From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Alfredo Capitani

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Alfredo Capitani was born in Ciampino, Rome, Italy on March 3, 1895. He was a poster artist who attended the English Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Later in life he became a character actor who appeared in 47 films from 1969 to 1983.

Capitani died in Rome on September 9, 1985 at the age of 90.

His only Spaghetti western was as Mr. Mortison in 1981’s “Occhio alla penna” (Buddy Goes West) with Bud Spencer.

CAPITANI, Alfredo [3/3/1895, Ciampino, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 9/9/1985, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – artist, film actor.

Buddy Goes West – 1981 (Mr. Mortison)

“Peggy Ray”

 

Peggy Ray – International title

 

A 2017 Swedish film production

Producers: Emil Erlandsson, Leif Sandqvist

Director: Leif Sandqvist

Story: Leif Sandqvist

Screenplay: Leif Sandqvist

Cinematography: Petter Cronquist [color]

Music:

Running time: 80 minutes

 

Cast:

Peggy Ray – Moa Eklöf

Donovan Humperdinck - Jonathan Wiberg

Pete Humperdink – David Kjell Karlsson

El Queijo - José Diaz

Tina Jones - Mina Lindbäck

Sheriff Bronco - Robert Follin

Big Nose Kate - Mia Rydell

Lorena Allegria - Ithzia Sol

Arthur Green - Johan Kekonius

Caroline Olsen - Isabella Alveborg

Joseph Needle - Josef Törner

Doctor Blue - Gunnar Carlström

Jack Daniels - Thomas Flodin

Chepi - Autumn Howell

Gawg - Brian Clyne

Ininaig - Rebecca Nepinak

Unassuming Assar - Johan Hallstrum

Hysterical Hannah – Ann-Sofie Othén

Longhaired Larry – Martin Dagman

Curly Carl – Marcus Grindberg

Bearded Benny – Mathias Hjelm

Fainting Flagstaff – Simon Manns

Pony Express – Malin Alfredsson

Crazy Carla – Nilla Hansson

Pinaoplaying Paddy – Kristofer Wannefors

Annoying Alan – Staffan Svensson

New sheriff in town - Emil Erlandsson

Scared driver – Robert Tighel

Mute Driver – Charlie Söderlund

Angry ladies – Chris Nyberg, Marianne Nielsen, Doris Lomyr

Native boys – Joaquin Ronning, Lukas Ronning

Native girl – Kyle Ronning

With: Jonathan Wiberg

Stunts: Jonathan Wiberg, Karin Floengård Jönsson, David Raden Lundgren, Jonte Rosengren, Marcus Grindberg, Sara Henningson, Mattias Tambour, Nikki Mattson

An orphaned girl in a western world ends up with two incompetent bank robbers. These two brothers are in a heap of trouble - they owe money to the nasty El Queijo.

Entire Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlxXIIyJucM

Who Are Those Singers & Musicians? ~ Rosenda Monteros

 

Rosa Méndez Leza was a Mexican actress and singer, born in Veracruz, on August 31, 1935. She had an extensive career performing in films and theater, beginning with studies at Estudio Escénico of Seki Sano, specializing in drama. Her film debut was the role of María in the 1954 film "Reto a la vida," in which she was uncredited. It wasn't until her next film, "Llévame en tus brazos," of the same year, that Monteros was formally credited, marking her first role as a recognized actress.

Outside of Mexico, her international works were filmed in countries such as the United States, UK, and Spain with films like "The White Orchid" (1954), "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) "Tiara Tahiti" (1962), "She" (1965), "Eva en la selva" (1968), and "Los cuervos" (1961).

With all of this, she positioned herself as one of Mexico's best international actresses and obtained stardom even though she had few starring roles. She spent her last years on television with productions such as "Cuando los hijos se van" (1983), "El amor no es como lo pintan" (2000), and "Lo que callamos las mujeres" on the episode "La jefa" (2005).

