Antun Nalis

Antun Nalis (9 February 1911 – 14 February 2000), a.k.a. Tonči Nalis, was a Croatian actor.

Antun Nalis was born in Zadar, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. After World War I Zadar became part of Italy, which later helped Nalis to play in Italian movies and portray Italian characters.

Nalis began to build his film career after World War Two. His first screen appearance in 1949 film Zastava almost became his last. In the film he played an Ustasha colonel and in the break between shooting he went to the store to buy groceries, forgetting to change his clothes. He was arrested by UDBA and it took some time to convince authorities that he was an actor playing Ustasha rather than actual Ustasha hiding in the woods after the war.

Not discouraged by the incident, Nalis continued with his career, appearing in many classics of 1950s and 1960s Croatian and Yugoslav cinema. After playing villains in his early career, in this period Nalis established himself in comedic roles in both film and television. Gradually he built a reputation as one of the most recognisable and dependable character actors.

Selected filmography

Zastava (1949) - Ustaski satnik Vuksan The Blue 9 (1950) - Fabris U oluji (1952) - Vincenco Sinji galeb (1953) - Lorenco Stone Horizons (1953) - Martin Koncert (1954) - Natporucnik Blodveien (1955) - Svare The Jubilee of Mr Ikel (1955) - Teodor Ikl Mala Jole (1955) Zle pare (1956) - Konte H-8... (1958) - Ivica - Thief Hvězda jede na jih (1959) - Festival director Agi Murad il diavolo bianco (1959) - Melders, Murad's Lieutenant Campo Mamula (1959) - Talijanski zapovjednik Manipolo Vetar je stao pred zoru (1959) - Nemacki major Austerlitz (1960) - (uncredited) Garibaldi (1961) Martin in the Clouds (1961) - Carmine The Emperor's New Clothes (1961) - Kapetan straze Adventurer at the Door (1961) - Oficir Happiness Comes at Nine o'Clock (1961) - Gradjanin Velika turneja (1961) - Vodja dramske grupe Tonci Karolina Rijecka (1961) - Andra Srescemo se veceras (1962) - Gradjanin Zvizduk u osam (1962) - Filmski reditelj Treasure of Silver Lake (1962) - Bruns (uncredited) Double Circle (1963) - Kuhar Apache Gold (1963) - Barman Hicks Sluzbeni polozaj (1964) - Cinovnik u administraciji Last of the Renegades (1964) - Sgt. Wagner (uncredited) Nikoletina Bursać (1964) - Zarobljeni domobran Prometheus of the Island (1964) - Elektricar Treasure of the Aztecs (1965) The Pyramid of the Sun God (1965) - Cortejo Čovik od svita (1965) - Krcmar Grgo The Oil Prince (1965) - Jenkins (uncredited) Denovi na iskusenie (1965) - Oficer predavnik (uncredited) Eagles Fly Early (1966) - Nemacki oficir (uncredited) Looking Into the Eyes of the Sun (1966) - Vemic The Seventh Continent (1966) - Otac djece Glineni golub (1966) - Zeljeznicar Martic Die Nibelungen (1966, part 1) - Person (uncredited) Kaya (1967) - Gradski uglednik Tonko Fast ein Held (1967) Goli čovik (1968) - Toni When You Hear the Bells (1969) - Charles / Topnik Sunday (1969) - Imbecil Togetherness (1970) - Papalopolous Družba Pere Kvržice (1970) - Velecasni The Way to Paradise (1970) - Lijecnik, kirurg Prvi splitski odred (1972) - Policajac Deveto cudo na istoku (1972) - Talijan sa povezom preko oka Crveni udar (1974) - Ustasa Train in the Snow (1976) - Urednik novina Occupation in 26 Pictures (1978) - Paolo Covjek koga treba ubiti (1979) High Voltage (1981) - Konobar Pad Italije (1981) The Secret of an Old Attic (1984) - Tonci The Red and the Black (1985) - Profasista My Uncle's Legacy (1988) - Drug na Martinovom sprovodu Captain America (1990) - Old Repairman Prica iz Hrvatske (1991) - (final film role)