Gianni Solaro (born Gianni Lorenzon, 11 August 1926 – 12 August 2006) was an Italian film and television actor.

Life and career

Born in

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 ...

, Solaro was a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

in the Italian film industry for about twenty years, between the late 1950s and the late 1970s. During his career he spanned any sort of role, alternating genre films and

art film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

s, and notably working with

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the '' Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was a ...

, Marco Bellocchio,

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome. He directed several ...

Mario Camerini Mario Camerini (6 February 1895 – 4 February 1981) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. The cousin of Augusto Genina, he made the most well-known films in Italy during the 1930s, most of them comedies starring Vittorio De Sica. H ...

, Francesco Maselli and Florestano Vancini. He was sometimes credited John Sun. His brother was the actor

Livio Lorenzon Livio Lorenzon (6 May 1923 – 23 December 1971) was an Italian actor who was mainly active during the 1950s and 1960s. Biography He played minor roles in some memorable commedia all'Italiana movies directed by the likes of Dino Risi and ...

. Solaro died on 12 August 2006, one day after his 80th birthday.Peplum Paradise film historians

Partial filmography

* '' Tough Guys'' (1960) * '' Erik the Conqueror'' (1961) * '' Queen of the Seas'' (1961) * '' The Triumph of Robin Hood'' (1962) * '' Redhead'' (1962) * ''

Gladiator of Rome ''Gladiator of Rome'' ( it, Il gladiatore di Roma) is a 1962 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Costa. Co-written by Gian Paolo Callegari and Giuseppe Mariani, it stars Gordon Scott.Howard Hughes. ''Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide ...

'' (1962) * ''

The Thief of Damascus ''The Thief of Damascus'' (Italian: ''Il ladro di Damasco'') is a 1964 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Amendola and starring Tony Russel, Luciana Gilli and Gianni Solaro. It was released in the US as ''Sword of Damascus'' at a running t ...

'' (1964) * '' The Two Gladiators'' (1964) * ''

Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules ''Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules'' ( it, L'ultimo gladiatore, lit=The Last Gladiator) is a 1964 ''peplum'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Richard Harrison and Lisa Gastoni.Michele Giordano. ''Giganti buoni''. Gremese Editore, 19 ...

'' (1964) * ''

M.M.M. 83 ''M.M.M. 83'' (also known as ''Missione mortale Molo 83'') is a Italian films of 1965, 1965 Italy, Italian spy film directed by Sergio Bergonzelli. Cast *Fred Beir as Jack Morris *Gérard Blain as Robert Gibson *Pier Angeli as Hélène Blancha ...

'' (1965) * '' I criminali della metropoli'' (1965) * ''

Hercules the Avenger ''Hercules the Avenger'' ( it, La sfida dei giganti) is a 1965 Italian adventure film directed by Maurizio Lucidi. It was composed mostly of re-edited stock footage from Reg Park's two 1961 Hercules films, ''Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis'' ...

'' (1965) * ''

The Revenge of Spartacus ''The Revenge of Spartacus'' or ''La vendetta di Spartacus'' (US title: ''Revenge of the Gladiators'') is a 1965 Italian film directed by Michele Lupo. It was shot back to back with '' Seven Slaves Against the World''.http://www.cinema-nocturna.c ...

'' (1965) * ''

Captain from Toledo ''Captain from Toledo'' ( it, L'uomo di Toledo, es, El hombre de Toledo, german: Der Mann von Toledo) is a 1965 Italian-Spanish-German adventure film written and directed by Eugenio Martín and starring Stephen Forsyth and Ann Smyrner. Set in m ...

'' (1965) * ''

Arizona Colt Arizona Colt ( it, Il pistolero di Arizona), also known as The Man from Nowhere ( it, L'uomo venuto dal nulla), is a 1966 technicolor Spaghetti Western directed by Michele Lupo and starring Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand. Syno ...

'' (1966) * ''

One Thousand Dollars on the Black ''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, however ...

'' (1966) * ''

The Oldest Profession ''The Oldest Profession'' (french: Le Plus Vieux Métier du monde) is a 1967 internationally co-produced comedy film. It features contributions from six different film directors, each one doing a segment on prostitution through the ages. Plot ...

'' (1967) * ''

All on the Red ''All on the Red'' ( it, Tutto sul rosso) is a 1968 Italian crime-thriller film written and directed by Aldo Florio and starring Brett Halsey. Plot Cast * Brett Halsey as Mike Chapman * Barbara Zimmermann as Belinda Duval * Piero Lulli ...

'' (1968) * ''

Bootleggers Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made an ...

'' (1969) * ''

Scipio the African ''Scipio the African'' ( it, Scipione detto anche l'Africano "Scipio, also called the African") is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Magni. Plot Years after the Second Punic War, Scipio Africanus finds himself generally unliked, de ...

'' (1971) * ''

Slap the Monster on Page One ''Slap the Monster on Page One'' (Italian: ''Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina'') is a 1972 Italian drama film directed by Marco Bellocchio. It depicts the daily life of a fictitious Italian daily newspaper, ''Il Giornale'' (The Journal). The new ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Assassination of Matteotti ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1973) * ''

We Want the Colonels ''We Want the Colonels'' ( it, Vogliamo i colonnelli) is a 1973 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was entered in the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. It is a satire of the attempted far-right Borghese Coup. Cast * Ugo Tognazzi as G ...

'' (1973) * '' Rome: The Other Side of Violence'' (1976) - Laurenti * '' My Sister in Law'' (1976) - Magni - lawyer of Amorini * ''La clinica dell'amore'' (1976) - Angelo Bortolotti * '' Last Feelings'' (1978) - Hospital Doctor

References

External links

* 1926 births 2006 deaths Italian male film actors Italian male television actors Male actors from Rome Male Spaghetti Western actors {{Italy-screen-actor-stub