Franco Nero is a famous actor, producer, screenwriter, director, originally from Italy. He became famous after the release of the film "Django" directed by Sergio Corbucci. Often played the role of the prosecutor in films about the work of the police.
Biography
Franco Nero was born on 11/23/1941 in the city of San Prospero in the province of Modena in Italy. The province is located in the Emilia-Romagna region. The full name of the actor is Francesco Sparanero. Franco's father was a policeman. The future actor spent his childhood in the city of Parma. Even then, he himself organized theatrical performances, first in school, and then in the army, where he created his own theater.
After the army, Franco left for Milan and began to study economics. To pay for his life in Milan and his education, Francesco got a job as a singer in a nightclub. He never finished training. The future actor even worked as an accountant before he was noticed and invited to the cinema.
Carier start
Franco never gave up hope of becoming an actor. One day he went on an excursion to Rome to the “Chinechitta” film studio - the center of Italian cinema, the film studio has an area of 40 hectares.
Federico Fellini, Lucino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, Sergio Leone and other famous Italian directors worked here. The studio was founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini. Here Franco Nero met with directors John Houston, Antonio Pietrangeli and Carlo Lidzani. This tour inspired Nero to become a movie actor. Even then, he was offered to play a small role in the movie, but then it did not work out.
The actor played his first role in the movie in 1963 in Alfredo Janetti's painting “Girl on loan”. This film means little in the career of an actor. The film "Django", released in 1966, determined the future life and career of Franco.
Spaghetti Western Django
Spaghetti Westerns are called Italian Westerns, filmed in southern Spain in desert areas that mimic the terrain of the American wild West. In total, in the 60-70s, Italian directors filmed more than 600 westerns.
Director Sergio Corbucci directed "Django" near Madrid. The film impressed the audience very much, many remakes and sequels of the picture were released. The main role was played by actor Franco Nero. The plot is based on the story of a cowboy Django, avenging his beloved and fighting alone with bandits and dishonest local authorities.
By the standards of that time, the film turned out to be very cruel (as for the modern viewer, the work of Quentin Tarantino). Interestingly, in 2012, it was Tarantino who shot his version of the painting entitled "Django Unchained". The 1966 film was banned from showing in a number of countries, including In Great Britain.
In 1987, director Nello Rossati filmed the official sequel to The Return of the Django, starring Franco.
Films of the 60-70s
In 1967, Franco continues to enjoy the fame earned by the role of Django. The films “The Death Comes Together with Django” directed by Luigi Bazzoni and Django Goodbye are released directed by Ferdinando Baldi. In 1968, Franco starred in the movie "Owl Day." This film is directed by Damiano Damiani, the first part of the trilogy about the Italian mafia. The protagonist of the film is a policeman investigating the murder in defiance of corrupt officials and the local mafia.
In 1968, director Elio Petri shot the film “A Quiet Place Outside the City,” starring Nero and Vanessa Redgrave. Franco got the role of a dreaming artist, Vanessa - the role of his manager and girlfriend Flavia. The film in the genre of mystical psychological drama was difficult for the actor, who was accustomed to acting in westerns and detective stories before. The picture, however, was a success - it was included in the competitive program of the film festival in Berlin.
In 1969, the film Yugoslav and Croatian director Velko Bulajić “The Battle of the Neretva” was released about the real battle that took place during the Second World War in Yugoslavia. The premiere of the film took place in the city of Sarajevo. The poster for the film was drawn by the genius of fine art Pablo Picasso.
The film played: Franco Nero in the role of Captain Riva, Sergey Bondarchuk in the role of Martin, Orson Welles in the role of Senator Chetniks, Oleg Vidov in the role of Nikola and other famous actors. “The Battle of the Neretva” was nominated for an Oscar in the category “Best Foreign Language Film”.
The actor has been participating in television projects since 1975.
Producer, screenwriter, director
Franco has fifteen producer works, two works as a screenwriter, two as a director. Films of Franco Nero Forever Blues and Apocalypse's Angel were released in 2005 and 2016, respectively. Unfortunately, they were not particularly successful.
As a screenwriter, Franco was more successful. The film "Jonathan - a friend of the bears" co-production of Italy and Russia was released in 1994. Nero played the main role in it.
Despite his considerable age, Franco is still a sought-after and very busy actor. His work schedule is scheduled for several years ahead.
Awards
The actor has only two significant achievements in the world of cinema. This is the nomination for the "Best Debutant" award for his role in the musical "Camelot" in 1968 and the prize "For contribution to world cinema" of the Moscow International Film Festival in 2017.
Personal life
Franco Nero met his future wife in 1967 on the set of the American musical Camelot. Franco played the role of the valiant Lancelot, and actress Vanessa Redgrave - the wife of King Arthur Ginevra. Vanessa at this time had just divorced her first husband, Tony Richardson, from whom she gave birth to two daughters.
Franco and Vanessa did not formally formalize their relationship for a long time. They entered into marriage only in 2006. The couple has a common son, Carlo Gabriel Nero, a writer and director.