Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Viggo Larsen

Viggo Larsen was a Danish cinema pioneer who advanced from a military background to become an actor, director, scriptwriter, and producer in the silent film era. After initial work in Ole Olsen's cinema chain, he joined the newly founded Nordisk Film Kompagni in 1906, directing its early output—including all films produced between 1906 and 1909, and helming 29 Danish titles, such as the commercially successful “Løvejagten” (Lion Hunt, 1907), which sold 259 prints despite controversy over its depiction of captive animal hunting. Larsen gained prominence for directing and portraying Sherlock Holmes in a series of Nordisk adaptations from 1908 to 1910, including “Sherlock Holmes i Livsfare” (1908) and “Den Graa Dame” (The Grey Lady), 1909, as well as German crossovers like “Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes”.

Relocating to Berlin in 1910, Larsen collaborated with Vitascope and later discovered actress Wanda Treumann, co-founding Treumann Larsen Film GmbH in 1912 to produce dozens of films, including “Die Sumpfblume” (The Marsh Flower), 1913. Over his career, he directed approximately 235 films through 1921, spanning genres from detective stories to early Westerns like “Frank Hansens Lykke” (Frank Hansen's Fortune), 1917, before focusing more on acting in 140 roles up to “Diesel” (1942).

He remained in Germany until after World War II, returning to Denmark in 1945. There he died on January 6, 1957, in Copenhagen at the age of 76.

Viggo Larsen directed two silent Euro-westerns: “Texas Tex” in 1907 and “Frank Hansens Lykke” (Frank Hansen’s Fortune) in 1917.

LARSEN, Viggo [8/14/1880, Copenhagen, Denmark – 1/6/1957, Copenhagen, Denmark] – producer, director, actor, co-founded Treumann Larsen Film GmbH [1912].

Texas Tex - 1907

Frank Hansen’s Fortune – 1917

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Sergio Donati

Sergio Donati was an Italian screenwriter best known for his pivotal role in shaping the spaghetti western genre through his collaborations with director Sergio Leone, most notably penning the expansive screenplay for the landmark film “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968).

Born in Rome on April 13, 1933, Donati initially trained as a lawyer at the city's Faculty of Law but abandoned the profession after publishing three crime novels by the age of 23, including Il Sepolcro di Carta (1956), which was later adapted into the film “I Am What I Am” (1967). His screenwriting career took off in the mid-1960s with uncredited rewrites for Leone's Dollars Trilogy, contributing to “For a Few Dollars More” (1965) and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966), which helped establish the gritty, operatic style of Italian westerns.

Donati's partnership with Leone continued with the 420-page script for “Once Upon a Time in the West”, an epic revenge tale starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson that is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the genre for its intricate plotting and atmospheric tension. He also co-wrote “Duck, You Sucker!” (1971), another Leone-directed western set during the Mexican Revolution, blending action with political themes. Beyond westerns, Donati's prolific output spanned more than 70 films, including the thriller “Orca: The Killer Whale” (1977) and the action film “Raw Deal” (1986) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as later works like “Man on Fire” (1987) and “The Sicilian Girl” (2008).

In his later years, Donati reflected on his career in the memoir Once Upon a Time in the West… I Was There Too (2007), offering insider anecdotes on the filmmaking process while maintaining a self-effacing view of screenwriting as a collaborative craft overshadowed by directors. He passed away in Mentana, near Rome, at the age of 91 on August 13, 2024, leaving a legacy as one of the unsung architects of Italian cinema's golden age.

Sergio Donati wrote and co-rote eleven screenplays for Spaghetti westerns: “$100,000 par el Lassiter” (Dollars for a Fast Gun) with Joaquín Romero Hernández and “Per qualche dollaro in piu” (For a Few Dollars More) with Sergio Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1965, “La resa dei conti” (The Big Gundown) with Tulio Demicheli and Sergio Sollima and “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) with Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli), Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincezoni both in 1966, “Faccia a facia” (Face to Face) with Sergio Sollima in 1967, “C’era un a volta il west” (Once Upon a Time in the West) with Sergio Leone in 1968, “Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo” (The Ballad of Ben and Charlie) with Luigi Montefiori and “”Giu la testa” (Duck You Sucker) with Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1971, “Cipolla Colt” (Spaghetti Western) with Miguel de Echarri and Luciano Vincenzoni in 1974, “Occhio alla penna” (Buddy Goes West) in 1981 and “Grand Nord” (North Star” with Lorenzo Donati and Paul Ohl in 1996. Donati was also scheduled to write screenplays for the long-awaited Sergio Leone television series ‘Colt’ which has never materialized.

DONATI, Sergio (aka Sergio Donatti, Serge Given, Lorenzo Ruffino) [4/13/1933, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 8/13/2024, Mentana, Lazio, Italy] – assistant director, writer, film editor, actor, married to Lorena Donati [19??-2024] father of writer, cameraman Lorenzo Donati, writer Duccio Donati, awarded a “Tondo” [2015].

Dollars for a Fast Gun – 1965 (co)

For a Few Dollars More – 1965 (co)

The Big Gundown – 1966 (co)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – 1966 (co)

Face to Face – 1967 (co)

Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 (co)

The Ballad of Ben and Charlie – 1971 (co)

Duck You Sucker – 1971 (co)

Spaghetti Western – 1974 (co)

Buddy Goes West – 1981

Colt (TV) – 1994 [TV series was never made]

North Star – 1996 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Émile Pierre

Ovide Émile Pierre was born in Mohon, Brittany, France on April 27, 1883 he was a French cameraman and cinematographer. He was a cameraman on eight films between 1926 to1935 and mainly as a cinematographer on one-hundred-thirteen films between 1908 and 1934.

Like most silent film crew members little has been written about them other than a filmography. Pierre is no exception and I can find no biographical information on him other than his birthdate and his passing on September 19, 1969 in Paris, France at the age of 86.

Émile Pierre was a cinematographer on one silent Euro-western, “Aux mains des bandits” in 1911.

PIERRE, Émile (Ovide Émile Pierre) [4/27/1883, Mohon, Brittany, France – 9/19/1969, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Aux mains des bandits - 1911