Anthony Steffen, born Antonio Luiz de Teffé von Hoonholtz (July 21, 1930 – June 4, 2004), was an

Italian-Brazilian Italian Brazilians ( it, italo-brasiliani, pt, ítalo-brasileiros) are Brazilians of full or partial Italian descent. Italian Brazilians are the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with São Paulo bei ...

character actor,

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. Steffen achieved fame as a

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

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 film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

features. He was also known as Antonio Luigi de Teffe.

Biography

Born Antonio Luiz de Teffé von Hoonholtz at the Brazilian

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, in the Pamphilj Palace, his family had noble blood of a long lineage of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

(von Hoonholtz) originally from

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

; his great grandfather was the Great Baron of Teffé. Steffen was the first born among Manoel de Teffe' von Hoonholtz's children (followed by Federico de Teffe' and Melissa de Teffe'), who was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing champion and later a Brazilian

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

. Steffen's grandaunt was Nair de Teffé von Hoonholtz, the first female caricaturist of Brazil, wife of Brazilian President Hermes Fonseca and daughter of the Admiral

Antonio Luis von Hoonholtz Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

. While still a teenager Steffen, then known as Antonio, fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

among the

Italian partisans The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Socia ...

against the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

. Later, and under the name Antonio de Teffé, he worked behind the scenes in several Italian productions in the early 1950s and later acted in several movies, but never really achieving stardom. In 1962, he had a bit part in ''

Sodom and Gomorrah Sodom and Gomorrah () were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). They are mentioned frequ ...

''. An early appearance of his was in the 1955 ''

Gli Sbandati ''Abandoned'' ( it, Gli sbandati) is a 1955 Italian film set during the aftermath of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943 during World War II. The film entered the 1955 Venice Film Festival, where it received a special mention. It is the direct ...

''. From 1965 to 1975, the newly named Anthony Steffen achieved considerable fame in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, amassing cult status, starring in 27 Spaghetti Westerns. Considered to be an "Italian

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

", he was sometimes unfairly criticized for being a stiff or wooden actor. Several of his movies were sizeable box office hits in Europe. ''

Django the Bastard ''Django the Bastard'' ( it, Django il bastardo) is a 1969 Italian Gothic fiction, gothic Horror Western, horror Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Garrone who co-wrote the film with the star Anthony Steffen. In 1974 Herman Cohen released a ...

'' (aka ''Stranger's Gundown'', 1969) a movie that was produced and written by Steffen, is considered to be an inspiration for Clint Eastwood's '' High Plains Drifter''. In several of his movies, Steffen starred alongside other actors known for Spaghetti Westerns, including

Gianni Garko Gianni Garko (born Giovanni Garcovich; 15 July 1935), often billed as John Garko and occasionally Gary Hudson, is an Italian actor who found fame as a leading man in 1960s Spaghetti Westerns. He is perhaps best known for his lead role as Sartana ...

, Peter Lee Lawrence, and William Berger. Outside of the Spaghetti western genre, Steffen also appeared in several

Giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

movies including ''

The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave ''The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave'' ( it, La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba) is a 1971 Italian '' gothic'' film directed by Emilio Miraglia. Plot Alan (Anthony Steffen) is a wealthy aristocrat who has just been released from a mental ...

'' (1971). His roles and status diminished as the Spaghetti Western genre fell into decline. Amassing a considerable fortune from his career as an actor, Steffen embarked on a jet set lifestyle. In his career Steffen performed alongside

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

, Gina Lollobrigida,

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

Elke Sommer Elke Sommer (; born Elke Baronin von Schletz, 5 November 1940) is a German actress. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in '' The Pink Panther'' sequel '' A Shot in the Dark'' (1964), th ...

Giuliano Gemma Giuliano Gemma (2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's ''A Pistol for Ringo'' (1 ...

, Franco Nero,

Gian Maria Volonté Gian Maria Volonté (9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor, including roles in four Spaghetti Western films: Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) and El Indio in Leone's '' For a Few Dollars More'' (19 ...

, Esmeralda Barros and many other stars of the American and Italian cinema. Always considered a huge star in Brazil because of the Spaghetti Western popularity in the South American country, Steffen returned to

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in the decade of 1980, until dying of cancer in 2004. He has maintained cult-status among fans of Italian Cinema for being perhaps the most prolific Spaghetti Western Leading actor.