In 1990 Rosinda Monteros was honored by the Mexican Society of Theater Critics for performing in 263 plays. She died in Mexico City, on December 29, 2018.

After she left cinema and TV, she enrolled as part of the Compañía Nacional de Teatro de México (National Theater Company of Mexico) from 2008 to 2013, when she received emeritus status. She married Julio Bracho in 1955, and they divorced in 1957.

Rosenda died in Mexico City at the age of 83 on December 29, 2018.

Monteros starred along with Alain Emery in the French television western series ‘Les indiens’ (The Indians) where she sang the main theme song along with Emery.

MONTEROS, Rosenda (aka Rosa Mendez, Rosenda Montero) (Rosa Méndez Leza) [8/31/1935, Veracruz, Mexico – 12/29/2018, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico    ] – singer, film, TV actress, married to director, screenwriter Julio Bracho [1909-1978] (1955-1957).

The Indians (TV) – 1965 [sings: “Les Indiens” (co)]

Special Birthdays

Liselotte Welskopf-Heinrich (writer) would have been 115 today but died in 1979.

Yvonne König (actor) is 55 today.

RIP Franca Bettoja

 

Italian actress Franca Bettoja died in Rome, Italy in September 13, 2024 at the age of 88. She was film actress primarily remembered for her role as Ruth Collins in the 1964 film “The Last Man on Earth” starring Vincent Price. In 1972 she married actor Ugo Tognazzi and they had two children actor Gianmarco Tognazzi born in 1967 and director, assistant director, screenwriter Maria Sole Tognazzi born in 1971. She was the stepmother of director, screenwriter, actor Ricky Tognazzi born in 1955. After their wedding, her film appearances would become increasingly rare Her only Euro-westerns was in “Touche pas à la femme blanche” (Don’t Touch the White Woman), directed by Marco Ferreri in 1974. She starred alongside Catherine Deneuve, Marcello Mastroianni, and Michel Piccoli. In 1975, Franca Bettoia and her mother Maris founded the Gran Loggia Femminile d'Italia, the first Italian Masonic obedience exclusively for women.

From the WAI! vault

 

Podcast #138, Season 8, Episode 8

 

Please join me at noon PST today as we continue Season 8 of “The Spaghetti Westerns Podcast”. This week will be covering the history of the Spaghetti westerns “The White Horse” with Joselito. We’ll also discover who Mirella Pamphili is and Whatever Happened to Gustavo Rojo. The film of the week is “A Man Called Sledge” with James Garner. We’ll cover a composer and singer from the films covered. I’ll have a book of the week, an autograph of the week a poster and plenty of Spaghetti News to catch up on. So, I hope to see you around High Noon today on You Tube and Facebook.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Manuel Capetillo

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Manuel Antonio Capetillo Villaseñor was born on April 15, 1926, in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jalisco, Mexico. He grew up in a Jalisco family with attachment to the countryside and charro traditions. In his early youth, he worked in various jobs in bull ranches located in Jalisco, thus acquiring his first knowledge about fighting, breeding, handling and nature of the bull.

In 1953 he temporarily left the rings to venture as a singer of ranchera music but in 1957 he returned. In the 1960s he participated as an actor in ranchera films in cinema. Some critics felt that his acting activity harmed his bullfighting career. But in those years it was customary for both sports and bullfighting figures to be tempted by film directors to star in films, which later brought economic benefits from advertisements that were reflected in the box office of bullrings.

He began his film career with the film “Contigo a la distancia” in 1954 and the last was “Las plebes de Sinaloa” in 2000. He participated alongside great stars of Mexican cinema such as Evangelina Elizondo, Elvira Quintana, Regina Torné, Flor Silvestre, Antonio Aguilar, Eulalio González, Javier Solís, Andrés Soler, Dacia González, Liza Castro, Ignacio López Tarso among others.

Years later, he participated as an actor in several soap operas, the last of them ‘In the Name of Love’ in 2008.

