Gian Maria Volonté (9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor and activist. He is best known for his roles in four

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 ...

films: Ramón Rojo in

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 ...

's ''

A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (, (''For a Fistful of Dollars'')) is a 1964 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Si ...

'' (1964), El Indio in Leone's ''

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 ...

'' (1965), El Chuncho Munoz in Damiano Damiani's '' A Bullet for the General'' (1966) and Professor Brad Fletcher in

Sergio Sollima Sergio Sollima (17 April 1921 – 1 July 2015) was an Italian film director and script writer. Biography Sollima graduated from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1935. During World War II he was in the Italian Resistance. After th ...

's '' Face to Face'' (1967). He had notable roles in high-profile social dramas depicting the political and social stirrings of Italian and European society in the 1960s and 1970s, including four films directed by

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film and theatre director, screenwriter and film critic. The Museum of Modern Art described him as "one of the preeminent political and social ...

– ''

We Still Kill the Old Way We Still Kill the Old Way may refer to: * We Still Kill the Old Way (1967 film), an Italian crime film * We Still Kill the Old Way (2014 film), a British crime drama film * "We Still Kill the Old Way, a song by Lostprophets from '' Start Somethin ...

'' (1967), '' Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion'' (1970), '' The Working Class Goes to Heaven'' (1971), and '' Todo modo'' (1976). He is also recognized for his performances in

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...

's ''

Le Cercle Rouge ''Le Cercle Rouge'' (, "The Red Circle") is a 1970 crime film set mostly in Paris. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté, François Périer and Yves Montand. It is known for its climactic ...

'' (1970),

Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo (22 February 1930 – 6 September 2023) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known internationally for his biographical docudrama Sacco & Vanzetti (1971 film), ''Sacco & Vanzetti'' (1971), which was n ...

's '' Sacco & Vanzetti'' (1971) and ''Giordano Bruno'' (1973), and

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, of ...

's ''

Christ Stopped at Eboli ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' () is a memoir by Carlo Levi, published in 1945, giving an account of his exile from 1935–1936 to Grassano and Aliano, remote towns in Southern Italy, in the region of Lucania which is known today as Basilicata. In ...

'' (1979). Among other accolades, Volonté won two David di Donatello Awards and three Nastro d'Argento Awards. He won the Best Actor Award at the 36th Cannes Film Festival for '' The Death of Mario Ricci'' (1983), and the

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival for '' The Moro Affair'' (1986). Director Francisco Rosi said that he "stole the soul of his characters".

Early life

Volonté was born in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, but grew up in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. His father Mario was a fascist officer from

Saronno Saronno (; ) is a ''comune'' of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960. With an estimated population of inhabitants, it is the most densely populated among the big m ...

(

province of Varese The province of Varese () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The headquarters of AgustaWestland, the compa ...

), who in 1944 was in command of the Brigata Nera of

Chivasso Chivasso (; ) is a communes of Italy, comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 27,000. It is situated on the :wikt:left bank, left bank ...

, near Turin. His mother, Carolina Bianchi, belonged to a wealthy Milanese industrial family, and his younger brother

Claudio Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese, it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan, it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most importa ...

was an actor as well. He went to

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, ...

to train for an acting career at the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico, obtaining a degree in 1957.

Career

Volonté made his debut in 1960 in '' Sotto dieci bandiere'', directed by Duilio Coletti. Just four years later, he played "Ramón Rojo" in ''

'' (1964), and "El Indio" in ''

'' (1965), both for cash reasons as he considered the two films to be generic exploitation entertainment and was more interested in projects with a political message. Both films were directed by the then-unknown

, and Volonté's roles in them would bring him his greatest recognition from American audiences. He played

Carlo Levi Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist, Independent Left (Italy), independent leftist politician, and doctor. He is best known for his book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli (novel), Cristo si è fe ...

in ''

'' (1979), which was based on Levi's autobiographical account of his years in internal exile in Aliano,

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, in the 1930s. Volonté played the memorable role of the Bandito-turned-guerrilla, El Chuncho, in '' A Bullet for the General'' (1966). Volonté's performances as memorable but neurotic characters, or as a gifted leader of brigands or revolutionaries, together with the unexpected, worldwide success of the films, gave him international fame. Volonté had already played comedies, including ''

On the Tiger's Back On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

'' (1961) by

Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007) was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the "commedia all'italiana" genre. His daughters Cristina Comencin ...

