Gian Maria Volonte

Gian Maria Volonté (; 9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor and activist. He is known for his roles in Italian Western films: Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, El Indio in Leone's For a Few Dollars More (1965), El Chuncho Munoz in Damiano Damiani's A Bullet for the General (1966) and Professor Brad Fletcher in Sergio Sollima's Face to Face (1967) as well as high-profile social dramas depicting the political and social stirrings of Italian and European society in the 1960s and 1970s, including four films directed by Elio Petri – We Still Kill the Old Way (1967), Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970), The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971), and Todo modo (1976). He is also recognized for his performances in Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Giuliano Montaldo's Sacco & Vanzetti (1971) and Giordano Bruno (1973), and Francesco Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979).

Early life Volonté was born in Milan, Lombardy, but grew up in Turin, Piedmont. His father Mario was a Fascist officer from Saronno, north of Milan, who in 1944 was in command of the Black Brigades of Chivasso, near Turin.

Career

Volonté made his debut in 1960 in Under Ten Flags, directed by Duilio Coletti. Both films were directed by the then-unknown Sergio Leone, and Volonté's roles in them would bring him his greatest recognition from American audiences.

Volonté's performances as memorable, neurotic characters, or as a gifted leader of brigands or revolutionaries, together with the unexpected, worldwide success of the films, gave him international fame. Volonté had already played comedies, including On the Tiger's Back (1961) by Luigi Comencini, In 1988 Volonté starred in the Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, The Abyss, as a physician-alchemist. The film was directed by André Delvaux from Marguerite Yourcenar's famous novel of the same name. In 1990, Volonté was named Best European Actor for Porte aperte. In 1991, at the 48th Venice International Film Festival, he won the Golden Lion for career achievement.

Personal life Volonté was a strong political activist and known for his pro-communist leanings. In 1981, he helped Oreste Scalzone to flee from capture in Italy to Denmark. He was the partner of Italian actress and Italian Communist Party deputy Carla Gravina for almost 10 years after they met when they played Romeo and Juliet in a theatre production in 1960. The two had a daughter Giovanna, born in the early 1960s. He was the long-time partner of director Armenia Balducci, who shared his political commitment and collaborated on several of his films. Actress Angelica Ippolito was his companion from the mid 1980s until his death in 1994. at the age of 61 in 1994 at Florina, Greece, during the filming of Ulysses' Gaze. Volonté's grave is in a small cemetery on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena, according to his wishes.

Selected filmography

Under Ten Flags (1960, directed by Duilio Coletti) as Samuel Braunstein Girl with a Suitcase (1961, directed by Valerio Zurlini) as Piero Benotti Journey Beneath the Desert (1961, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer) as Tarath Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961, directed by Vittorio Cottafavi) as Re di Sparta On the Tiger's Back (1961, directed by Luigi Comencini) as Papaleo A Man for Burning (1962, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani and Valentino Orsini) as Salvatore The Four Days of Naples (1962, directed by Nanni Loy) as Stimolo (uncredited) Noche de verano (1963, directed by Jorge Grau) as Alberto Suárez Il terrorista (1963, directed by Gianfranco De Bosio) as Braschi, l'ingeniere A Fistful of Dollars (credited as "John Wells") (1964, directed by Sergio Leone) as Ramón Rojo The Magnificent Cuckold (1965, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli) as The Councillor For a Few Dollars More (1965, directed by Sergio Leone) as El Indio Seasons of Our Love (1966, directed by Florestano Vancini) as Leonardo Varzi Wake Up and Die (1966, directed by Carlo Lizzani) as Inspector Moroni For Love and Gold (1966, directed by Mario Monicelli) as Teofilatto dei Leonzi La strega in amore (1966, directed by Damiano Damiani) as Fabrizio A Gangstergirl (1966, directed by Frans Weisz) A Bullet for the General (1967, directed by Damiano Damiani) as El Chuncho Munoz We Still Kill the Old Way (1967, directed by Elio Petri) as Prof. Paolo Laurana Face to Face (1967, directed by Sergio Sollima) as Professor Brad Fletcher The Seven Cervi Brothers (1968, directed by Gianni Puccini) Bandits in Milan (1968, directed by Carlo Lizzani) as Pietro 'Piero' Cavallero Summit (1968, directed by ) The Bandit (1969, directed by Carlo Lizzani) as Gramigna Under the Sign of Scorpio (1969, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani) as Renno Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970, directed by Elio Petri) as "Il Dottore", the Police Inspector Wind from the East (1970, directed by Jean-Luc Godard and the Dziga Vertov Group) as Le ranger nordiste Many Wars Ago (1970, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Lt. Ottolenghi Le Cercle Rouge (1970, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville) as Vogel Sacco e Vanzetti (1971, directed by Giuliano Montaldo) as Bartolomeo Vanzetti The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971, directed by Elio Petri) as Lulù Massa The Mattei Affair (1972, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Enrico Mattei The Assassination (1972, directed by Yves Boisset) as Sadiel Slap the Monster on Page One (1972, directed by Marco Bellocchio) as Bizanti Lucky Luciano (1973, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Charles 'Lucky' Luciano Giordano Bruno (1973, directed by Giuliano Montaldo) as Giordano Bruno The Suspect (1975, directed by Francesco Maselli) as Emilio Letters from Marusia (1976, directed by Miguel Littín) as Gregorio Todo modo (1976, directed by Elio Petri) as M. I Am Afraid (1977, directed by Damiano Damiani) as Brigadiere Ludovico Graziano Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Carlo Levi Ogro (1979, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo) as Izarra Stark System (1980, directed by Armenia Balducci) as Stark The Lady of the Camellias (1981, directed by Mauro Bolognini) as Plessis (1982, TV miniseries, directed by Mauro Bolognini) as Count Mosca La Mort de Mario Ricci (1983, directed by Claude Goretta) as Bernard Fontana Il caso Moro (1986, directed by Giuseppe Ferrara) as Aldo Moro Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1987, directed by Francesco Rosi) as Dr. Cristo Bedoya Un ragazzo di Calabria (1987, directed by Luigi Comencini) as Felice The Abyss (1988, directed by André Delvaux) as Zénon Pestalozzi's Mountain (1989, directed by Peter von Gunten) as Pestalozzi Tre colonne in cronaca (1990, directed by Carlo Vanzina) as Alberto Landolfi Open Doors (1990, directed by Gianni Amelio) as Judge Vito Di Francesco A Simple Story (1991, directed by Emidio Greco) as Carmelo Franzò Funes, a Great Love (1993, directed by Raúl de la Torre) as Bergama Banderas, the Tyrant (1993, directed by José Luis García Sánchez) as Santos Banderas (final film role)