Carlo Simi (7 November 1924 – 26 November 2000) was an Italian architect,

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

and

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costum ...

, who worked frequently with

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

and

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. He was one of the main exponents of the Spaghetti Western genre during the 1960s and 1970s, with his most notable work ...

, giving their

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s a unique look. Most famous for his costume and set designs for ''

Once Upon a Time in the West ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' ( is a 1968 epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati, based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci and Leone. It stars Henry Fonda, playing against t ...

'' Simi also built the town of 'El Paso' in the

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

desert for Leone's second Western, ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' () is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a se ...

''. Built around a massive bank, with vistas of the

Tabernas Desert The Tabernas Desert () is a desert located within Spain's south-eastern province of Almería. It is in the interior, about north of the provincial capital Almería, in the Tabernas municipality in Andalusia. It is the only desert in Europe, ...

visible between buildings, the set still exists, as a tourist attraction called "

Mini Hollywood Oasys (formerly known as Mini Hollywood) is a Spanish Western-styled theme park, located off the 364 km mark of the N-340 road, near the town of Tabernas in the province of Almería, Andalusia. Originally known as Yucca City, the set was des ...

". Simi played the bank manager in that film: it was his only acting role. He also designed the Sad Hill Cemetery for the last scene of ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (, literally "''The good, the ugly, the bad''") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach a ...

''. Simi died in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 2000. Some of his costumes and set designs were exhibited at the Autry National Center's Museum of the American West in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2005. In 2018 he posthumously received the 'Leone in Memoriam' award by the Almería Western Film Festival for the 50 anniversary of ''

''.

Filmography

As actor

*''

'' (1965) - El Paso Bank Manager (uncredited)

As costume designer

* ''Two Gangsters in the Wild West'' (1964) * '' Bullets Don't Argue'' (1964) * '' Minnesota Clay'' (1964) * ''One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Lassiter'' (1966) * '' Django'' (1966) * '' Ringo and His Golden Pistol'' (1966) * ''

Texas, Adios ''Texas, Adios'' (Italian: ''Texas, addio'') is a 1966 Italian-Spanish Spaghetti Western film cowritten and directed by Ferdinando Baldi and starring Franco Nero. It is often referenced in connection with '' Django'', also starring Nero, and alth ...

'' (1966) * ''

The Big Gundown ''The Big Gundown'' () is a 1967 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian. It was followed by Run, Man, Run in 1968. Plot Possessing a reputation for bringing criminals to justice, ready-to- ...

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1966) * '' Face to Face'' (1967) * ''

Day of Anger ''Day of Anger'' ( , lit. "The Days of Wrath") is a 1967 Spaghetti Western film directed and co-written by Tonino Valerii and starring Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma, and features a musical score by Riz Ortolani. The film credits the novel ' ...

'' (1967) * ''

'' (1968) * '' Sabata'' (1969) * ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

'' (1973) * '' Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket'' (1975) * ''

Keoma Keoma is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. Keoma is located approximately 35 km (21 mi) northeast of Downtown Calgary, on Highway 566, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Highway 9 and 19 ...

'' (1976) * '' California (1977 film)'' (1977) * '' Silver Saddle'' (1978) * ''

Fun is Beautiful ''Un sacco bello'', internationally released as ''Fun Is Beautiful'', is a 1980 Italian comedy film. The film, produced by Sergio Leone, marked the directorial debut of Carlo Verdone, as well his debut as main actor and as screenwriter. For this ...

'' (1980)

As production designer

* ''

The Shortest Day ''The Shortest Day'' () is a 1963 Italian comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie '' The Longest Day'' and stars the popular duo Franco and Ciccio in the leading roles. Dozens of other well-known actors, from both European and American cinem ...

'' (1963) * '' Per il gusto di uccidere'' (1966) * '' A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' (1975) * ''

Bianco, rosso e Verdone ''Bianco, rosso e Verdone'' is a 1981 Italy, Italian comedy film directed and starred by Carlo Verdone, playing three characters. It was produced by Sergio Leone, soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone and guest starred by Mario Brega, all forme ...

'' (1981) * ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' () is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone, and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produced by The Ladd Company, Emb ...

'' (1984) * '' They Call Me Renegade'' (1987) * ''Where the Night Begins'' (1991)

References

External links

* 1924 births 2000 deaths Italian production designers Italian costume designers David di Donatello winners Ciak d'oro winners 20th-century Italian architects Male Spaghetti Western actors {{Italy-film-bio-stub