Franco Nero | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Nero in 2016 | |
| Born | Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (1941-11-23)23 November 1941 (age 84) San Prospero Parmense, Parma, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, director |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingCarlo |
| Relatives |
|
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally asFranco Nero, is an Italian actor. His breakthrough role was as thetitle character in theSpaghetti Western filmDjango (1966), which made him apop culture icon and launched an international career that includes over 200 leading and supporting roles in a wide variety of films and television productions.[1]
During the 1960s and 1970s, Nero was actively involved in many popular Italian "genre trends", includingpolizieschi,gialli, and Spaghetti Westerns. His best-known films includeThe Bible: In the Beginning... (1966),Camelot (1967),The Day of the Owl (1968),The Mercenary (1968),Battle of Neretva (1969),Tristana (1970),Compañeros (1970),Confessions of a Police Captain (1971),The Fifth Cord (1971),High Crime (1973),Street Law (1974),Keoma (1976),Hitch-Hike (1977),Force 10 from Navarone (1978),Enter the Ninja (1981),Die Hard 2 (1990),Letters to Juliet (2010),Cars 2 (2011),John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), andThe Pope's Exorcist (2023).
Nero has had a long relationship withVanessa Redgrave, which began during the filming ofCamelot. With Redgrave, Nero starred in two films directed byTinto Brass:Dropout (1970) andLa Vacanza (1971). They were married in 2006, and are the parents of the actorCarlo Gabriel Nero (b.1969).
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero[2][3][4][5][6] was born inSan Prospero Parmense (Parma, Emilia-Romagna), the son of a commissioned officer in theCarabinieri.[7] His parents were originally fromSan Severo (Foggia, Apulia).[8][9] He grew up inBedonia and inMilan. He studied briefly at the Economy and Trade faculty of the local university, before leaving to study at thePiccolo Teatro di Milano.[10]
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Nero's first film role was a small part inPelle viva (1962),[11] and he had his first lead role inSergio Corbucci'sDjango (1966) aSpaghetti Western and one of his best-known films.[12] In 1966 fromDjango he went on to appear in eight more films released that year includingTexas, Adios (1966) andMassacre Time.
In 1967, he appeared inCamelot asLancelot, where Nero met his longtime romantic partner, and later his wife,Vanessa Redgrave.[13][14] Following this he appeared in the mafia filmThe Day of the Owl oppositeClaudia Cardinale released in 1968.[15]
A lack of proficiency in English tended to limit these roles, although Nero also appeared in other English-language films includingThe Virgin and the Gypsy (1970),Force 10 from Navarone (1978),Enter the Ninja (1981) andDie Hard 2 (1990).[16]
Although often typecast in films likeLos amigos (1973) orKeoma (1976) he has attempted an impressive range of characters, such asAbel inJohn Huston's epicThe Bible: In The Beginning (1966), the humiliated engineer out for revenge inStreet Law, the gay lieutenant inQuerelle (1982), andSerbian mediaeval hero inThe Falcon (1983). Nero has appeared in over 150 films, and has written, produced and starred in one:Jonathan degli orsi (1993).[17]
More recently, Nero starred in Hungarian directorKoltay Gábor [hu]'sHonfoglalás (Conquest) in 1996, inLi chiamarono... briganti! (1999) byPasquale Squitieri and subsequently in Koltay'sSacra Corona (Holy Crown) in 2001.[citation needed]
In 2009, Nero played an eccentric author called "Mario Puzzo" inMord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling ("Murder is my trade, darling", Italian title "Tesoro, sono un killer"). German critics found his performance was the best part of the film: "Having Franco Nero playing in this film is really a great joy – it is only regrettable that after his appearances there is still so much film left."[18]
In 2010, Nero appeared in the filmLetters to Juliet with Redgrave.[19][20] In 2011, he appeared as a guest star on the season 13 premiere episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit. His character, although Italian, was based onDominique Strauss-Kahn.[21] In the same year, he received a star on theItalian Walk of Fame inToronto, Ontario, Canada.[22]
In 2012, Nero made acameo appearance in the filmDjango Unchained in one scene alongsideJamie Foxx, who stars as Django Freeman in the film. Nero, playing the original Django, questions Foxx's Django about how his name is spelled, and asks him to spell it, referencing a scene from Nero's role as Django in the originalDjango film. Upon learning that their names are spelled the same way, Nero's Django says "I know" to Foxx's Django.[23]
In 2016 and 2017, he interpretedGabriele Tinti's poetry, giving voice to the masterpieces in theNational Roman Museum.[24][25]
Nero appears in the dark comedy feature filmThe Immortalist in 2020, along withSherilyn Fenn,Paul Rodriguez,Aries Spears and Jeff DuJardin, directed by Vlad Kozlov.[26]
In June 2024,principal photography was completed onThe Estate, a feature drama, executive produced by Nero, his wife Vanessa Redgrave, and sonCarlo Gabriel Nero. The film is written and directed by his son, and stars Nero and Vanessa Redgrave.[27]
In May 2025, Nero joined the cast ofBertrand Mandico's upcoming filmRoma elastica.[28]
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His romantic involvement with English actressVanessa Redgrave began in 1966 when they met on the set ofCamelot. In 1969, they had a son, Carlo Gabriel Redgrave Sparanero (known professionally asCarlo Gabriel Nero), a screenwriter and director. After separating for many years, during which they both had relationships with other people, they reunited and married on 31 December 2006.[29] Carlo Nero directed Redgrave in the cinematic adaptation ofWallace Shawn's playThe Fever.[30]
Nero dated actressesCatherine Deneuve,Goldie Hawn andUrsula Andress in the 1970s.[31][32][33]
In 1983, he had a second son, Frank Sparanero (also known as Frankie Nero or Frank Nero Jr). Born inRome by Danica Pevec (a.k.a. Alexandra Romanov), Frankie began his acting career withPupi Avati in 1996 at a filmFestival and then 1999 with the filmBuck and the Magic Bracelet byTonino Ricci. In addition to being an actor, he is also an artist, architect and photographer.
