Adolfo Celi

Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films. Although a prominent actor in Italian cinema and famed for many roles, he is best remembered internationally for his portrayal of Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Celi later spoofed his Thunderball role in the film OK Connery (aka Operation Double 007) opposite Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery.

Life and career

Celi became a film actor in post-war Italy. He left the Italian film industry when he emigrated to Brazil where he co-founded the Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia along with the Brazilian stage greats Paulo Autran and Tônia Carrero in São Paulo. He was successful as a stage actor in Argentina and Brazil. He directed three films in South America in the 1950s, including the Brazilian hit Tico-Tico no Fubá in 1952.

Celi began a new popular career when he played the villain in Philippe de Broca's That Man from Rio, selected by de Broca on location in Rio de Janeiro. The popularity of the film led him to be cast as camp commandant Battaglia opposite Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard's Allied POWs in the 1965 Second World War escape drama Von Ryan's Express. This led him to his most well-known role as Largo in Thunderball. He is also known to international audiences as Ralph Valmont, one of the villains in the Mario Bava action thriller Danger: Diabolik and the celebrated Fernando Di Leo's poliziottesco film Hired to Kill (La mala ordina, 1972) as Don Vito Tressoldi. Celi was considered for the part of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, which ultimately went to Marlon Brando.

Personal life and death Celi was married three times, including with Brazilian Tônia Carrero and Romanian Veronica Lazăr. His daughter Alessandra Celi, born to Lazăr, is also an actress. He died of a heart attack in Siena, Tuscany, in 1986.

