s and began his career directing plays and operas, quickly gaining prominence through innovative television productions for RAI. Lanfranchi's most notable works include over a dozen films across genres and approximately twenty film-operas, such as adaptations of Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, and La Sonnambula, many starring his wife, the soprano Anna Moffo, whom he married in 1957 after discovering her talent.] His 1981 film “Venezia, carnevale, un amore” featured stars like Rudolf Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Peter Ustinov, and Charles Aznavour, showcasing his directorial flair in blending entertainment with cultural depth.

Beyond directing, Lanfranchi was an avid collector of art and historical objects, a passion reflected in his villa in Santa Maria del Piano, which he transformed into a hub for cultural gatherings and now serves as the Fondazione Mario Lanfranchi, preserving his legacy. He received the Illica Award early in his career and was the subject of the book Mario Lanfranchi, a director for all seasons (ed. Roberta Reganati Ebnet), which highlights his adventurous spirit and ingenuity, likening him to Ulysses for his wit and diverse exploits. Lanfranchi's personal life was marked by enthusiasms for rugby, cycling, horse racing, and billiards, as well as his role as a hospitable host to artists and performers, embodying a life of excellence and joyful storytelling until his death on January 3, 2022 in Langhirano, Parma, Italy at the age of 84.

Mario Lanfranchi directed one Spaghetti western, “Sentenza di morte” (Death Sentence) in 1967.

LANFRANCHI, Mario (Francesco Martino) [6/30/1927, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy – 1/3/2022, Langhirano, Parma, Italy] – producer, director, writer, actor, married to actress, singer Anna Moffo [1932-2006] (1957-1972), awarded Illica Award [1961].

Death Sentence – 1967

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ C.H. Diller

C.H. Diller was one of the aliases used by Charlotte Pötler, a German actress, screenwriter, and film producer known for her significant contributions to early German cinema during the silent film era and her later work as a screenwriter.

Born Charlot on August 5, 1896, in Berlin-Charlottenburg, she trained in singing, dance, piano, and languages from a young age, performing as a chorister at the Komische Opera Berlin as a teenager before appearing on various stages. She made her film debut in 1912 in ''Die Launen des Schicksals'', directed by Max Mack, and rose to prominence in the mid-1910s through collaborations with director Paul von Woringen. In 1916, she founded the Lotte-Neumann-Film-GmbH production company, acting in and often producing many of its films, and secured international contracts in countries including Austria, Italy, France, and Czechoslovakia. Her greatest successes as an actress came in the 1920s, where she was frequently cast as sentimental young girls in films such as ''Die Brigantin von New York'' (1924), ''Die Frau für 24 Stunden'' (1925), and ''Der gute Ruf'' (1926).

After a break from acting between 1929 and 1932 due to marriage and divorce proceedings, Neumann shifted focus to screenwriting from 1933 onward, often using the pseudonym C.H. Diller, and ceased acting in 1931. She contributed screenplays to notable films including ''Friedrich Schiller'' (1939), ''Kora Terry'' (1940), and ''Die Nacht in Venedig'' (1941), sometimes collaborating with her second husband, screenwriter Walter Wassermann. Her career extended into the post-war period, with her final screenplay for ''Man müßte noch mal 20 sein'' in 1958.

Lotte Neumann died on February 26, 1977 in Gaißach bei Bad Tölz, Bavaria, Germany at the age of 90.

Charlotte Pötler as C.H. Diller co-wrote the screenplay for one Euro-western, “Sergeant Berry” with her husband Walter Wassermann in 1938.

DILLER, C.H. (aka Lotte Neumann, Charlotte Pötler) (Charlotte Margarethe Helene Diller) [8/5/1896, Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany - 2/26/1977, Gaißach bei Bad Tölz, Bavaria, Germany] – producer, writer, actress, married to architect named Bergmann [1875–1936] (1927-1932), married to writer Walter Wassermann [1883-1944] (1936-1944), founded the Lotte Neumann Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. [1917].

Sergeant Berry – 1938 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Josip Peciknka

Josip Peciknka (often spelled Pecinka or Peciknka in international credits) is/was a classic animator associated with the historical golden era of Yugoslav and Croatian animation. He worked in the animation departments of prominent mid-century shorts in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

I can find no biographical information on him.

Josip Peciknka was a co-animator on one Euro-western, “Cobeoy Jimmy” with Berislav Fabek, Leo Fabiani, Vladimir Jutrisa, Vjekoslav Kostanjsek and Vjekoslav Radilovic in 1957.

PECIKNK, Josip (aka Josip Pecinka, Josip Peciknka) (Josip Pećinka) [Croatian] - animator.