Initiator of the Capetillo dynasty of fiesta brava which was continued by his sons Guillermo and Manuel Capetillo de Flores. On the other hand, he is also the father of singer and actor Eduardo Capetillo. He died at the age of 83 on May 5, 2009, while visiting his sister-in-law in Chacala, Nayarit in Las Varas, Nayarit, Mexico.

CAPETILLO, Manuel (Manuel Antonio Capetillo Villaseñor) [4/15/1926, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jalisco, Mexico – 5/5/2009, Las Varas, Nayarit, Mexico (respiratory failure)] – matador, film, TV actor, singer, married to model Sara de Flórez [1933-    ] (195?-1966) father of matador, actor  Manuel Capetillo Villaseñor, Jr., [1956-    ], father of matador, actor, singer Guillermo Capetillo [1958-    ] with Sara de Flórez, ], married to Maricarmen Vázquez (Maria del Carmen Vazquez Alcaide) [1929-    ] (1966-1985) father of actor Eduardo Capetillo (Eduardo Capetillo Vasquez) [1970-    ], María del Carmen Arruza Vázquez [19??-2013]

The Gypsy Girl and the Charro – 1963 (Manuel Gálvez)

“Old Number Seven”

 

Old Number Seven

 

A2020 Norwegian short film production [Pink Oak Production (Oslo)]

Producers: William Fabian Stang, Karl Magnus Eriksen, Fredrik Bjørnerud, Sindre

     Gundersen, Oskar Johansen, Are Bye

Director: Karl Magnus Eriksen

Story: Karl Magnus Eriksen

Screenplay: Oskar Johansen

Cinematography: William Fabian Stang

Music: William Fabian Stang

Running time: 15 minutes

 

Cast:

Henry Houston - Fredrik Bjørnerud

Miles Coltman - Karl Magnus Eriksen

Jack Daniels - Sindre Gundersen

Sara Oakley - Angelika Lava Hallmann

Billy Butch - Oskar Johansen

Becky Hadley - Eva Mena

Will Weston - Peter Solbrekke

Billy Butch is one of the country's most wanted bandits. When he ends up in the desolate small town of Rock River, it doesn't take long before the revolver is out of his belt. An old friend shows up with questions about the past and the money that never came to fruition. The country's authorities sit on the side bench as the blood drips, the chips fall and the stench of whiskey rises.

Spaghetti Western Locations for “The Forgotten Pistolero”

We continue our search for locations for “The Forgotten Pistolero”. Our lone rider is named Rafael Garcia and he has crossed the Mexican border into Texas. We then see a young man at an isolated ranch attending to the grave of one Maria Rosario Serena who he believes is his mother. As he turns toward the house, he hears a horse and rider approaching. It’s Rafael and he’s in bad shape. As he reaches the cabin Sebastian asks who he is and Rafael falls his horse as he begs for water. The young man at the cabin is named Sebastian Carrasco.

This scene was filmed in Madrid at El Atazar  Today the river has been damned and is quite large and now is a lake.

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Yoshi Yasuda’s location site: http://y-yasuda.net/film-location.htm and Captain Douglas Film Locations http://www.western-locations-spain.com/

Special Birthdays

Renato Scarpa (actor) would have been 85 today but died in 2021.

Spaghetti Wester Trivia – “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” Betterville missing scene

Here’s a missing scene from 1965’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Mario Brega march towards the Betterville Prison gates but they cut away before you see the gates swing open.

[Submitted by Michael Ferguson]

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Eugenia Capela

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Eugenia is/was a Romanian costume designer who appeared in at least one film and that was the 1978 Euro-western “Artista, dolarii şi ardelenii in Romanian” (The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians) in an uncredited role.

I can find no biographical information about her.

CAPELA, Eugenia [Romanian] – costume designer, film actress.

