Happy 80th Birthday Stefan Lisewski

Stefan Lisewski was born on July 6, 1933 in Dirschau, Poland. After the end of World War II Lisewski initially sought a career as a metallurgical engineer and applied at the Mining Academy in Freiberg. However, his passion was the theater, and with various extras roles in theater productions he had already achieved his calling. Nevertheless, he completed an internship as a smelter, and with Ernst Thalmann, he worked in Magdeburg, succeeding at his second attempt to study acting at the National Theatre School in Berlin-Schöneberg.

 
After his studies Lisewski obtained, in 1957, a longstanding commitment at the Berliner Ensemble, where he worked until 1999. In Brecht on Theatre Schiffbauerdamm he was for decades on of the main acotrs and played lead roles in nearly all the Brecht plays such as ‘Mack the Knife’ in The Three Penny Opera. In addition to his stage work Lisewski gained great popularity through roles in film and television in DEFA films and television of the GDR. In his screen debut, “Das Lied der Matrosen” in 1958, he portrayed the sailor Jupp King, and earned him his breakthrough as an actor. This was followed by countless leading roles, such as in 1959’s as Slatan Dudow in the contemporary film “Verwirrung der Liebe” became an favorite of film audiences. In 1969 Stefan appeared in his only Euro-western “Fatal Error” as Ten Eyck.
 
In the 1970s, the artist concentrated more on his stage career, but played supporting roles in several children's series, such as the children's series “Spuk unterm Riesenrad”, “Spuk im Hochhaus” and “Spuk von draußen”. In addition, he made himself a name as a voice in radio plays.
 
In 2002, he played ‘Pollicino’ in the opera by Hans Werner Henze led by Jobst Liebrecht. The CD recording won an Echo in 2004.
 
To date, he was seen in the role of Dogsborough in Brecht's “Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui”, directed by Heiner Müller, who in June 1995 had its premiere and has since been performed over 300 times at home and abroad.
 
Lisewski was married to fellow actress Monika Gabriel and now lives in Berlin.
 
Today we celebrate Stefan Lisewski’s 80^th birthday.

Remembering Emilio Delle Piane

Emilio Delle Piane was born in Lavagna, Genoa, Italy on July 6, 1938. Before becoming a stage actor he had graduated from law school in 1963, and working a few years in an apprenticeship. But in 1966, a chance meeting with director Charles Lizzani led him to pursue an intense career in film full of memorable roles, including the excellent Parker in  “Trinity is STILL My Name” (1971), directed by Enzo Barboni and as Pierre in “I due superpiedi quasi piatti” (1975), also directed by Enzo Barboni.

 
A calibrated, outgoing and always pleasant actor, he continued his career until the early 1990s when, perhaps in the absence of enough important roles, he withdraw from the scene and dedicated more interest and time to his law firm, in which still works, in the center of Chiavari.
 
Delle Piane appeared in three Euro-westerns, beside the above mentioned “Trinity is STILL My Name”, he also appeared in “Arizona Returns” (1970) and “Judge Roy Bean” (1971.
 
Today we celebrate Emilio Delle Piane’s 75^th birthday.

Guess Who I Am

I’m an Italian actress born in Florence in 1940.
 
I’ve appeared in over 45 films and TV appearances.
 
I appeared in five Euro-westerns.
 
Guess who I am.

Breccio correctly identified this week's photo as that of Marina Malfatti.

RIP Javier Artiñano

 

Javier Artiñano, the great Spanish film costume designer has died.

 
The designer worked on television series and picked up six awards 'Goya'
 
The costume and set designer Javier Artiñano, author of over 80 plays and won 6 “Goya” Awards " including “El rey pasmado” and “Juana la loca”, died yesterday July 4^th in Madrid. He was 71 years-old.
 
The son of Spanish immigrants, he was born in 1942 in San Pedro Montes de Oca, San José de Costa Rica, the country in which he spent his childhood and adolescence then later moved to Spain. He attended high school in Santander, Madrid and studied at the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando and the Decorative Arts, where he learned his profession.
 
His first work of film costume began with “Las melancólicas” (1971) directed by Rafael Moreno Alba.
 
His professionalism is supported by six awards 'Goya' and a 'Max' for the Performing Arts. He worked with all the major Spanish directors. On television series he designed costumes for “Fortunata y Jacinta”, “Los gozos y las sombras” and “La regenta”. His six "Goyas" were for “El bosque animado” (1988), “Esquilache” (1990), “El rey pasmado” (1992), “El maestro de esgrima” (1993), “Lázaro de Tormes” (2001) and “Juana la Loca”»(2002).
 
Artiñano was the costume designer for the 1988 Euro-western “The Return of El Coyote”.

Remembering Warren Oates

Warren Oates was born on July 5, 1928 in Depoy, Kentucky. In college he became interested in the theatre and in 1954 headed for New York to make his mark as an actor. However, his first real job in television was testing contest gags on the game show "Beat the Clock" (1950). He did numerous menial jobs while auditioning, including serving as the hat-check man at the nightclub "21".

 
By 1957 he had begun appearing in live dramas such as "Studio One in Hollywood" (1948), but Oates' rural drawl seemed more fitted for the Westerns that were proliferating on the big screen at the time, so he moved to Hollywood and immediately started getting steady work as an increasingly prominent supporting player, often as either craven or vicious types. He landed the role of one of the Hammond brothers in the Sam Peckinpah masterpiece “Ride the High Country” (1962). Peckinpah used Oates repeatedly, and Oates, in large part due to the prominence given him by Peckinpah, became one of those rare character actors whose name and face is as familiar as those of many leading stars. He began to play roles which, while still character parts, were also leads, particularly in cult hits like “Two-Lane Blacktop” (1971) and “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (1974).
 
Oates appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Return of the Seven” (1966) and “China 9, Liberty 37” (1978).
 
Although never destined to be a traditional leading man, Oates remained one of Hollywood's most valued and in-demand character players up until his sudden death from a heart attack on April 3, 1982 at the age of 53. His final two films, “Tough Enough” (1983) and “Blue Thunder” (1983), were released over one year after his death and were dedicated to his memory.
 
Today we remember Warren Oates on what would have been his 85^th birthday.

Independence Day 2013

Se incontri Franco e Ciccio prega per la tua morte

Se incontri Franco e Ciccio prega per la tua morte – Italian title
 
A 1967 Italian production [Paris Etoile (Rome)]
Producer: Aldo Addobbati
Director:
Story:
Screenplay:
Cinematography:
Music:
Running time:
 
Story: Planned parody of the first Sartana film.
 
Cast:
Franco Franchi (Francesco Benenato), Ciccio Ingrassia (Francesco Ingrassia)

[film was never made]