Who Are Those Guys? - Frank Brana

Francisco Braña Pérez was born in Pola de Allande, Asturias, Spain on February 24, 1934. Sometimes credited as Frank Blank, Francisco Brana, Franck Brana, Frank Brana, Frank Branya, Francisco Brana, Paco Brana. As a young man he worked as a miner to support the family, and became ill with silicosis.

He began his career as an extra in the spaghetti westerns so fashionable in the 1960s, from which he suffered numerous injuries. “Golpe de mano” (“Surprise Attack”) (1970) was the most successful film of his career, appearing more than six months on the Gran Vía. He also acted in numerous television series and was certainly one of the greats of Spanish cinema, he worked with such great actors as Fernando Rey, Francisco Rabal and Eduardo Fajardo, besides knowing a large number of internationally renowned artists such as Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Lee Van Cleef, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Oliver Reed, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.

Brana was one of the most prolific actors of the spaghetti Western genre, usually in supporting roles. He played various henchmen in all three of Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy including one of the three bounty hunters in the opening scene of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Frank was honored at the 2011 Almeria Western Film Festival only a few months before dying of respiratory failure on February 13, 2012 at the age of 77.

BRAÑA, Francisco (aka Frank Blank, Francisco Brama, Francisco Brana, Franck Brana, Frank Braña, Paco Braña, Peter Branco, Frank Branya, Frank Braz, Frank Brewer) (Francisco Braña Pérez) [2/24/1934, Pola de Allande, Asturias, Spain – 2/13/2012, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain (respiratory failure)] - TV actor, stuntman, brother of actor stuntman Tino Braña.

Apache Fury - 1963 (Burt henchman)

Murieta – 1963 (rapist)

Ride and Kill – 1963 (driver)

Grave for a Gunfighter – 1964 (Black Rider) [as Frank Brewer]

The Last Tomahawk – 1964 (Corporal)

Massacre at Fort Grant – 1964 (John)

Outlaw of Red River – 1964 (Paco)

The Secret of Captain O’Hara – 1964 (Henry)

Two Violent Men – 1964 (Perkins)

Adios Gringo - 1965 (Ranchester cowboy)

A Coffin for the Sheriff - 1965 (Rojo/Wolf henchman)

For a Few Dollars More - 1965 (Blackie) [as Frank Braña]

Sunscorched – 1965 [as Frank Braña]

The Big Gundown - 1966 (widow’s man)

Django Does Not Forgive - 1966 (killer)

Django Kill - 1966 (Tembler henchman)

God Forgives... I Don’t! - 1966 (Lou) [as Frank Braña]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - 1966 (bounty hunter)

Savage Gringo – 1966 (Dickson)

Sugar Colt – 1966 (Haberbrook henchman) [as Frank Brana]

A Taste of Killing - 1966

The Texican - 1966 (U.S. Marshal Vic)

The Ugly Ones – 1966 (Wade Dempsey)

Ace High - 1967 (Joe) [as Frank Brana]

Face to Face - 1967 (Jason) [as Frank Braña]

A Few Bullets More - 1967 (teamster) [as Frank Braña]

Kill and Pray – 1967 [as Frank Braña]

Rattler Kid – 1967 (Tom) [as Frank Braña]

And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars - 1968 [as Peter Branco]

15 Scaffolds for a Killer - 1968 (Adam) [as Frank Braña]

Go for Broke – 1968 (posse sheriff) [as Frank Braña]

I Want Him Dead - 1968 (Berger) [as Frank Braña]

Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 (Frank’s henchman) [as Frank Braña]

A Pistol for 100 Coffins – 1968 (Joe) [as Frank Braña]

Death on High Mountain - 1969 [as Frank Braña]

Ringo: The Lone Rider – 1968 (Juez) [as Frank Braña]

A Taste of Vengeance – 1968 (Rod)

Garringo - 1969 (Bill) [as Frank Braña]

The Price of Power – 1969 (Mortimer) [as Frank Braña]

When Satan Grips the Colt – 1969 (outlaw) [as Frank Braz]

Zorro the Lawman – 1969 (Dominguez)

Gunman in Town - 1970 (‘One Eye’/Sam Putnam) [as Frank Braña]

Santana Kills Them All – 1970 (Brian Lester)

The Boldest Job in the West - 1971 (Sergeant Jess Calloway)

The Buzzards and Crows Will Dig Your Grave - 1971 (Glenn Kovac/Glen Kovacs)

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt - 1971 (Judge Finley)

Let’s Go and Kill Sartana – 1971

These Damned Pounds of Gold – 1971 (Johnson/Boley)

Bad Man’s River - 1972

God in Heaven, Arizona on Earth - 1972 (Austin Styles)

Kill the Poker Player – 1972 (Sheriff Luis Burton)

Too Much Gold for One Gringo - 1972

Demasiados muertos para Tex - 1973 [as Frank Braña]

Fast-Hand is Still My Name - 1973 (Quincy/Quintano)

Three Supermen of the West – 973 (Brad)

Yankee Dudler - 1973 (bank guard)

Dallas - 1974

If You Shoot... You Live - 1974 (Kramer) [as Frank Braña]

Whisky and Ghosts – 1974 [as Frank Braña]

The Black Wolf - 1980 (Teodoro)

Revenge of the Black Wolf – 1981 (Teodoro)

Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold – 1984 (sergeant)

Tex and the Lord of the Deep – 1985 (Mr. Bedford)

Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine - 2005 [archive footage]

Cuando Éramos Pistoleros – 2012 [himself]