, and confirmed his versatility in '' L'armata Brancaleone'' (1966). However, he found his main dimension in dramatic roles for '' Bandits in Milan'' (1968), by

Carlo Lizzani Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic. Biography Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's '' Germany Year Zero'', ...

, '' Slap the Monster on Page One'' (1972) by

Marco Bellocchio Marco Bellocchio (; born 9 November 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Life and career Born in Bobbio, near Piacenza, Marco Bellocchio had a strict Catholic upbringing – his father was a lawyer, his mother a schooltea ...

, '' The Working Class Goes to Heaven'' (1972) by his friend

, and '' Il sospetto'' (1975) by

Francesco Maselli Francesco Maselli (9 December 1930 – 21 March 2023), also known as Citto Maselli, was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Biography Born into a well educated family (his father was an art critic) originally from the Molise region, Mase ...

In 1968, Volonté won a Silver Ribbon as best actor for '' A ciascuno il suo'', also directed by

. Volonté received the same award for two other performances: Petri's '' Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion'' (1971, winner of an

Academy Award 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 ...

as best foreign film), considered by many to be his finest; and in ''

The Abyss ''The Abyss'' is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery tea ...

'' (1989). In 1983 he won the award for Best Actor at the

1983 Cannes Film Festival The 36th Cannes Film Festival took place from 7 to 19 May 1983. American author William Styron served as jury president for the main competition. Japanese filmmaker Shōhei Imamura won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the dra ...

for '' La Mort de Mario Ricci''. Four years later, at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, he won the

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films i ...

for '' Il caso Moro''. In 1988 Volonté starred in the Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, ''

'', as a physician-alchemist. The film was directed by André Delvaux from

Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, ; ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 190317 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the Prix Femina and ...

's famous novel of the same name. In 1990, Volonté was named Best European Actor for '' Porte aperte''. In 1991, at the

48th Venice International Film Festival The 48th annual Venice International Film Festival was held on 3 to 14 September 1991. Italian film critic Gian Luigi Rondi was the Jury President of the main competition. The Golden Lion winner was '' Close to Eden'' directed by Nikita Mik ...

, he won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...

for career achievement.

Personal life

Volonté was a strong political activist and known for his pro-

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

leanings. In 1981, he helped Oreste Scalzone to flee from capture in Italy to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. He was the partner of Italian actress and

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party (, PCI) was a communist and democratic socialist political party in Italy. It was established in Livorno as the Communist Party of Italy (, PCd'I) on 21 January 1921, when it seceded from the Italian Socialist Part ...

deputy

Carla Gravina Carla Gravina (born 5 August 1941) is an Italian actress and politician. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her role in '' La Terrazza'' (1980). Her other notable roles were in '' Love and Chatter'' (1957), '' Ester ...

for almost 10 years after they met when they played ''Romeo and Juliet'' in a theatre production in 1960. The two had a daughter Giovanna, born in the early 1960s. Actress Angelica Ippolito was his companion from 1977 until his death in 1994.

Death

Volonté died from a heart attack at the age of 61 in 1994 at

Florina Florina (, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the Florina regional uni ...

, Greece, during the filming of '' Ulysses' Gaze''. Volonté's grave is in a small cemetery on the

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

n island of La Maddalena, according to his wishes.