The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians – 1978

A new German Blu-ray, DVD release of “Matalo”

 

“Matalo”

(Bad Man’s River)

(1971)

 

Director: Eugenio Martin

Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Gina Lollobrigida, James Mason, Gianni Garko

 

Country: Germany

Label: Hansesound / Lighthouse

Discs: 1

Blu-ray, DVD

Resolution: 1080p widescreen

Languages: German, English

Subtitles: None

Running time: 92 minutes

Extras: Reversible cover, trailer

ASIN: ‎B0D6WFVBYX

Available: September 13, 2024

50th Anniversary of the Premier of “Carambola”

 

Today marks the 5oth anniversary of the premier of “Carambola”. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi and starring Michael Coby and Paul Smit it tells the story of  Coby (Michael Coby) an ex-soldier and billiard champion. He and his friend Len Rothman (Paul Smith) accept the sum of $50,000 dollars to investigate the trafficking of arms across the Mexican border. However, the film takes a twist when the pair come across a new, revolutionary revolver. The film set off a number of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill look alike movies starring Coby and Smith.This film was followed by a sequel “The Crazy Adventures of Len and Coby”. After Bud Spencer turned down the role of Bluto in Robin Williams 1980 movie “Popeye” Paul Smith was offered and accepted the rôle.

 

Carambola – Italian title

Carambola – Brazilian title

Mon nom est Trinita – Belgium title

Caramba-veljekset – Finnish title

Si ce n’est toi…c’est donc ton frere – French title

Vier Fäuste schlagen wieder zu – German title

Nos llaman Carambola – Spanish title

Carambola! – Slår alltid först – Swedish title

Karambol – Turkish title

Strange Adventures of Coby and Ben – English title

Carambola – English title

 

A 1973 Italian film production [B.R.C., Aetos (Rome)]

Producer: Manolo Bolognini

Director: Ferdinando Baldi

Story: Nico Ducci, Mino Roli

Screenplay: Ferdinando Baldi, Nico Ducci, Mino Roli(Erminio Pontiroli)

Cinematography: Aiace Parolin [Eastmancolor, CinemaScope]

Music: Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi, Vince Tempera (Vincenzo Tempera)

     Songs: “You Can Fly”, “Milk Serenade” sung by Dreambags

Running time: 100 minutes

 

Cast:

Coby/Toby/Trinity - Michael Coby (Antonio Cantafora)

Clem/Ben/Lynn/Butch/Len Rothman - Paul Smith

Kelly - William Bogart (Guglielmo Spoletini)

Captain Howard Johnson - Luciano Catenacci

Lieutenant Stevens - Remo De Angelis

Clydeson - Horst Frank

Sheriff - Pino Ferrara

Professor Max Lager - Franco Fantasia (Francesco Fantasia)

Mexican revolutionary - Pedro Sanchez (Ignacio Spalla)

Roger - Pietro Ceccarelli

Laredo merchant – Lina Franchi

Clydeson henchmen - Nello Pazzafini (Giovanni Pazzafini), Elio Bonadonna, Artemio

     Antonini, Enrico Chiappafreddo, Roberto Dell Acqua, Wladimiro Daddi (Wladimir

     Daddi), Roberto Messina, Giovanni Bonadonna, Sergio Testori

Howard's assistants - Pietro Torrisi, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Fred Robsahm

Bartender - Benjamin Lev

Tug-o’-war brawler – Angelo Susani, Claudio Ruffini

Tug-o’-war observer – Paolo Sceusan

Indian – Giglio Gigli (Pio Giglio)

Pamela - Melissa Chimenti (Maria Chimenti)

billiard player - Gaetano Russo

Billiard bookmaker - Mike Morris (Horst Weinert)

Billiard spectator - Angelo Boscariol

Saloon bouncer – Armando Bottin

Townsman – Marcello Meconizzi

With: Luigi Antonio Guerra

Special Birthdays

Maurice Jarre (composer) would have been 100 today but died in 2009.