Filmography

A Yank in Rome (Un americano in vacanza, 1946) as Tom Christmas at Camp 119 (Natale al campo 119, 1947) as John, il sergent americano Hey Boy (Proibito rubare, 1948) Immigrants (Emigrantes, 1948) as Il professore Caiçara (1950) as Genovés Tico-Tico no Fubá (1952) (uncredited) Sandokan the Great (Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem, 1963) as James Brooke That Man from Rio (L'homme de Rio, 1964) as Mário de Castro Three Nights of Love (Tre notti d'amore, 1964) Male Companion (Un monsieur de compagnie, 1964) as Benvenuto Beautiful Families (1964) (segment "Amare è un po' morire") as Professore Della Porta Crime on a Summer Morning (Par un beau matin d'été, 1965) as Van Willie Von Ryan's Express (1965) as Major Battaglia The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) as Giovanni de' Medici Slalom (1965) as Riccardo A Man Named John (E venne un uomo, 1965) as Msgr. Radini Tedeschi Thunderball (1965) as Emilio Largo El Greco (1966) as Don Miguel de Las Cuervas Yankee (1966) as Grande Concho Target for Killing (Das Geheimnis der gelben Mönche, 1966) as Henry Perkins Pleasant Nights (Le piacevoli notti, 1966) as Bernadozzo Grand Prix (1966) as Agostini Manetta King of Hearts (Le roi de coeur, 1966) as Colonel Alexander MacBibenbrook Dirty Heroes (Dalle Ardenne all'inferno, 1967) as Luc Rollman Master Stroke (Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà britannica, 1967) as Mr. Bernard The Honey Pot (1967) as Inspector Rizzi OK Connery (1967) as Mr. Thai – 'Beta' The Bobo (1967) as Francisco Carbonell Grand Slam (Ad ogni costo, 1967) as Mark Milfford Fantabulous Inc. (La Donna, il sesso e il superuomo, 1967) as Karl Maria van Beethoven Death Sentence (Sentenza di morte, 1968) as Friar Baldwin Seven Times Seven (Sette volte sette, 1968) as Warden Diabolik (1968) as Ralph Valmount It's Your Move (Uno scacco tutto matto, 1969) as Bayon / Guinet Alibi (L'alibi, 1969) as Adolfo Midas Run (1969) as General Ferranti Detective Belli (Un Detective, 1969) as Avvocato Fontana A Man for Emmanuelle (Io, Emmanuelle, 1969) as Sandri The Archangel (L'arcangelo, 1969) as Marco Tarrochi Roda In Search of Gregory (1969) as Max Death Knocks Twice (Blonde Köder für den Mörder, 1969) as Professor Max Spigler Rendezvous with Dishonour (Appuntamento col disonore, 1970) as Hermes Fragment of Fear (1970) as Signor Bardoni The Cop (Un condé, 1970) as Le Commissaire principal / Chief of police Brancaleone at the Crusades (Brancaleone alle crociate, 1970) as Re Boemondo Finale di partita (Alla ricerca di Gregory, 1970) They Have Changed Their Face (Hanno cambiato faccia, 1971) as Giovanni Nosferatu Una chica casi decente (1971) as César Martín de Valdés 'Duque' Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) as Inspector Vidocq 1931: Once Upon a Time in New York (Piazza pulita, 1972) as The Pole Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Fratello sole, sorella luna, 1972) as Consul Eye in the Labyrinth (L'occhio nel labirinto, 1972) as Frank Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why? (Terza ipotesi su un caso di perfetta strategia criminale, 1972) as Inspector Vezzi Who Saw Her Die? (Chi l'ha vista morire?, 1972) as Serafian Naked Girl Killed in the Park (Ragazza tutta nuda assassinata nel parco, 1972) as Inspector Huber Long Arm of the Godfather (La mano lunga del padrino, 1972) as Don Carmelo Hired to Kill (La mala ordina, 1972) as Vito Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) as Gen. Krebs Le Mataf (Tre per una grande rapina, 1973) as Me Desbordes Black Holiday (La villeggiatura, 1973) as Commissioner Rizzuto The Devil Is a Woman (Il sorriso del grande tentatore, 1974) as Father Borrelli The Phantom of Liberty (Le Fantôme de la liberté, 1974) as Le docteur de Legendre / Doctor Pasolini And Then There Were None (Ein unbekannter rechnet ab, 1974) as Gen. André Salvé The Balloon Vendor (Il venditore di palloncini, 1974) as Dr. Monforte Libera, My Love (Libera, amore mio..., 1975) as Felice Valente – Libera's father My Friends (Amici miei, 1975) as Professor Sassaroli L'amaro caso della baronessa di Carini (1975) as Don Mariano D'Agrò Sandokan (1976) as James Brooke Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (Uomini si nasce poliziotti si muore, 1976) as Captain Pure as a Lily (Come una rosa al naso, 1976) as L'onorevole Confessions of a Frustrated Housewife (La moglie di mio padre, 1976) as Antonio Lenzini Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (Signore e signori, buonanotte, 1976) as Vladimiro Palese The Next Man (1976) as Al Sharif The Big Operator (Le Grand escogriffe, 1976) as Rifai Merciless Man (Genova a mano armata, 1976) as Commissario Lo Gallo Febbre da cavallo (1976) as Judge Che notte quella notte! (1977) The Passengers (Les Passagers, 1977) as Boetani Pane, burro e marmellata (1977) as Aristide Bertelli Holocaust 2000 (1977) as Dr. Kerouac La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa! (1977) as James Brooke Man of Corleone (L'uomo di Corleone, 1977) The Perfect Crime (Indagine su un delitto perfetto, 1978) as Sir Harold Boyd Professor Kranz tedesco di Germania (1978) as Carcamano Le braghe del padrone (1978) as Euginio – the president L'affittacamere (1979) Café Express (1980) as Ispettore capo Ministero Car-napping (1980) as Head of police in Palermo Madly in Love (Innamorato pazzo, 1981) as Gustavo VI di San Tulipe Perdóname, amor (1982) as Ruggero Rivelli Monsignor (1982) as Cardinal Vinci All My Friends Part 2 (Amici miei atto II, 1982) as Professor Sassaroli Cinderella '80 (1984) as Principe Goncalvo Gherardeschi Passaporto segnalato (1985) as Avvocato Santi All My Friends Part 3 (Amici miei atto III, 1985) as Professor Sassaroli Il giocatore invisibile (1985) Due assi per un turbo (1987) as Il Caposcalo