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Giuliano Gemma

Acting

Born September 2, 1938 · Rome, Italy

Died October 1, 2013

Also known as Montgomery Wood

Biography

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 (1965), Captain Montgomery Brown/'Ringo' in Tessari's The Return of Ringo (1965), the title character in Michele Lupo's Arizona Colt (1966), Scott Mary in Tonino Valerii's Day of Anger (1967) and Michael "California" Random in Lupo's California (1977). Born in Rome, Gemma first worked as a stuntman, then was offered real acting parts by director Duccio Tessari, starting with the film Arrivano i titani (1962). He also made an appearance in Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo as Garibaldi's General. Gemma later went on to star in Spaghetti Westerns in films such as A Pistol for Ringo (Una pistola per Ringo), Blood for a Silver Dollar (Un dollaro bucato), Wanted and Day of Anger (I giorni dell'ira). He was sometimes credited as Montgomery Wood. Giuliano Gemma's career survived the demise of the genre, and he remained active on Italian television. Gemma played in a variety of movies, including art-house offerings such as Valerio Zurlini's The Desert of the Tartars (Il deserto dei tartari) in 1976. The same year, Gemma won a David di Donatello, the Italian equivalent of the Oscar, for his portrayal of Major Matiss in The Desert of Tartars. Gemma also starred in a web comic named "Man Born Again" (2012) by Eclypsed Word. His daughter, Vera Gemma, is also an actress. Giuliano Gemma also worked as a sculptor. On 1 October 2013, Gemma died following a car accident in Cerveteri, near Rome. He was taken to a hospital in Civitavecchia and pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. Two other passengers, a man and his son, were also injured in the accident. Source: Article "Giuliano Gemma" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Awards & recognition

  • Grolla d'oroBest Leading Actor · 1979
  • David di Donatello AwardLifetime Achievement
  • Globo d'oroLivetime Achievement
  • Nastro d'Argento Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Premio Vittorio De Sica

Filmography39 titles

Ben-Hur

1959as Roman Officer with Messala (uncredited)

The Leopard

1963as Garibaldi's General

Scheherazade

1963as Didier

Day of Anger

1967as Scott Mary

Boccaccio '70

1962as Hercules (segment "La riffa") (uncredited)

Tenebrae

1982as Detective Germani

Closed Circuit

1978as Il pistolero

Erik the Viking

1965as Erik

I Am the Law

1977as Mori

Somewhere Beyond Love

1974as Nullo Branzi

Arizona Colt

1966as Arizona Colt

Even Angels Eat Beans

1973as Sonny

The Return of Ringo

1965as Capt. Montgomery Brown / 'Ringo'

A Man on His Knees

1979as Nino Peralta

Fort Yuma Gold

1966as Gary Diamond

A Pistol for Ringo

1965as Ringo

Mad Love

2001as De Veyre

Corbari

1970as Silvio Corbari

Long Days of Vengeance

1967as Ted Barnett

Adiós Gringo

1965as Brent Landers

The Price of Power

1969as Bill Willer

California

1977as Michael 'California' Random

The Master Touch

1972as Marco

Alive or Preferably Dead

1969as Monty Mulligan

A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof

1968as Billy Boy aka Tim Hawkins

Wanted

1967as Gary Ryan

To Rome with Love

2012as Hotel Manager

Messalina

1960as Marcello

The Two Gladiators

1964as Orazio

Goliath and the Sins of Babylon

1963as Xandros

Pompeii

as Tito

Safari Express

1976as John Baxter

Ben & Charlie

1972as Ben Bellew

Hercules Unchained

1959as Melanippo (uncredited)

The Final Inquiry

2006as Saulo

The Biggest Battle

1978as Capitano Martin Scott

Africa Express

1975as John Baxter

Battle of the Worlds

1961as Moran

When Women Had Tails

1970as Ulli