In December 1987, a paternity suit was filed against him in court inColombia where he was filming a movie. Mauricia Mena claimed that Nero had fathered her son Franquito after a brief romantic affair.[34]
In 1994, Nero walked his future stepdaughterNatasha Richardson (1963–2009) down the aisle when she married actorLiam Neeson.[35] Her father,Tony Richardson, had died in 1991.[36]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Legend of Valentino | Rudolph Valentino | Melville Shavelson | Television film |
| 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | Luttif Afif | William A. Graham | Television film |
| 1978 | The Pirate | Sheikh Baydr Al-Fay the Pirate | Ken Annakin | Television miniseries |
| 1979 | Le rose di Danzica | General Konrad van Der Berg | Alberto Bevilacqua | Television miniseries |
| 1983 | Wagner | Crespi | Tony Palmer | Television miniseries |
| Die Försterbuben | Andreas Boehme | Peter Patzak | Television film | |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Arbaces | Peter R. Hunt | Television miniseries |
| 1985 | Un marinaio e mezzo | Nick | Tommaso Dazzi | Television film |
| The Hitchhiker | Dr. Peter Milne | Mai Zetterling | Television series Episode: "Murderous Feelings" | |
| 1986 | Un altare per la madre | Edith Bruck | Television film | |
| 1987 | Il generale | Giuseppe Garibaldi | Luigi Magni | Television miniseries |
| 1988 | Windmills of the Gods | Ionescu | Lee Philips | Television miniseries |
| 1989 | The Magistrate | Paolo Pizzi | Kathy Mueller | Television miniseries |
| The Betrothed | Friar Cristoforo | Salvatore Nocita | Television miniseries | |
| 1990 | Blaues Blut | Sandro Castellani | Sidney Hayers | Television series Episode: "Gegen die Uhr" |
| Oggi ho vinto anch'io | Saverio Palluca | Lodovico Gasparini | Television film | |
| 1991 | Young Catherine | Count Mikhail Vorontsov | Michael Anderson | Television miniseries |
| Julianus barát | Domenico | Gábor Koltay | Television miniseries | |
| 1992 | Touch and Die | Aquani | Piernico Solinas | Television film |
| 1993 | Das Babylon Komplott | Chris Lang | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| Azzurro profondo | Luca Morinari | Filippo De Luigi | Television film | |
| 1994 | Nemici intimi | Lorenzo Stradella | Piernico Solinas | Television film |
| The Dragon Ring | The Dragon King | Lamberto Bava | Television miniseries | |
| 1996 | The Return of Sandokan | Yogi Azim | Enzo G. Castellari | Television miniseries |
| 1997 | David | Nathan | Robert Markowitz | Television film |
| Desert of Fire | Marcel Duvivier | Enzo G. Castellari | Television miniseries | |
| Painted Lady | Robert Tassi | Julian Jarrold | Television miniseries | |
| Nessuno escluso | Alfonso Martinez | Massimo Spano | Television film | |
| Bella Mafia | Mario Domino | David Greene | Television film | |
| 1998 | Il tesoro di Damasco | Andrea | José María Sánchez | Television film |
| 2000 | Paul the Apostle | Gamaliel | Roger Young | Television miniseries |
| 2001 | La voce del sangue | Antonio Castaldi | Alessandro Di Robilant | Television film |
| The Crusaders | Ibn-Azul | Dominique Othenin-Girard | Television miniseries | |
| 2002 | Die achte Todsünde: Toskana-Karussell | Giuseppe Mantaldo | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| 2003 | The Uncrowned Heart | Bear's Trainer | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften | Pietro Bellini | Marco Serafini | Television miniseries | |
| Cattive inclinazioni | Vagrant | Pierfrancesco Campanella | Television film | |
| 2005 | Summer Solstice | Lorenzo | Giles Foster | Television film |
| 2006 | The Holy Family | Zechariah | Raffaele Mertes | Television film |
| 2007 | Der Fürst und das Mädchen | Count Massimo di Romano | Karsten Wichniarz, Axel de Roche | Television series 8 episodes |
| Two Families | Morandi | Romano Scavolini | Television film | |
| 2008 | Il sangue e la rosa | Umberto Mancini | Salvatore Samperi,Luciano Odorisio, Luigi Parisi | Television series Episode: "Prima puntata" |
| Mein Herz in Chile | Carlos Sanchez | Jörg Grünler | Television film | |
| A Night at the Grand Hotel | Ferran Moreno | Thorsten Näter | Television film | |
| Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons | Max Freeman | Giles Foster | Television miniseries | |
| 2010 | Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine | Augustine of Hippo | Christian Duguay | Television miniseries |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Roberto Distasio | Michael Slovis | Television series Episode: "Scorched Earth" |
| 2017–18 | Delicious | Joe Benelli | John Hardwick,Clare Kilner | Television series 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Christmas in Rome | Luigi Forlinghetti | Ernie Barbarash | Hallmark Channel movie |
| 2022 | Django | Reverend | Francesca Comencini | Television series |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Cars 2: The Video Game | Uncle Topolino | Voice |