Selected filmography

* '' Under Ten Flags'' (1960, directed by Duilio Coletti) as Samuel Braunstein * '' Girl with a Suitcase'' (1961, directed by Valerio Zurlini) as Piero Benotti * '' Journey Beneath the Desert'' (1961, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer) as Tarath * '' Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis'' (1961, directed by Vittorio Cottafavi) as Re di Sparta * ''

'' (1961, directed by

) as Papaleo * '' A Man for Burning'' (1962, directed by

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; 8 November 1931 – 29 February 2024) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on numerous fi ...

and Valentino Orsini) as Salvatore * '' The Four Days of Naples'' (1962, directed by

Nanni Loy Nanni Loy (born Giovanni Loi; 23 October 1925 – 21 August 1995) was an Italian film, theatre and TV director. Specifically, Nanni Loy was Sardinian people, Sardinian, and one of several notable Sardinian film makers, including Franco Solin ...

) as Stimolo (uncredited) * ''Noche de verano'' (1963, directed by Jorge Grau) as Alberto Suárez * '' Il terrorista'' (1963, directed by Gianfranco De Bosio) as Braschi, l'ingeniere * ''

'' (credited as "John Wells") (1964, directed by

) as Ramón Rojo * '' The Magnificent Cuckold'' (1965, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli) as The Councillor * ''

'' (1965, directed by Sergio Leone) as El Indio * '' Seasons of Our Love'' (1966, directed by

Florestano Vancini Florestano Vancini (24 August 1926 – 18 September 2008) was an cinema of Italy, Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed over 20 films since 1960. His 1966 film ''Seasons of Our Love, Le stagioni del nostro amore'', starring Enr ...

) as Leonardo Varzi * ''

Wake Up and Die ''Wake Up and Die'' (, ), also known as ''Wake Up and Kill'' and ''I Kill for Kicks'', is a 1966 Italian-French crime-drama film directed by Carlo Lizzani, based on real life events of Luciano Lutring, an Italian criminal known as "the machine-gun ...

'' (1966, directed by

) as Inspector Moroni * '' L'armata Brancaleone'' (1966, directed by

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the ''commedia all'italiana'' ("Italian-style comedy"). He was nominated six times for an Academy Awards, Os ...

) as Teofilatto dei Leonzi * '' La strega in amore'' (1966, directed by Damiano Damiani) as Fabrizio * '' A Gangstergirl'' (1966, directed by Frans Weisz) * '' A Bullet for the General'' (1967, directed by Damiano Damiani) as El Chuncho Munoz * ''

'' (1967, directed by

) as Prof. Paolo Laurana * '' Faccia a faccia'' (1967, directed by

) as Professor Brad Fletcher * '' The Seven Cervi Brothers'' (1968, directed by

Gianni Puccini Gianni Puccini (9 November 1914 – 3 December 1968) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 32 films between 1940 and 1967. He also directed 18 films between 1951 and 1968. Selected filmography * ''Fourth Page'' (1942) ...

) * '' Bandits in Milan'' (1968, directed by Carlo Lizzani) as Pietro 'Piero' Cavallero * ' (1968, directed by ) * '' The Bandit'' (1969, directed by Carlo Lizzani) as Gramigna * '' Under the Sign of Scorpio'' (1969, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani) as Renno * '' Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion'' (1970, directed by Elio Petri) as "Il Dottore", the Police Inspector * '' Wind from the East'' (1970, directed by

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

and the Dziga Vertov Group) as Le ranger nordiste * '' Many Wars Ago'' (1970, directed by

) as Lt. Ottolenghi * ''

'' (1970, directed by

) as Vogel * '' Sacco e Vanzetti'' (1971, directed by

) as Bartolomeo Vanzetti * '' The Working Class Goes to Heaven'' (1971, directed by Elio Petri) as Lulù Massa * '' The Mattei Affair'' (1972, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Enrico Mattei * '' The Assassination'' (1972, directed by

Yves Boisset Yves Félix Claude Boisset (14 March 1939 – 31 March 2025) was a French film director and screenwriter. Early life Boisset was born 14 March 1939, in Paris, France. He studied at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC). ...