Elio Angelucci (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2019.

Mike Marshall (actor) would have been 80 today but died in 2005.

Keith Neubert (actor) is 55 today.

RIP Kenneth Cope

 

RIP Kenneth Cope Veteran British theater, film and television actor Kenneth Cope died at his home in the northern seaside town of Southport in Sefton, Liverpool on September 11^th. He was 93. Born Kenneth Charles Kope on June 14, 1931, in Liverpool. He was an “incredible icon of British TV and film.” Cope and Renny Lister, his wife of 63 years, met in 1961 when they both joined the cast of long-running ITV soap ‘Coronation Street’. He played petty crook Jed Stone as a semi-regular through the early and mid-1960s. He later returned to the role after an absence of 42 years. The 1960s proved to be a breakthrough decade for him with the double whammy of him playing in ‘Coronation Street’ and, starting in 1962, he spent a year appearing with David Frost, Millicent Martin, Roy Kinnear, David Kernan, Willie Rushton, and Lance Percival on ‘This Was The Week That Was’, a seminal late-night satirical show that aimed its sharp wit at the establishment. Cope appeared in the Euro-western “The Desperados” in 1969 as Carlin and also played the role of Percy ‘Jesse’ James on the British TV western takeoff series ‘Bootle Saddles’.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Dirk Capel

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Dirk Capel was born in Sweden on August 7, 1923. He was a regular for the Dutch Rex Films between 1944 and 1964. For Henk van der Linden he appeared in 21 films for Rex Films and 7 for van der Linden. 

His only Euro-western was for the Dutch children’s western “De jongen uit het wilde westen” (Adventures in the Wild West) in 1963 as the outlaw leader.

In 19993 while vacationing in the United States Dirk was a survivor of the Amtrak’s Sunset Limited train wreck in Saraland, Alabama. The train was traveling from Los Angeles, California to Miami, Florida. Capel had slipped off his shoes to get comfortable for the overnight leg of his journey. He lost his luggage, money, passport and tickets in the wreckage. By day’s end, he was wearing Red Cross-donated sneakers. The nightmarish wreck occurred at 3 a.m. just minutes after the train’s had left the Mobile, Alabama station. Upon crossing 500 foot long bridge built in 1909 the train’s locomotives plunged off the bridge and exploded one of the passenger cars was swallowed by the water of Bayou Canot and a second car was partially submerged. 41 victims were pulled from the water. Another seven were pulled from the wreckage the following day.

Dirk died sometime in 2010 at the age of 87.

CAPEL, Dirk [8/7/1923 – 2010] – film actor.

Adventures in the Wild West – 1963 (outlaw leader)

“A Vampire’s Tale”

 

Umbrage – British title

A Vampire’s Tale – International title

 

Umbrage: The First Vampire – UK

Umbrage: The First Vampire – Australian title

Vampir – German title

 吸血鬼 - Japanese title

The First Vampire – English title

 

A 2009 British film production [Motion Picture House (London)]

Producers: Rupert Bryan, Yoram Halberstam, Francis Wallinger, Drew Cullingham,

     Charlie Falconer

Director: Drew Cullingham

Story: Drew Cullingham

Screenplay: Drew Cullingham

Cinematography: James Friend [color]

Music: Captain Bliss, Huskie Jack

Running time: 94 minutes

 

Cast:

Jacob – Doug Bradley

Rachel - Rita Ramnani

Phelan – Jonnie Hurn

Lilith – Natalia Celino

Lauren - Grace Vallorani (Kylie Maron-Vallorani)

Stanley – James Fisher

Travis - Scott Thomas (Scott North)