Selected filmography

*''Ci troviamo in galleria'' (1953) *'' The Abandoned'' (1955) - Carlo *'' Eighteen Year Olds'' (1955) - Professore Andrea La Rovere *'' Beatrice Cenci'' (1956) - Giacomo Cenci *''

La trovatella di Pompei ''La trovatella di Pompei'' (i.e. "The foundling of Pompei") is a 1957 Italian melodrama film co-written and directed by Giacomo Gentilomo and starring Massimo Girotti and Alessandra Panaro. Plot Pompeii. Maria, is a girl raised by the loving ...

'' (1957) - Giorgio della Torre *''Città di notte'' (1958) - Alberto *'' Slave Women of Corinth'' (1958) - Demetrio *''The Devil's Cavaliers'' (1959) - Richmond *'' Ragazzi del Juke-Box'' (1959) - Paolo Macelloni *''

Il carro armato dell'8 settembre ''Il carro armato dell'8 settembre'' is a 1960 Italian film. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti. Cast * Gabriele Ferzetti: Tommaso * Elsa Martinelli: Mirella * Dorian Gray: soubrette * Marisa Merlini: Palmira * Yvonne Furneaux * Mario Valdemarin * ...

'' (1960) *''Cavalcata selvaggia'' (1960) *''Solitudine'' (1961) *''Ultimatum alla vita'' (1962) - Lt. Krüger *''

'' (1962) - The Captain *''Avventura al motel'' (1963) - Maurizio *''Revenge of the Black Knight'' (1963) - Dottore George Welby *''

The Invincible Brothers Maciste ''The Invincible Brothers Maciste'' ( it, Gli invincibili fratelli Maciste) is a 1964 Italian peplum film written and directed by Roberto Mauri.Michele Giordano. ''Giganti buoni''. Gremese Editore, 1998. . Plot Two Herculean warrior brothers ba ...

'' (1964) - Prince Akim * ''

The Last Tomahawk ''The Last Tomahawk'' or ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (german: Der letzte Mohikaner) is a 1965 Western adventure film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor and Marie France. It was a co-production between France, ...

'' (1965) - Falkenauge *'' I figli del leopardo'' (1965) - Tenente Garibaldino *''Gli amanti latini'' (1965) - (uncredited) *'' Perché uccidi ancora'' (1965) - Steve McDougall *''

A Coffin for the Sheriff ''A Coffin for the Sheriff '' ( it, Una bara per lo sceriffo) is a 1965 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Mario Caiano and starring Anthony Steffen, Eduardo Fajardo, Fulvia Franco, George Rigaud and Armando Calvo. Synopsis A mysterio ...

'' (1965) - Sheriff Joe Logan / Shenandoah *''

Seven Dollars on the Red '' Sette dollari sul rosso '' (released in the United States as ''Seven Dollars on the Red'' or ''Seven Dollars to Kill'') is a 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone. It stars Anthony Steffen as the main character. ...

'' (1966) - Johnny Ashley *''

An Angel for Satan ''An Angel for Satan'' ( it, Un angelo per Satana) is a 1966 Italian horror film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque. It stars Barbara Steele in a dual role, as Harriet Montebruno / Belinda, and is set in a small Italian village by a lake. It is bas ...

'' (1966) - Roberto Merigi *'' Los cuatro salvajes'' (1966) - Ringo *'' A Few Dollars for Django'' (1966) - Django / Regan *''

Blood at Sundown ''Blood at Sundown'' ( it, 1000 dollari sul nero, lit=1000 dollars on the black) is a Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone. The picture marks the first appearance of the character Sartana, played by Gianni Garko. It is not, howev ...

'' (1966) - Johnny Liston *''Gentlemen Kiler'' (1967) - Gentleman Jo Reeves / Shamango *'' Killer Kid'' (1967) - Captain Morrison / Chamaco *''

Train for Durango ''Train for Durango'' ( it, Un treno per Durango) is a 1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chose ...

'' (1968) - Gringo *''

Gunman Sent by God ''Il pistolero segnato da Dio'' () is an Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Giorgio Ferroni and starring Anthony Steffen. Plot Cast * Anthony Steffen as Roy Kerry * Richard Wyler as Coleman * Ken Wood as Owl Roy * Liz Barret as ...

