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
