Anthony Steffen, born Antonio Luiz de Teffé von Hoonholtz (July 21, 1930 – June 4, 2004), was an Italian-Brazilian character actor, screenwriter and film producer. Steffen achieved fame as a

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in 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 w ...

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 ...

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 Sovereign state, 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 ...

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 the Pamphilj Palace, his family had

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

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: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

; 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 (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

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 so ...

. Steffen's great-aunt 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. While still a teenager Steffen, then known as Antonio, fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

among the Italian partisans against the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. 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 In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah () were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah are repeatedly invoked throughout the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and the New Testament as symbols of sin, di ...

''. An early appearance of his was in the 1955 '' Gli Sbandati''. From 1965 to 1975, the newly named Anthony Steffen achieved considerable fame in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, 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 (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

", he was sometimes criticized for being a stiff or wooden actor. Several of his movies were sizeable box office hits in Europe. '' Django the Bastard'' (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 ''High Plains Drifter'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who ...

''. In several of his movies, Steffen starred alongside other actors known for Spaghetti Westerns, including Gianni Garko, Peter Lee Lawrence, and William Berger. Outside of the Spaghetti western genre, Steffen also appeared in several

Giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

movies including '' The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave'' (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 The jet set is a social group of wealthy and fashionable people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term was introduced in 1949 and replaced " café society"; it reflected a style of life ...

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, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023) was an Italian actress, model, photojournalist, and sculptor. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international ...

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...

, Elke Sommer,

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'' ...

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), which made him a pop cul ...

, Gian Maria Volonté, 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...

in the decade of 1980, until dying of cancer in 2004. He has maintained cult-status among fans of

Italian Cinema The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by List of Italian film directors, Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and ...

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 Beatrice Cenci ( , ; 6 February 157711 September 1599) was an Italian noblewoman imprisoned and repeatedly raped by her own father. She killed him, and was tried for murder. Despite outpourings of public sympathy, Cenci was beheaded in 1599 ...

'' (1956) - Giacomo Cenci *'' La trovatella di Pompei'' (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 Italy, Italian film. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti. Cast * Gabriele Ferzetti: Tommaso * Elsa Martinelli: Mirella * Dorian Gray (actress), Dorian Gray: soubrette * Marisa Merlini: Palmira * Yvonne ...

'' (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'' (1964) - Prince Akim * '' The Last Tomahawk'' (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 '' () 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 mysterious gunslinger named Shenan ...

'' (1965) - Sheriff Joe Logan / Shenandoah *'' Seven Dollars on the Red'' (1966) - Johnny Ashley *'' An Angel for Satan'' (1966) - Roberto Merigi *''

Los cuatro salvajes ''Ringo, the Mark of Vengeance'' () is a 1966 Italian western film directed by Mario Caiano, scored by Francesco De Masi and starring Anthony Steffen. It was shot in Almería. Cast * Anthony Steffen as Ringo * Frank Wolff as Trikie Ferguson ...

'' (1966) - Ringo *'' A Few Dollars for Django'' (1966) - Django / Regan *'' Blood at Sundown'' (1966) - Johnny Liston *''Gentlemen Kiler'' (1967) - Gentleman Jo Reeves / Shamango *'' Killer Kid'' (1967) - Captain Morrison / Chamaco *'' Train for Durango'' (1968) - Gringo *'' Gunman Sent by God'' (1968) - Roy Kerry *'' A Stranger in Paso Bravo'' (1968) - Gary Hamilton *''Man Who Cried for Revenge'' (1968) - Davy Flanagan *'' Dead Men Don't Count'' (1968) - Fred Danton *'' A Noose for Django'' (1969) - Johnny Brandon *'' Garringo'' (1969) - Lt. Garringo *'' Django the Bastard'' (1969) - Django *''

Shango Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; as Jakuta or Badé; and as Ṣangó in Trinidad Orisha) is an Orisha (or spirit) in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of th ...

'' (1970) - Shango *'' Arizona Colt Returns'' (1970) - Arizona Colt *'' Sabata the Killer'' (1970) - Sabata / Garringo *''Apocalypse Joe'' (1970) - Joe Clifford *'' The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave'' (1971) - Lord 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'' (1974) - Le Prince Sforza *''Siete chacales'' (1974) *'' The Killers Are Our Guests'' (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'' (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 Augus ...

'' (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