Cowboy Jimmy – 1957 (co)

Almería Western Film Festival NEWS

 

🏆 [PRESS RELEASE] Almería Western Film Festival (AWFF) will award the Tabernas de Cine 2026 Award to Italian actress Rada Rassimov in recognition of a career inseparable from the history of European westerns and the Tabernas Desert as a film setting, on the 60th anniversary of the filming of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (Sergio Leone, 1966) and 'The Hunter' (Tonino Valerii, 1966) in the municipality.

The actress will receive the award during the opening gala of the 16th edition of the festival, on October 8, at the Teatro de Tabernas. Before the ceremony, Rassimov will unveil her chair in the Paseo de Cine of the town, where it will be incorporated into the permanent tribute that the municipality dedicates to the great figures of cinema linked to the town.

With this award, Almería Western Film Festival, which will be held from October 8 to 12 in Tabernas and the western towns MiniHollywood Oasys and Fort Bravo Texas Hollywood, pays tribute to an actress who helped project the name of Tabernas and Almería as a cinematic territory internationally.

Who Are Those Gals? ~ Scilla Gabel

 

Scilla Gabel was born Gianfranca Gabellini on January 4, 1938, in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is an Italian actress, model, and former body double who rose to prominence in the mid-1950s through her work in cinema, television, and theater, appearing in over 50 films spanning genres such as peplum epics, spaghetti westerns, sex comedies, and swashbucklers. Gabel initially pursued studies in law before training in acting at Rome's Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica. Her screen debut came in 1954, but she gained early visibility as Sophia Loren's body double in the 1957 film “Boy on a Dolphin”. Throughout the 1960s, she starred in notable international productions including “Tarzan's Greatest Adventure” (1959), “Colossus of the Arena” (1962), “Sodom and Gomorrah” (1962), “Djurado” (1966), and “Modesty Blaise” (1966), often portraying alluring and adventurous characters that capitalized on her striking beauty and versatility. By the 1970s, Gabel shifted toward acclaimed television miniseries in Italy, such as ‘...e le stelle stanno a guardare’ (1971), while continuing sporadic film roles until the early 1980s. In 1999, her father was murdered, an event covered in the media. Married to Italian director Piero Schivazappa since 1968 until his death in 2017, Gabel's legacy endures as a quintessential figure of post-war Italian genre cinema, blending classical training with the era's bold, pulp-infused storytelling.

GABEL, Scilla (aka Scilla Gabellini) (Gianfranca Gabellini) [1/4/1938, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy -     ] – model, film, TV actress, married to producer, director, assistant director, writer Piero Schivazappa [1935-2017] (1968-2017) mother of Emiliano Schivazappa [1974-     ].

Djurado – 1966 (Barbara Donovan)

Bastard, Go and Kill – 1971 (Susanna)

 

Special Birthdays

Siro Marcellini (director, writer) would have been 105 today but died in 2013.

Cehett Grooper (director) would have been 100 today but died in 2023.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Sointu Angervo

[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.]

Sointu Angervo is a Finnish actress known for her roles in 1960s Finnish cinema, particularly in films such as “Yksityisalue” (1962), “Tähdet kertovat, komisario Palmu” (1962), and “Rakas...” (1961). Angervo is the daughter of meteorologist and composer Juho Angervo [1904–1965] and Emilie Elisabeth Hannula. She has a brother, Ari Angervo, who is a violinist and conductor.

Born on April 19, 1941, in Helsinki, Angervo emerged in the early 1960s and appeared in several notable productions, including multiple collaborations with director Maunu Kurkvaara on films like “Rakas..., Yksityisalue” (1962), and “Miljoonaliiga” (1968). Her work also extended to titles by other prominent Finnish directors, such as Matti Kassila's “Tähdet kertovat, komisario Palmu” and Mikko Niskanen's “Asphalt Lamps” (1968), contributing to the era's distinctive Finnish film landscape.

Beyond feature films, Angervo has credits in television, including appearances in series like “Tarkkis” (1987) and “Nortia” (1996), reflecting a career spanning several decades in Finnish audiovisual media.

She continued her professional career in theater after 1996, including serving as director and manager of Musiikkiteatteri Musti from 1997 to 2007 and receiving a state artist pension in 2013.

Sointu Angervo appeared in one Euro-western, “Speedy Gonzales, noin 7 veljeksen poika” (Speedy Gonzales) as a saloon girl in 1970.

ANGERVO, Sointu (Sointu Satu Tellervo Angervo) [4/19/1941, Helsinki, Finland -     ] – film, TV actress, daughter of composer J.M. Angervo (Juho Mauri Angervo) [1904-1965], sister of conductor, violinist Ari Angervo [1944-    ].

Speedy Gonzales – 1970 (saloon girl)