Almost nothing it known about this often used character
actor/extra who appeared in dozens of Italian films from 1950 until 1978. Most
likely born in Italy
somewhere in the 191? as he appears to be middle age when we first see him in
“Samson and the Slave Queen” (1963). He was often found milling about in crowd
scenes or as most of his 22 Euro-westerns playing gamblers, townsmen and
bartenders. I don’t have one credit where he’s actually called by name yet he
shows up for over a decade in many of the Euro-westerns filmed in Italy.
Franz also appeared in a number of Fotoromanzi magazines
from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Once again he was not a leading actor,
especially at his age but was seen in crowd and party scenes or as a local
citizen supporting the main players.
He suddenly disappears from the scene in 1978 after
appearing in two films and an appearance on the TV series ‘Madame Bovary’.
Whether he retired or became ill and passed away is unknown. Sad that another
often scene actor of the genre has been forgotten to history by film
historians.
COLANGELI, Franz (aka Franz Colangelo) [Italian] – fotoromanzi, film TV actor.
Samson and the
Slave Queen – 1963 (announcer at the ball)
Gunmen of the Rio Grande – 1964 (cowboy)
El Rojo – 1966
(town official)
Thompson 1880 –
1966 (blacksmith)
Day of Anger –
1967 (gambler)
A Minute to Pray,
a Second to Die – 1967 (saloon patron)
Son of Django –
1967 (bartender)
Wanted – 1967
(gambler)
Death Rides a
Horse – 1968 (saloon patron)
A Minute to Pray
a Second to Die – 1968 (saloon patron)
In the Name of
the Father – 1969 (bartender)
Sartana the
Gravedigger – 1969 (casino employee)
Holy Water Joe –
1971 (gambler)
In the Name of
the Father, of the Son and of the Colt – 1971 (barman)
The Price of
Death – 1971 (townsman)
Return of Sabata – 1971 (gambler)
Trinity Is STILL
My Name! – 1971 (restaurant patron)
The Ballad of Ben
and Charlie – 1972 (gambler)
Deaf Smith &
Johnny Ears – 1972 (saloon barman)
Another Try, Eh Providence? – 1973
(roulette player)
Hallelujah to
Vera Cruz – 1973 (governor’s ball guest)
Eh? Who’s Afraid
of Zorro! – 1975 (town councilman)
Franz Colangelo (aka Francesco and Colangeli) was born in Novorossiysk, Russia on Feb 18, 1914. His parents were Italian citizens in private business there. He grew up in and was educated in Russia. He married there and had a daughter. As WWII was imminent in 1939, Russia deported all foreign citizens to countries, including Franz but not his wife and daughter. His daughter was last known to have lived in Moscow in 1990s.
ReplyDeleteDuring the war years, he met my mother, Tamara, a Russian-Ukrainian, in Rome. Married her and had me as his son, V. Frank Colangelo, in March of 1945.
In 1950, Franz remained in Rome, Italy, while my mother, Tamara, and I immigrated to America, where we became citizens. We visited him several times and were delighted with his movie career
Franz died in 1978. His wife, Tamara, died in 2024 in Gulfport, FL.
His son, a retired naval architect, lives in the New Orleans, La, area with his wife of 42 years.