'' (1968) - Roy Kerry *''

A Stranger in Paso Bravo ''A Stranger in Paso Bravo'' ( it, Uno straniero a Paso Bravo, es, Los pistoleros de Paso Bravo, also known as ''Paso Bravo'') is a 1968 Italian-Spanish Spaghetti Western film directed by Salvatore Rosso. It was the first and only film directed ...

'' (1968) - Gary Hamilton *''Man Who Cried for Revenge'' (1968) - Davy Flanagan *'' Dead Men Don't Count'' (1968) - Fred Danton *''

A Noose for Django ''No Room To Die'' ( it, Una lunga fila di croci, also known as ''Hanging for Django'' and ''A Noose for Django'') is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Garrone. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Spaghetti Westerns ...

'' (1969) - Johnny Brandon *''

Garringo ''Garringo'' (also known as ''Dead Are Countless'') is a 1969 Spanish-Italian Spaghetti Western film written and directed by Rafael Romero Marchent Rafael Romero Marchent (3 May 1926 – 13 February 2020) was a Spanish director, screenwriter an ...

'' (1969) - Lt. Garringo *''

'' (1969) - Django *'' Shango'' (1970) - Shango *''

Arizona Colt Returns ''Arizona Colt Returns'' ( it, Arizona si scatenò... e li fece fuori tutti), also known as ''Arizona'' is a 1970 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Anthony Steffen. The feature film debut of Martino after a series of ...

'' (1970) - Arizona Colt *'' Sabata the Killer'' (1970) - Sabata / Garringo *''Apocalypse Joe'' (1970) - Joe Clifford *''

'' (1971) - Lord Alan Cunningham *'' Viva! Django'' (1971) - Django *'' Crimes of the Black Cat'' (1972) - Peter Oliver *'' They Believed He Was No Saint'' (1972) - Trash Benson *''Al tropico del cancro'' (1972) - Doctor Williams *''The Killer with a Thousand Eyes'' (1973) - Inspector Michael Lawrence *'' Fuzzy the Hero'' (1973) - Shoshena *''Sedici anni'' (1973) - Sergio / Mara's lover *'' Il mio nome è Scopone e faccio sempre cappotto'' (1974) - Dallas *''

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

'' (1974) - Le Prince Sforza *''Siete chacales'' (1974) *''

The Killers Are Our Guests ''The Killers Are Our Guests'' (originally titled ''Gli assassini sono nostri ospiti'') is a 1974 Italian crime-thriller film directed by Vincenzo Rigo. Plot Franco, Eliana and Mario rob a jewelry store in Milan and take flight. Franco, howe ...

'' (1974) - Dr. Guido Malerva *''Evil Eye'' (1975) - Inspector Ranieri *''La encadenada'' (1975) - Richard *'' Rome: The Other Side of Violence'' (1976) - Dr. Alessi *''Zoo zéro'' (1979) - Evariste, le commissaire *''

Killer Fish ''Killer Fish'' is an Italian-French-Brazilian horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti. Plot The mastermind behind a precision theft of priceless emeralds decides to hide the jewels at the bottom of a reservoir he has secretly stocked with s ...

'' (1979) - Max *''

Play Motel ''Play Motel'' is a 1979 Italian giallo film written and directed by Mario Gariazzo (credited as Roy Garrett) and starring Anna Maria Rizzoli and Ray Lovelock. ''Play Motel'' was released on blu-ray in a region 1 release by Raro Video in August ...

'' (1979) - De Sanctis *'' Femmine infernali'' (1980) - Doctor Farrell *''Lady Dynamite'' (1980) - Nico Barresi *''Orinoco: Prigioniere del sesso'' (1980) - Juan Laredo *''Mulheres Liberadas'' (1982) *''Momentos de Prazer e Agonia'' (1983) - Rodolfo *''Abatjour 2'' (1990) *''Malù e l'amante'' (1991) - Frans / Il Conte / husband (final film role)

References

External links

*
The Films of Anthony Steffen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steffen, Anthony 1930 births 2004 deaths Brazilian male film actors Brazilian people of German descent Male Spaghetti Western actors Italian emigrants to Brazil Italian male film actors 20th-century Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Italian film producers Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state) Film people from Rome Male actors from Rome 20th-century Italian male writers