Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters and Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ José Antonio Carreño

José Antonio Carreño Fernández was born on June 29, 1990, in Huércal de Almería, Almeria, Spain.

Carreño is primarily a director of documentaries and has directed two Spaghetti westerns and a documentary: “Western” in 2016, “La Vida” in 2016 and the 2025 documentary “Sad Hill, Clint Eastwood y Burgos como testigo”

CARRENO, José Antonio (aka Toni Carré) (José Antonio Carreño Fernández) [6/29/1990, Huércal de Almería, Almeria, Spain -     ] – producer, director, writer, actor.

Western - 2016

La Vida – 2017 [as Toni Carré]

Sad Hill, Clint Eastwood y Burgos como testigo – 2025

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Luc Besson

Luc Besson was born on March 18, 1959. He is a French film director, screenwriter, and producer recognized for his visually distinctive action and science fiction cinema. His breakthrough works include the underground thriller “Subway” (1985) and the romantic adventure “The Big Blue” (1988), followed by influential hits like “Léon: The Professional” (1994) and “The Fifth Element” (1997), the latter of which secured him a César Award for Best Director. In 1999, Besson founded EuropaCorp, a major European independent film studio that has produced over 100 films and generated billions in global box office revenue through projects he wrote or directed.

Besson's filmmaking emphasizes high-concept narratives, dynamic visuals, and genre-blending, often drawing from European comic books and pulp fiction influences to create stylized spectacles that prioritize spectacle and pace over deep character exploration. His production output via EuropaCorp extends to international successes such as “Taken” (2008), “Lucy” (2014), and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017), establishing him as a prolific force in global action cinema despite mixed critical reception for later works.

Besson married French actress Anne Parillaud in 1986; the couple had one daughter, Juliette Besson, born in 1987, before divorcing in 1991.His second marriage was to French actress and director Maïwenn, beginning in 1993 and ending in divorce in 1997; they had one daughter, Shanna Besson, born in 1993. Besson married American actress Milla Jovovich in, 1997; the marriage lasted until their divorce in 1999, with no children from the union. In 2004, Besson married film producer Virginie Silla; as of 2025, the marriage continues, and they have three daughters: Thalia Besson (2001), Satine Besson (2003), and Mao Besson (2005)

In 2018, Besson faced multiple sexual misconduct allegations from women in the industry, including a high-profile rape claim by actress Sand Van Roy, which French courts investigated but ultimately dismissed for lack of evidence in 2023, rejecting appeals to reopen the case. These events highlighted tensions in France's #MeToo reckoning but did not result in convictions, allowing Besson to continue his career, including directing “Dogman” (2023).

Luc Besson co-wrote the screenplay for one Euro-western, “Bandidas” in 2004 with Robert Mark Kamen.

BESSON, Luc [5/18/1959, Paris,‘Île-de-France, France -     ] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, songwriter, cinematographer, cameraman, film editor, actor, married to director, actress, singer Anne Parillaud [1960-    ] (1986-1991) father of Juliette Besson [1987-    ], married to producer, director, writer, actress, singer Maïwenn (Maïwenn Le Besco) [1976-    ] (1993-1997) father of Shanna Besson [1993-    ], married to producer, composer, actress, singer Milla Jovovich (Militza Jovovich) [1975-    ] (1997-2000), married to producer Virginie Besson-Silla [1972-    ] (2004-    ) father of Thalia Besson [2001-    ], Satine Besson [2003-    ], Mao Besson [2005-    ], founded EuropaCorp [1999].

Bandidas – 2004 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Luis Cuadrado

Luis Cuadrado is a Spanish cinematographer renowned for his transformative influence on Spanish cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly through his masterful use of light, chiaroscuro, and atmospheric composition that defined the visual language of the Nuevo Cine Español. Born on July 8, 1934, in Toro, Zamora, he trained at the Escuela Oficial de Cinematografía and rose to prominence as one of the era's most innovative directors of photography, collaborating closely with leading auteurs to create films that subtly addressed social and political realities under Francoism through metaphor and expressive imagery.

His breakthrough came with Carlos Saura on “La caza” (1966), where his high-contrast black-and-white cinematography captured arid landscapes and psychological tension, followed by notable works such as “Ana y los lobos” (1973), followed by notable works such as “Peppermint Frappé” (1967), “Ana y los lobos” (1973), and “La prima Angélica” (1974). He achieved his greatest recognition for his contribution to Víctor Erice's “El espíritu de la Colmena” (1973), widely regarded as his masterpiece for its poetic, diffused lighting and intimate interiors that have become iconic in Spanish film history, as well as José Luis Borau's “Furtivos” (1975) and Ricardo Franco's “Pascual Duarte” (1976).

His prolific career, encompassing over eighty films, was tragically abbreviated when a brain tumor caused total blindness in the mid-1970s, forcing him to leave Pascual Duarte unfinished; he died by suicide on January 18, 1980, in Madrid at the age of 45, leaving a lasting legacy as the central figure in the cinematographic memory of one of Spanish cinema's most creative periods

Luis Cuadrado was the cinematographer on four Spaghetti westerns: “Condenados a vivir” (Cut-Throats Nine” in 1970, “J. and S. – storia criminale del far west” (Sonny & Jed) in 1972, “La banda de Jaider” Yankee Dudler) in 1973 and “Il bianco, il giallo, il nero” (The White, the Yellow, the Black) in 1975

CUADRADO, Luis (Luis Cuadrado Encinar) [7/8/1934, Toro, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain – 1/18/1980, Madrid, Madrid, Spain (suicide)] – assistant director, cinematographer, cameraman.

Cut-Throats Nine – 1970

Sonny & Jed – 1972

Yankee Dudler – 1973

The White, the Yellow, the Black – 1975