Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Mario Donatone

[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.]

Mario Donatone was an Italian character actor renowned for his versatile performances in over 150 films and television productions, as well as his work as a theater director and author.

Born Giacinto Mario Donatone on June 9, 1933 in Tripoli, Libya (then an Italian colony) to Italian parents, he debuted in cinema as an uncredited extra in Luchino Visconti's “Bellissima” (1951) at the age of 18. Over the course of his six-decade career, Donatone collaborated with acclaimed directors including Visconti, Mario Monicelli, Giuseppe Tornatore, Dario Argento, and Francis Ford Coppola, often portraying tough, authoritative, or eccentric figures in genres ranging from crime thrillers to comedies and horror.

His most iconic role came in Coppola's “The Godfather Part III” (1990), where he played Mosca, the ruthless hitman disguised as a priest who attempts to assassinate Michael Corleone (Al Pacino); originally contracted for seven days, the shoot extended to 77 days across Italy and the United States. Other notable film appearances include the henchman in Argento's horror film “Phenomena” (1985), the cardinal in “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017), and supporting roles alongside Tomas Milian in poliziotteschi such as “Squadra antiscippo” (1976) and Delitto in Formula Uno (1984).

Beyond screen acting, Donatone was a prolific figure in Italian theater, founding and directing the Compagnia Teatrale Italia, where he staged approximately 130 comedies and oversaw around 3,000 performances throughout Italy, Europe, and two tours in Mexico. Fluent in Italian, Spanish, French, and English, he also worked as a presenter and author, drawing on his early amateur experiences in sports like football, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, and shooting to inform his physically imposing screen presence. Donatone passed away in Rome at the age of 86 on April 14, 2020, after a period of declining health, leaving a legacy as one of Italy's most enduring character actors.

Mario Donatone appeared in one Spaghetti western as the awakened man in 1973’s “Kid il monello del West” (Bad Kids of the West).

DONATONE, Mario (aka Mario Giacinto Donatone, Dan Doney) (Giacinto Mario Donatone) [6/9/1933, Tripoli, Libya – 4/14/2020, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – author, director, writer, theater, film, TV actor, he founded Compagnia Teatrale Italia and the Castle of Santa Severa theaters.

Bad Kids of the West – 1973 (Edgar)