Antonio Sabàto Sr. (2 April 1943 – 10 January 2021) was an Italian actor, best known for his starring roles in

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 ...

and ''

poliziotteschi ''Poliziotteschi'' (; : ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ''I ...

'' films. He was nominated for the

Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor The Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Actor was an award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at their annual Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe Awards. History The award was first introduced at the 6th Golden Globe Awards in ...

for his performance in ''Grand Prix'' (1966).

Life and career

Sabàto was born in

Montelepre Montelepre (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Pen ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

on April 2, 1943. He made his film debut at the age of 23 in the 1966 film ''Lo scandolo'', with

Anouk Aimée Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus (; 27 April 1932 2024), known professionally as Anouk Aimée () or Anouk, was a French film actress who appeared in 70 films from 1947 until 2019. Having begun her film career at age 14, she studied acting and ...

and

Philippe Leroy Philippe Marie Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (15 October 1930 – 1 June 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1960 and 2019, and worked extensively in Italian cinema, as well as in his native country. After an early career as ...

. That same year, Sabàto had his breakout role in the

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

-directed

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 drama ''Grand Prix'', playing the hotshot Italian driver Nino Barlini. The film was both a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1966 and winning three

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. Sabàto was nominated for New Star of the Year – Actor at the 24th Golden Globe Awards. Sabato subsequently starred in a string of

s. He was cast in a supporting role in the sci-fi film ''Barbarella'' (1968), but during filming he was recast with

David Hemmings David Leslie Edward Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor, director, and producer of film and television. Originally trained as a boy soprano in operatic roles, he began appearing in films as a child actor in the ...

and all his scenes reshot. Production stills of Sabato in the role still exist. During the 1970s, Sabàto starred in numerous ''

'' films. In 1985, Sabàto moved to the United States and retired to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. He appeared opposite his son, actor Antonio Sabàto Jr., in the 1997 film ''High Voltage'' and on seven episodes of the soap opera ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

''.

Personal life

Sabàto married a Czech Jewish woman, Yvonne, in 1971. She was born in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

(then part of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

) and the daughter of a

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor. They had two children together, a son, Antonio Jr, and a daughter, Simonne. They divorced sometime before 1997, when she remarried to California-based businessman George F. Kabouchy. He became a naturalized United States citizen after moving to California in the 1980s.

Death

Sabàto died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

at a hospice in

Hemet, California Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto, California, San Jacinto. The population w ...

, on 10 January 2021, at age 77.

Selected filmography

* ''Lo scandalo'' (1966) - Mauro * ''

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

'' (1966) - Nino Barlini * '' Hate for Hate'' (1967, a.k.a. ''Odio per odio'' ) - Miguel * ''

Shoot Twice ''Shoot Twice'' (, ) is a 1969 Italian Western film directed by Nando Cicero and starring Klaus Kinski and Antonio Sabàto. Cast * Klaus Kinski - Dingus / aka Victor Barrett * Antonio Sabàto - Luke Barrett * Cristina Galbó - Luke's wife * J ...

'' (1968, ''Due volte Giuda'') - Luke Barrett * '' Beyond the Law'' (1968, ''Al di là della legge'') - Ben Novack * ''

One Dollar Too Many ''One Dollar Too Many'' () is a 1968 Spaghetti Western feature film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Antonio Sabàto, John Saxon, and Frank Wolff. Plot summary Sabàto, Wolff, and Saxon are three different types of con men out to ...

'' (1968, ''I tre che sconvolsero il West'' / ''Vado, vedo e sparo'') - Moses Lang * ''

The Lady of Monza ''The Lady of Monza'' (, also known as ''The Awful Story of the Nun of Monza'' and ''The Nun of Monza'') is a 1969 Italian historical drama film directed by Eriprando Visconti. It is loosely based on the real life events of Marianna de Leyva, bette ...

'' (1969, a.k.a. ''La monaca di Monza'') - Giampaolo Osio * '' Diary of a Telephone Operator'' (1969, ''Certo, certissimo, anzi... probabile'') - Carmelo * ' (1969) - Giorgio Marelli * '' Mafia Connection'' (1970, ''E venne il giorno dei limoni neri'') - Rosario Inzulìa * '' The Man with Icy Eyes'' (1971, a.k.a. ''L'uomo dagli occhi di ghiaccio'') - Eddie Mills * '' When Men Carried Clubs and Women Played Ding-Dong'' (1971) - Ari * ''L'occhio del ragno'' (1971) - Paul Valéry / Frank Vogel * ''

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids ''Seven Blood-Stained Orchids'' () is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Plot A killer is driving around the streets of Italy looking for a specific victim. The killer breaks into her home and ki ...

'' (1972) - Mario * ''I senza Dio'' (1972) - Roy, detto 'El Santo' * ''

Crime Boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

'' (1972) - Antonio Mancuso * ''Tutti fratelli nel West... per parte di padre'' (1972) - Jonathan 'Jeepo' Poe * ''

Gang War in Milan ''Gang War in Milan'' () is a 1973 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi. Cast * Antonio Sabàto: Salvatore Cangemi * Philippe Leroy: Roger Daverty * Marisa Mell: Jasmina * Antonio Casagrande: Lino Caruso * Carla Romanelli ...

'' (1973) - Salvatore "Toto" Cangemi * ''Questa volta ti faccio ricco!'' (1974) - Joe Esposito * ''

The Last Desperate Hours ''The Last Desperate Hours'' () is a 1974 Italian poliziottesco (Italian crime genre) Mafia film directed by Giorgio Stegani. Plot Cast * Antonio Sabàto: Paolo Mancuso * Silvia Monti: Laura Monachesi *Pier Paolo Capponi: Police Commissione ...

'' (1974, a.k.a. ''Milano: il clan dei calabresi'') - Paolo Mancuso * ''El clan de los Nazarenos'' (1975) - Jorge * '' Calling All Police Cars'' (1975) - Commissario Fernando Solmi * '' Crimebusters'' (1976) - Comm. Paolo Tosi * '' Terror in Rome'' (1976) - Inspector De Gregori * '' Four Billion in Four Minutes'' (1976) - Raffaele * ''

Return of the 38 Gang ''Return of the 38 Gang'' (, also known as ''Gangsters'') is a 1977 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Giuseppe Vari. The film is an in-name-only sequel to Massimo Dallamano's '' Colt 38 Special Squad'' with different plot, characters and cast. ...

'' (1977) - Marshall Tinto Baragli * '' Canne mozze'' (1977) - Giovanni Molet * '' War of the Robots'' (1978) - Captain John Boyd * '' The New Godfathers'' (1979) - Don Michele Vizzini * ''Napoli... la camorra sfida, la città risponde'' (1979) - Vito * ''La tua vita per mio figlio'' (1980) - Antonio Esposito * '' Escape from the Bronx'' (1983) - Dablone / Toblerone * '' Thunder Warrior'' (1983) - Thomas * ''Zampognaro innamorato'' (1983) - Marito di Angela * '' Tuareg: The Desert Warrior'' (1984, a.k.a. ''Tuareg – Il guerriero del deserto'') - The Captain * ''Thunder Squad'' (1985) - Martin Cuomo * ''Bye Bye Vietnam'' (1988) - Razor * ''

High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...

'' (1997) - Carlo * ''

'' (2006, TV Series) – Aldo Damiano (final appearance)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabato, Antonio Sr. 1943 births 2021 deaths Actors from the Metropolitan City of Palermo Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California Italian male film actors Italian male television actors Italian emigrants to the United States Male actors from Sicily Male Spaghetti Western actors Naturalized citizens of the United States People from Montelepre