) as Sadiel * '' Slap the Monster on Page One'' (1972, directed by

) as Bizanti * ''

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano ( ; ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian gangster who operated mainly in the United States. He started his criminal career in the Five Points Gang and was instrumental in the ...

'' (1973, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Charles 'Lucky' Luciano * ''

Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno ( , ; ; born Filippo Bruno; January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, poet, alchemist, astrologer, cosmological theorist, and esotericist. He is known for his cosmological theories, which concep ...

'' (1973, directed by

) as Giordano Bruno * '' The Suspect'' (1975, directed by

) as Emilio * '' Letters from Marusia'' (1976, directed by

Miguel Littín Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides (born 9 August 1942) is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born in Palmilla, Colchagua Valley. CHILE. Career Miguel Littin directed ''Jackal of Nahueltoro, El Chacal de Nahu ...

) as Gregorio * '' Todo modo'' (1976, directed by Elio Petri) as M. * '' I Am Afraid'' (1977, directed by Damiano Damiani) as Brigadiere Ludovico Graziano * ''

'' (1979, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Carlo Levi * '' Ogro'' (1979, directed by

Gillo Pontecorvo Gilberto Pontecorvo (; 19 November 1919 – 12 October 2006) was an Italian filmmaker associated with the political cinema movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for directing the landmark war docudrama '' The Battle of Algiers'' (19 ...

) as Izarra * ''Stark System'' (1980, directed by Armenia Balducci) as Stark * ''

The Lady of the Camellias ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (), sometimes called ''Camille'' in English, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. First published in 1848 and subsequently Theatrical adaptation, adapted by Dumas for the Drama, stage, the pl ...

'' (1981, directed by

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the University of Florence, Bol ...

) as Plessis * ' (1982, TV miniseries, directed by Mauro Bolognini) as Count Mosca * '' La Mort de Mario Ricci'' (1983, directed by Claude Goretta) as Bernard Fontana * '' Il caso Moro'' (1986, directed by

Giuseppe Ferrara Giuseppe Ferrara (15 July 1932 – 25 June 2016) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.

) as Aldo Moro * '' Chronicle of a Death Foretold'' (1987, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Dr. Cristo Bedoya * '' Un ragazzo di Calabria'' (1987, directed by Luigi Comencini) as Felice * ''

'' (1988, directed by André Delvaux) as Zénon * '' Pestalozzi's Mountain'' (1989, directed by Peter von Gunten) as Pestalozzi * ''

Tre colonne in cronaca ''Tre colonne in cronaca'' (''Three columns in the news'') is a 1990 Italian drama film directed by Carlo Vanzina. It is loosely based on the novel with the same name written by Corrado Augias and Daniela Pasti. For his performance Sergio Cast ...

'' (1990, directed by Carlo Vanzina) as Alberto Landolfi * '' Open Doors'' (1990, directed by Gianni Amelio) as Judge Vito Di Francesco * '' A Simple Story'' (1991, directed by Emidio Greco) as Carmelo Franzò * '' Funes, a Great Love'' (1993, directed by Raúl de la Torre) as Bergama * '' Banderas, the Tyrant'' (1993, directed by

José Luis García Sánchez José Luis García Sánchez (born 22 September 1941) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed 30 films since 1968. He wrote for the 1973 film '' Habla, mudita'', which was entered into the 23rd Berlin Internation ...

) as Santos Banderas (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Giovanni Savastano: "Gian Maria Volonté. Recito dunque sono" Edizioni Clichy, 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volonte, Gianmaria 1933 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Italian male actors Italian male film actors Male actors from Milan Male Spaghetti Western actors Male Western (genre) film actors Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico alumni Burials in Sardinia Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners European Film Awards winners (people) David di Donatello winners Nastro d'Argento winners Silver Bear for Best Actor winners Italian communists Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recipients