Adam - Yoram Halberstam

Older Adam - Yoram Halberstam

Sammaelson Aj Williams

Stunt coordinator: Dominic Kinnaird

Jacob (Doug Bradley) is an antiques dealer who sets off with his new young and pregnant wife Lauren (Grace Vallorani) and his stepdaughter, Rachel (Rita Ramnani) to a forest homestead in a hopeful effort to heal bonds between feuding family members. He also carries a large, mysterious and ancient Babylonian mirror, smuggled out of the Middle East, which he plans to sell for profit. Lilith (Natalie Celino), a sultry ornithologist appears out of a bird hide by a noisy pair of friends hiking through the woods. Gaining their confidence, she and one of the men, Travis (Scott North) go into the woods for a quick tryst, but immediately there is a blood curdling scream. The other camper, Stanley (James Fisher), rushes toward the sound and finds his friend mutilated and near dead. Near Travis, Lilith explains to Stanley that the shadows had come to life and attacked them, and the two set off to seek help. When they end up at Jacob's cabin, the entire group comes under attack by supernatural forces of darkness. Rachel discovers Irish cowboy Phelan (Jonnie Hurn) hanging out in their barn. Phelan is a vampire and himself a former vampire hunter. He tells Rachel that the real danger to everyone is Lilith, and explains how Lilith had been Adam's willful first wife who, since having been exiled from the Garden of Eden, had been spawning demonic offspring in the world of man. Considered the mother to the Succubi, ruler of shadows, slaughterer of children, and consort to the devil himself, she had been re-awakened by, and drawn to the location of, the occult power inherent in the mirror carried by Jacob. Phelan has been harboring a centuries-long grudge against her for she having "turned" him 120 years earlier, and he had been tracking her for decades, equipped with the one relic that might finally kill her... a bone splinter from the rib of Adam himself.

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9pQGN_3EzA

Voices of the Spaghetti western – “7 Magnificent Pistols”

As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.

Today we’ll cover “7 Magnificent Pistols”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]

Timothy Hollister Benson – Sean Flynn (S) Manuel Cano, (G) Randolf Kronberg, (F) Pierre Vaneck)

Sancho Rodrigo Rodriguez – Fernando Sancho (S) Fernando Sancho, (G) Bum Krüger, (F) Jacques Hilling)

Coralie - Evelyn Stewart (S) María Luisa Solá, (G) ?, (F) Martine Sarcey

Slim – Daniel Martin (S) Daniel Martin, (G) Claus Jurichs, (F) ?

Bert – Frank Oliveras (S) Rogelio Hernández, (G) Rolf Schult, (F) Michel Gatineau

Corky – Poldo Bendandi (S) Estanis González, (G)            Martin Hirthe, (F) Georges Aminel

Abel – Tito García (S) José María Caffarel (G) Hans Walter Clasen, (F) Albert Augier

Brett Colton – Spartaco Conversi (S) Miguel Alonso, (G) Arnold Marquis, (F) Serge Nadaud

Grey Eagle – Rafel Albaicin (S) José María Caffarel, (G) Klaus Miedel, (F) Jacques Deschamps

Sheriff Coleman - Antonio Almorós (S) Antonio Almorós, (G) Siegfried Dornbusch, (F) Roger Rudel

Randolf Kronberg  (1942  2007)

Randolf Kronberg was born on September 23, 1942, in Breslau, Poland. Kronberg trained as an actor with Herbert Maisch in Frankfurt am Main and at the Actors Studio New York. From 1964 onwards, engagements took him to the Schiller and Schlosspark Theatre in Berlin. From 1974 to 1981 he was also active at Kurt Hübner's Freie Volksbühne.

Kronberg appeared in front of the camera in “Die Versöhnung” (ZDF, 1971) by Jochen Ziem, in “Der aufrechte Gang” (1976) by Christian Ziewer, in the literary adaptation “Stern ohne Himmel” (1980) by Ottokar Runze and as a guest actor in the ZDF series “Derrick, Siska and Der Alte” (The Old One).

