Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ John Guillermin

John Guillermin was a French-British film director renowned for his work on major Hollywood blockbusters, including “The Towering Inferno” (1974), “King Kong” (1976), and “Death on the Nile” (1978).

Born Yvon Jean Guillermin on 11 November 1925 in London to French parents, he grew up in Surrey and attended the University of Cambridge, where he graduated shortly after World War II. At age 19, he joined the Royal Air Force and served for three years before pursuing filmmaking, initially working on documentaries in France. Guillermin co-founded the production company Advent Films and made his directorial debut with the low-budget British comedy “High Jinks in Society” (1949) at age 24, followed by a string of B-movies and thrillers in the 1950s, such as “The Crowded Day” (1954) and “Town on Trial” (1957).

Transitioning to international projects, Guillermin directed adventure films like “Tarzan's Greatest Adventure” (1959) and the World War I aviation drama “The Blue Max” (1966), which helped establish his reputation for handling action sequences and large-scale productions. His career peaked in the 1970s with high-profile disaster and adventure epics; “The Towering Inferno”, starring an all-star cast including Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, earned three Academy Awards and was nominated for eight, including Best Picture. The 1976 remake of “King Kong”, featuring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, was a commercial success despite mixed reviews, while “Death on the Nile” (1978), starring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film in 1980.

Guillermin directed over 35 films across five decades, often noted for his perfectionism and occasionally volatile on-set demeanor. He was married twice, first to actress Maureen Connell after collaborating on “Town on Trial”, with whom he had two children, a son who predeceased him and a daughter, Michelle; his second wife was Mary Guillermin Guillermin retired after directing “The Tracker” (1988) and passed away on 27 September 2015 at his home in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, at the age of 89.

John Guillermin directed one Spaghetti western, “El Condor” in 1969

GUILLERMIN, John (Yvon Jean Guillermin) [11/11/1925, London, England, U.K. - 9/28/2015 Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.] – director, married to actress Maureen Connell [1931-    ] (1956-1999) father of Michael Guillermin [1963-1989], Michelle Guillermin [1959-    ], married to writer Marianne Martindale (1999-2015), co-founded the Advent Films.

El Condor – 1969

Which Way Did They Go? – 1971 [film was never made.]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Marcello Coscia

Marcello Coscia is/was and Italian producer, director and writer. He produced and directed one TV film “Sapore di gloria” in 1988. He made his name in the films industry as a screenwriter where he wrote thirty-nine between 1958 and 2002.

I can find no biographical information on him.

Marcello Coscia was a screenwriter on two Spaghetti westerns: “Viva la muerte... tua!” (Long Live Your Death) with Massimo De Rita, Dino Maiuri and Duccio Tessari and “Tex e il signore degli abissi” (Tex and the Lord of the Deep) with Gianfranco Clerici, Duccio Tessari and Giorgio Bonelli in 1985.

COSCIA, Marcello [Italian] – writer.

Long Live Your Death – 1971 (co)

Tex and the Lord of the Deep – 1985 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Antonio Macasoli

Antonio Macasoliwas an Spanish director, cinematographer, cameraman and special effects man who was born in Spain in 1923. He directed one Spanish film short “Madrid en diez minutos” in 1956 and worked as a cameraman on twenty-three films between 1947 and 1977. He made his name as a cinematographer where he worked on forty-five films between 1943 and 1970. Antonio died in Spain sometime in 1993 at the age of 70.

Antonio Macasoli was a cinematographer on five Spaghetti westerns, “Il segno di Zorro” (Duel at the Rio Grande) with Bitto Albertini in 1962, “El dedo en el gatillo” (Finger on the Trigger) in 1965, “Bang, Bang” (The Bang-Bang Kid) in 1967, “La furia de los 7 magníficos” (Guns of the Magnificent 7) in 1968 and “Cañones para Córdoba” (Cannon for Cordoba) in 1970.

MACASOLI, Antonio (aka Anthony Lawrence, Macasoli, A. Macasoli) (Antonio Macasoli Hernandez) [1923, Madrid, Spain – 1993, Spain] – director, cinematographer, cameraman. SFX.

Duel at the Rio Grande – 1962 (co)

Finger on the Trigger – 1965 [as Anthony Lawrence]

The Bang-Bang Kid - 1967

Guns of the Magnificent 7 – 1968

Cannon for Cordoba – 1970