Remembering Antonio Margheriti

Antonio Margheriti was born on September 19, 1930 in Rome, Italy. Antonio was a professional soccer player for Verona, Italy before he became more well known as director Anthony Dawson the prolific director of science fiction, horror, Spaghetti Westerns and action films. He was the only Italian director who worked directly with such Hollywood production companies as M-G-M, United Artists, 20th Century Fox, Columbia and others. As well as a director he also worked as a producer, assistant director, screenwriter, and special effects. He is the father of assistant director Edoardo Margheriti [1959- ] and his daughter Special Effects expert Antonella Margheriti [1954- ]. As Anthony Dawson he directed such Euro-westerns as “Dynamite Joe” (1966), “Vengeance” (1967), “And God Said to Cain” (1969), “The Stranger and the Gunfighter” (1974), and “Take a Hard Ride”. He also wrote the screenplays for the last four mentioned films. In “Inglorious Bastards” Quentin Tarantino named Eli Roth's character in homage to Antonio. Margheriti died of a heart attack in Monterosi, Italy on November 4, 2002. Today we celebrate what would have been Antonio Margheriti's 80th birthday.