Kronberg entered the dubbing business in 1965. He played his first leading roles as the German voice of Bruce Dern in the youth film “The Wild Angels” (1966), Humphrey Bogart in the gangster film “Who Owns the City?” (1936, dubbed 1967), John Phillip Law in the Italo western “Death Rides a Horse” (1967), John Lennon in the animated musical film “Yellow Submarine” (1968) and Ryan O'Neal in the melodrama “Love Story” (1970) and in the road movie “Paper Moon” (1973). At the beginning of the 1980s, he made recurring appearances for Oscar winner William Hurt, including in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985), “God's Forgotten Children” (1986) and “The Good Shepherd” (2006). In cinema productions such as “Mississippi Burning” (1988), “Tom & Viv” (1994) or in his Oscar-nominated role as Max Schreck in “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000), he also translated Willem Dafoe into German several times.

In 1982, Kronberg dubbed the American actor Eddie Murphy for the first time in the action comedy “Only 48 Hours”. The dubbing director Jürgen Clausen cast him after Kronberg had proven his talent for fast-talking in the Munich artists' pub Simpl. Due to his ability to over-the-top his otherwise deeper and more mature sounding voice and adapt to Murphy's fast flow of speech, Kronberg remained his regular German voice actor until his death in 2007. He dubbed Murphy over a period of 25 years in more than 30 cinema productions, most recently in the slapstick comedy “Norbit”. In a radio interview from 2002, Kronberg explained that he was not particularly happy with his signature role. The necessary charging had increasingly put a strain on his voice as he got older, and he had not been able to identify with Murphy's films for a long time.

Kronberg died in Munich on March 2, 2007, before the start of the voice recordings for “Shrek the Third”, in which he was intended for the dubbing of the donkey, as in the previous films “Shrek” (2001) and “Shrek 2” (2004).

Special Birthdays

August Arnold (cinematographer) would have been 125 today but died in 1983.

Mavid Popovic (actor) would have been 115 today but died in 1994.

Joachim Kemmer [voice actor] would have been 85 today but died in 2000.

Patriot Day / 911 2024

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Michael Brolin

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Michael Brolin was born in Karlstad, Värmlands Län, Sweden on December 15, 1970. At the age of five he saw a Wild West stunt show and told his parents - I'm going to work as a stuntman when I get older. Two years later he started to practice karate, which has been very helpful in his stunt career due to the great body control you achieve.

Michael has practiced Karate for over 20 years and has achieved 3rd degree of the black belt. He has competed for the Swedish National Karate team and he has amongst other things won two Nordic championships gold in team kata, gold in team kata Hayashi-ha world cup and silver in team kumite.

In his teenage years he joined the cast at High Chaparral, a Wild West theme-park, which became a platform for acting as well as stunts.

In 1998 he participated in the startup of a new stunt company called ‘Stuntmakers’. They have since then been working with films and TV. In the year of 2000 Michael went to The Australian Stunt Academy.

After graduating, Michael went straight to auditioning for Universal Studios in Japan. He got a one-year contract as an actor and stuntman at the first Universal Studios to open outside U.S.A.

Michael later moved to the UK and graduated from a four-year long drama school in both acting and directing at the Kogan Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

Brolin has appeared in three Euro-westerns in recent years: “Birth of a Legend: Billy the Kid & The Lincoln County War” in 2011 in the role of Tom Hill and billed as Mikael Brolin, “Danny Lou & Donna Starr” in 2016 as Mitch Confusion) again billed as Mikael Brolin and under Michael Brolin in “The Murphy Gang” in 2024 as Frank Murphy.

BROLIN, Michael (aka Micke Brolin. Mikael Brolin) [12/15/1970, Karlstad, Värmlands Län, Sweden -     ] – stuntman, director, writer, film, TV actor

Birth of a Legend: Billy the Kid & The Lincoln County War – 2011 (Tom Hill) [as Mikael Brolin)

Danny Lou & Donna Starr – 2016 (Mitch Confusion) [as Mikael Brolin]

The Murphy Gang – 2024 (Frank Murphy) [director, writer]