Who Are Those Guys? - Rik Battaglia

 

Caterina Bertaglia was born on February 18, 1930 in Corbola, Italy. At 17 he went to sea working on a freighter it was here that he was discovered in a bar by producer Carlo Ponti who hired him on the spot and signed him to his first film “La donna del fiume” (1955) opposite Sophia Loren. Using the stage name of Rik Battaglia in most of his films he also was billed as Rick Austin, Riccardo Battaglia and Rick Battaglia. Rik appeared in over 100 films and TV appearances from 1959 until his retirement in 1999. After his first film Rik took two years of drama classes and subsequently appeared in a number of costume and sword and sandal films. He played supporting parts in the Peplums (Sword and Sandal epics) “The Mighty Crusaders” (1958) and “Hannibal” (1959). In Germany he appeared as a slave merchant in the Liane-sequel “Jungle Girl and the Slaver” (1957), and he was seen in the Hollywood adventure “Raw Wind in Eden” (1958). Rik Battaglia also played in “La giornata balorda” (1961) and in the biblical epic “Sodom and Gomorrah” (1962). He appeared in several adventure films such as “Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem” (1963). He became a regular in the Karl May films and, as a villain, in the Spaghetti western genre. Some of his roles include those in “Old Shatterhand” (1963), “Pyramid of the Sun Gods”, and “Treasure of the Incas” (both 1965), “Thunder at the Border” (1966) “Black Jack” and “The Man With the Long Gun” (1968), “White Fang” (1973), “Challenge to White Fang” (1974) and “A Man Called Blade” (1977). In 1971 he appeared in Sergio Leone's “Duck You Sucker”. He was also featured as Captain Smollett in Treasure Island (1972). In 1974 he appeared in the Agatha Christie adaptation “Ten Little Indians” (1974) and in another Sergio Leone co-produced western “The Genius” (1975). He retired from films in 1999 and his last big feature film was “Buck at the Edge of Heaven” (1991).

BATTAGLIA, Rik (aka Rick Austin, Riccardo Battaglia, Rick Battaglia) (Caterino Bertaglia) [2/18/1930, Corbola, Rovigo, Italy - 3/27/2015, Corbola, Rovigo, Italy] - film, TV actor.

In the Wild West – 1964 (Steve Perkins)

Shatterhand – 1964 (Dixon)

The Desperado Trail - 1965 (Rollins)

Pyramid of the Sun Gods – 1965 (Captain Lazoro Verdoja)

Treasure of the Aztecs – 1965 (Captain Lazoro Verdoja)

Thunder at the Border – 1966 (Captain Mendoza)

Black Jack - 1968 (Skinner/Sanchez)

The Longest Hunt – 1968 (Major York/Norton) [as Rick Austin]

This Man Can’t Die – 1968 (Vic Graham)

The Man With the Long Gun – 1968 (Murdock)

Chapaqua’s Gold - 1970 (Murphy)

Hey Amigo, to Your Death - 1970 (Barnett/Burnett)

Duck You Sucker - 1971 (Santerna)

The Long Cavalcade of Vengeance – 1972 (Montana) [as Rick Battaglia]

The Call of the Wild - 1972 (Dutch Harry)

White Fang - 1973 (Hall)

Challenge to White Fang - 1974 (Jim Hall)

The Genius - 1975 (captain)

A Man Called Blade - 1977 (Gerald Mertron)

Buck at the Edge of Heaven - 1991 (Bauman)