Gianni Garko
Encyclopedia
Gianni Garko is an Italian
actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns. He is perhaps best known for his lead role as Sartana
, starting with the first official film If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death
and starring in three sequels as this character.
, and later Rome
to attend University and Drama School. His first prominent film role was a small but important part in the Oscar nominated Kapò
(1959). He continued to play parts in several Italian productions including a sword and sandal
epic with Steve Reeves
. His big break came when he had role in Il Compagno Don Camillo (1965).
in Blood at Sundown. In this movie, he played an antagonist named Sartana. He would later play an unrelated protagonist named Sartana in the famous Sartana series of films. Other notable westerns he starred in were $10,000 Blood Money (1967) as an unofficial Django
, Veangeance is Mine/$100,000 for a Massacre (1967), They Call Him Cemetery (1971) alongside William Berger as well as a supporting role in Bad Man's River
with Lee Van Cleef
. During this time he had achieved considerable fame in Germany
, Italy
, and Spain
. Outside of the western genre, Garko starred in Five for Hell
(1969) with frequent co-star Klaus Kinski
, a small role in Waterloo as the brave and energetic French artillery commander Antoine Drouot
, and The Heroes, both with Rod Steiger
. He also starred in a highly memorable episode of Space: 1999
in 1975.
movies, sex comedies, and Poliziotteschi
movies. Among these are Il Boss
(1971), Sette note in nero
(1977 with Jennifer O'Neill
, Gli Occhi freddi della paura (1971), Hercules
(1983 with Lou Ferrigno
).
After appearing in Space: 1999
as Tony Cellini in the episode "Dragon's Domain
", starting in the 80's Garko concentrated more on television, theatre, and TV commercials as quality roles in film became fewer and farther in between. Popular in Europe
but little known in America
, in an interview, Garko mentioned that he had turned down the lead role in Pretty Baby (1978 with Brooke Shields
).
To this day, Garko has amassed a sizeable cult following of fans for being one of the premiere leading men of Spaghetti Westerns back in the 1960s.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns. He is perhaps best known for his lead role as Sartana
Sartana
Sartana is the name of a spaghetti western character first played by Gianni Garko and later by George Hilton. Other characters were unofficially called Sartana in unrelated films to capitalize on the success of the official films....
, starting with the first official film If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death , also known as Sartana, is a 1968 spaghetti western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini...
and starring in three sequels as this character.
Early life and career
Garko moved from Zadar to TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, and later Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to attend University and Drama School. His first prominent film role was a small but important part in the Oscar nominated Kapò
Kapò
Kapò is an Italian film about the Holocaust directed by Gillo Pontecorvo in 1959. It was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. It was an Italian-French co-production filmed in Yugoslavia.-Plot:...
(1959). He continued to play parts in several Italian productions including a sword and sandal
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
epic with Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
. His big break came when he had role in Il Compagno Don Camillo (1965).
Spaghetti Western Era
Garko became an instant breakout star in Europe in 1966 in the successful Spaghetti Western starring alongside Anthony SteffenAnthony Steffen
Anthony Steffen , pseudonym of Antônio Luiz de Teffé von Hoonholtz, was an Italian Brazilian actor who achieved fame as a leading man in over 25 Spaghetti Westerns.-Early life:...
in Blood at Sundown. In this movie, he played an antagonist named Sartana. He would later play an unrelated protagonist named Sartana in the famous Sartana series of films. Other notable westerns he starred in were $10,000 Blood Money (1967) as an unofficial Django
Django (character)
Django is a character which appears in a number of spaghetti western films.He appeared in thirty-one films in all.-Appearances:* Django * Django, this bullet for You * Django strikes first * Django the last slaughter...
, Veangeance is Mine/$100,000 for a Massacre (1967), They Call Him Cemetery (1971) alongside William Berger as well as a supporting role in Bad Man's River
Bad Man's River
Bad Man's River is a 1971 Comedy Western film directed by Eugenio Martín and starring Lee Van Cleef, James Mason, Gina Lollobrigida and Simón Andreu....
with Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
. During this time he had achieved considerable fame in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Outside of the western genre, Garko starred in Five for Hell
Five for Hell
Five for Hell is a 1969 Italian "macaroni combat" war film film starring Klaus Kinski. -Cast:* Gianni Garko - Lt. Glenn Hoffmann * Klaus Kinski - Standartenführer Hans Mueller* Aldo Canti - Nick Amadori...
(1969) with frequent co-star Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
, a small role in Waterloo as the brave and energetic French artillery commander Antoine Drouot
Antoine Drouot
Comte Antoine Drouot was one of Napoleon's generals.Born in Nancy, France, the son of a baker, he trained as an artilleryman and took part in the battles of the French Revolution where he rose through the ranks....
, and The Heroes, both with Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
. He also starred in a highly memorable episode of Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
in 1975.
Post Spaghetti Western Career
Like many of his contemporaries, his star diminished as Spaghetti Western genre began to decline. He was still able to get roles in several successful GialloGiallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
movies, sex comedies, and Poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi films constitute a sub-genre of crime and action film that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s...
movies. Among these are Il Boss
Il Boss
Il Boss, aka The Boss or Wipeout! is a poliziottesco film written and directed by the Italian crime film specialist Fernando Di Leo in 1973...
(1971), Sette note in nero
Sette note in nero
Sette note in nero is a 1977 Italian film. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti. It grossed 374,000,000 lire during its domestic release....
(1977 with Jennifer O'Neill
Jennifer O'Neill
-Early life:O'Neill was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the daughter of a famous Spanish-Irish dental supply import/export businessman, Oscar D' O'Neill and his English wife. As a teenager, O'Neill worked as a fashion model and appeared in television commercials and on magazine covers before moving...
, Gli Occhi freddi della paura (1971), Hercules
Hercules (1983 film)
Hercules is a 1983 Italian adventure film written and directed by Luigi Cozzi. The film follows the exploits of Hercules.Part of the adventure finds Hercules battling giant robots brought to life by stop motion animation. The musical score was provided by Pino Donaggio.Despite not being a critical...
(1983 with Lou Ferrigno
Lou Ferrigno
Louis Jude "Lou" Ferrigno is an American actor, fitness trainer/consultant, and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron...
).
After appearing in Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
as Tony Cellini in the episode "Dragon's Domain
Dragon's Domain
"Dragon's Domain" is the twenty-third episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Christopher Penfold; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script dated 21 January 1975, with blue-page amendments dated 29 January 1975 and yellow-page amendments dated...
", starting in the 80's Garko concentrated more on television, theatre, and TV commercials as quality roles in film became fewer and farther in between. Popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
but little known in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in an interview, Garko mentioned that he had turned down the lead role in Pretty Baby (1978 with Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
).
To this day, Garko has amassed a sizeable cult following of fans for being one of the premiere leading men of Spaghetti Westerns back in the 1960s.