Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ André Deed

André Deed was born Henri André Augustin Chapais in Le Havre, Seine-Inférieure, France on February 22, 1879. Starting his show-business career as a singer and acrobat in French music halls, Deed got in almost at the ground floor of the French film industry, making his debut in 1905. It didn't take him long to become one of France's first major comic film stars, and he soon became internationally famous. Unfortunately, his popularity started to wane by 1915, and his screen appearances became less frequent; he made his last film in 1928. Sadly, he died ten years later in Paris, France on October 4, 1940, broke and forgotten by the industry that he helped to launch.

He was known under the name Turíbio in Portugal, where many of his comedies were released, and acclaimed by the public.

In all Deed appeared in around two hundred fifty films between 1901 and 1938. He also directed around sixty films between 1909 and 1921, while writing the screenplay for one film “The Mechanical Man” in 1921.

As André Deed he directed two Euro-westerns, “Cretinetti: Foolshead's Last Roundup” in 1911 and “Leo the Indian” in 1913

DEED, André (Henri André Augustin Chapais) [2/22/1879, Le Havre, Seine-Inférieure, France – 4/4/1940, Paris, Île-de-France, France, France] – acrobat, director, film actor, singer, married to actress Valentina Frascaroli [1890-1955] (1918-1940).

Cretinetti: Foolshead's Last Roundup – 1911

Leo the Indian – 1913

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Alexander Butler

Alexander Butler was a prolific British director of the silent film era, active primarily in the 1910s and early 1920s, known for adapting notable literary works to the screen including Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story “The Valley of Fear” in 1916 and Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women” in 1917, as well as directing the early horror film “The Beetle” in 1919. His career encompassed a range of genres, from adventure and drama to horror, often working with British production companies like Barker Motion Photography and Samuelson Film Manufacturing. Notable among his works is the 1913 short “Anarchist's Doom”, an early example of his directorial style. Many of Butler's films, including “Little Women”, are now considered lost, reflecting the fragile preservation of early cinema, though his contributions helped shape British filmmaking during a transitional period before the advent of sound.

In addition to his directing work, Alexander Butler maintained parallel careers as an actor and writer in the British and American silent film industries during the 1910s and 1920s. His acting roles, though not as prolific as his directorial output, often placed him in supporting capacities that showcased his versatility on screen. For instance, in the 1925 fantasy adventure “She”, directed by Leander De Cordova and G.B. Samuelson, Butler portrayed the character Mahomet, contributing to the film's exotic narrative set in ancient Africa. Similarly, in the 1920 Western “The Night Riders”, which he also directed, Butler appeared under the pseudonym André Beaulieu as Jack Marbolt, a role that highlighted his ability to embody rugged, antagonistic figures in early Hollywood productions.

Butler was married to Violet Maty Gwilliam and they were the parents of four children including dancer Gwen Tremayne Betts. Alexander died in Weybridge, Surrey, England on March 7, 1959 at the age of 89.

As mentioned above Butler directed, acted and wrote the screenplay for one Silent Euro-western, “The Night Riders” with Irene Miller in 1920.

BUTLER, Alexander (aka Andre Beaulieu) (Alexander Charles Butler) [7/27/1869, Lincoln, Niagara Ontario, Canada – 3/7/1959, Weybridge, Surrey, England. U.K.] – director, writer, actor, married to Violet Mary Gwilliam [1887-1985] (1908-1959), father of actress, dancer Gwen Tremayne Betts (Gwendolen Tremayne Simmons) [1909–2012], Hugh Tremayne Simmons [1910–1988], Muriel Simmons [1912–2008], Vivien Tremayne Simmons [1914–2002].

The Night Riders – 1920 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Marcello Gatti

Marcello Gatti was an Italian cinematographer known for his influential black-and-white cinematography in the landmark film “The Battle of Algiers” (1966). Born in Rome on February 9, 1924, he began his career in the film industry during the early 1940s as a camera operator before debuting as a director of photography in 1953. He became recognized as one of Italy's most important cinematographers, contributing to numerous feature films and television productions across several decades until his death in Rome on November 26, 2013 at the age of 89. Gatti's work often emphasized realism and visual intensity, most notably in “The Battle of Algiers”, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, a film celebrated for its documentary-like style and impact on political cinema. He also served as cinematographer on films such as “The Anonymous Venetian” (1970) and contributed to major Italian television series including “La piovra” (1990–1995). A member of the Associazione Italiana Autori della Fotografia Cinematografica (AIC), Gatti's career bridged Italy's postwar cinema and later television eras, establishing him as a key figure in the country's visual storytelling tradition.

Gatti was a cinematographer on three Spaghetti westerns: “La venganza de Clark Harrison” (The Ruthless Colt of the Gringo) with Jaime Deu Casas in 1965, “Donne alla frontiera” (The Tall Women) with Alvaro Lanzoni in 1966 and “Bastardo…vamos a matar” (Bastard Go and Kill) in 1971.

GATTI, Marcello [2/9/1924, Rome, Lazio, Italy - 11/26/2013, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – cinematographer, cameraman, actor.

The Ruthless Colt of the Gringo – 1965 (co)

The Tall Women – 1966 (co)

Bastard, Go and Kill – 1971