Remembering Mario Brega

Mario Brega was born in Rome, Italy on March 5, 1923. Mario was a butcher and later a bodguard before he drifted into acting, where his heavy physique ensured him a plethora of character roles especially in Euro-westerns. Mario made his screen debut in “La mascotte dei diavoli blu” (1947) and was billed M. Braga. He then played some minor roles until he became well known around the world in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western movies: “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), as Chico billed as Richard Stuyvesant, “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), as Niño, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966) as Corporal Wallace, and also as a gangster in “Once Upon a Time in America” (1984). He appeared in many other spaghetti Westerns, including “Death Rides a Horse”1967), “The Great Silence” (1968), and “My Name is Nobody”1973). He was also featured in many Federico Fellini films, and later in his career had comical roles with director Carlo Verdone. Brega died in Rome on July 23, 1994. We remember Mario Brega today on what would have been his 90^th birthday,