Tomas Milian

Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (March 3, 1933 – March 22, 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and musician, who worked extensively in American and Italian films. Born in Havana and educated at the Actors Studio in New York, Milian began his acting career in the United States before moving to Italy in the late 1950s, where he became best known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring roles in genre films.

Throughout the late-1960s and early-1970s, Milian established himself as a dynamic leading actor in a series of Spaghetti Western films, most notably The Big Gundown (1966), Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (1967), as well as Sergio Corbucci's parody of the genre The White, the Yellow, and the Black (1975), and Dennis Hopper's Western-influenced arthouse film The Last Movie (1971).

After the decline of Spaghetti Westerns, Milian transitioned to poliziottesco films. He was acclaimed as a psychotic killer in Almost Human (1974), and appeared in Emergency Squad (1974), The Tough Ones (1976) and The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist (1977). Returning to the United States in 1985, Milian performed supporting roles in movies like JFK (1991), Amistad (1997), Traffic (2000), and The Lost City (2005), and the television series Oz (1997). His father, also named Tomás, was a General in the Machado regime. He moved to the United States, enrolling in the University of Miami. After two years, he moved to New York City to study method acting at the Actors Studio, as a student of Lee Strasberg. Around that time, he became an American citizen.

Acting career

After starting a career in the United States, Milian went to Italy in 1958 to take part in a theatre festival in Spoleto. In Italy, he was discovered by director Mauro Bolognini and appeared in supporting roles in several drama films during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

He eventually decided to relocate to Italy, where he lived for over 25 years, becoming a very successful performer. His first film part in Italy was in the 1959 picture La notte brava. Although his voice was usually dubbed due to his accent, Milián performed his lines in Italian (or in English, depending on the film). He initially starred in arthouse movies and worked with directors such as Mauro Bolognini, Luchino Visconti, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. and ultimately resulted in his staying in Italy. He became a star of the Spaghetti Western genre, where he often played Mexican bandits or revolutionaries, roles in which he spoke in his real voice. He starred in The Ugly Ones (1966), The Big Gundown (1966), Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (1967), Face to Face (1967), Run, Man, Run (1968), Death Sentence (1968), Tepepa (1969), Compañeros (1970), Sonny and Jed (1972), Life Is Tough, Eh Providence? (1972) and Four of the Apocalypse (1975).

In 1969, he became a naturalized Italian citizen.

Milián also appeared in non-genre pictures, such as Bernardo Bertolucci's La Luna, for which he won a Nastro d'Argento for Best supporting Actor, and Michelangelo Antonioni's Identification of a Woman.

As he grew older, Milián decided to go back to the United States. He appeared in Sydney Pollack's Havana, Steven Spielberg's Amistad, Steven Soderbergh's Traffic as well as Andy García's The Lost City, about Revolutionary Cuba. He has also played many roles on stage. In 2005, he portrayed Generalisimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in the film version of Mario Vargas Llosa's novel The Feast of the Goat.

Musical career Milián, in addition to his acting career, was also an accomplished musician. In 1966, he founded the Tomas Milian Group with Ray Lovelock (vocals), Maurizio Luzi (guitar), Aldo "Fido" Colangelo (keyboard, vocals), Mario Piccinno (drums), Romeo Piccinno (guitar, vocals), and Peppe Colella (bass). He also wrote and performed the theme songs to several of his films. In a 2014 interview, he stated the first person he came out to was Claudia Cardinale. He married actress Margherita "Rita" Valletti with whom he had a son, Tomaso.

Death Milian was found dead from a stroke at his home in Miami on March 22, 2017.

On October 11, 2017, he received the Leone in Memoriam award at the 7º Almería Western Film Festival. It was picked up by his friend Luis Santeiro.

Filmography Film

+ Year Title Role Director Notes 1959 Bad Girls Don't Cry Moretto Mauro Bolognini 1960 Il bell'Antonio Edoardo Mauro Bolognini Silver Spoon Set Alberto De Matteis Francesco Maselli 1961 The Mishap Thomas Plemian Alberto Lattuada Italian: L'imprevisto A Day for Lionhearts Gino Migliacci Nanni Loy Italian: Un giorno da leoni Day by Day, Desperately Dario Dominici Alfredo Giannetti Italian: Giorno per giorno disperatamente 1962 Boccaccio '70 Conte Ottavio Luchino Visconti Disorder Bruno Franco Brusati La banda Casaroli Gabriele Ingenis Florestano Vancini 1963 Ro.Go.Pa.G. Centurione Pier Paolo Pasolini Segment: "La ricotta" 1963 Mad Sea Efsio Renato Castellani 1965 I Kill, You Kill Lorenzo Berti Gianni Puccini Time of Indifference Michele Francesco Maselli Italian: Gli indifferenti The Camp Followers Lt. Gaetano Martino Valerio Zurlini Italian: Le soldatesse The Agony and the Ecstasy Raphael Carol Reed I soldi Bob Gianni Puccini 1966 Madamigella di Maupin Chevalier d'Albert Mauro Bolognini The Ugly Ones José Gómez Eugenio Martin 1967 The Big Gundown Cuchillo Sanchez Sergio Sollima Italian: La resa dei conti Face to Face Beau Bennet Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! The Stranger Giulio Questi 1968 Bandits in Milan Comissario Walter Basevi Carlo Lizzani Death Sentence O'Hara Mario Lanfranchi Italian: Sentenza di morte Run, Man, Run! Cuchillo Sanchez Sergio Sollima A Fine Pair Roger Francesco Maselli Italian: Ruba al prossimo tuo 1969 Tepepa Jesus Maria "Tepepa" Moran Giulio Petroni The Conspiracy of Torture Olimpio Calvetti Lucio Fulci Italian: Beatrice Cenci Where Are You Going All Naked? Manfredo Pasquale Festa Campanile Italian: Dove vai tutta nuda? The Year of the Cannibals Emone Liliana Cavani Italian: I cannibali 1970 Compañeros El Vasco Sergio Corbucci Viva Cangaceiro Espedito Giovanni Fago 1971 The Designated Victim Stefano Augenti Maurizio Lucidi The Last Movie the Priest Dennis Hopper 1972 Ripped Off the Stranger Franco Prosperi Sonny and Jed Jed Trigado Sergio Corbucci Don't Torture a Duckling Andrea Martelli Lucio Fulci Italian: Non si sevizia un paperino Life Is Tough, Eh Providence? Provvidenza Giulio Petroni 1973 Counselor at Crime Thomas Accardo Alberto De Martino Italian: Il consigliori 1974 Emergency Squad Tomas Ravelli Stelvio Massi Italian: Squadra volante Almost Human Giulio Sacchi Umberto Lenzi 1975 Silent Action Rienzi Sergio Martino Syndicate Sadists Rambo Umberto Lenzi The White, the Yellow, and the Black Sakura Sergio Corbucci Four of the Apocalypse Chaco Lucio Fulci Italian: I quattro dell'apocalisse Thompson Yves Boisset Messalina, Messalina! Baba Bruno Corbucci 1976 Sex with a Smile Cavaliere Marelli Sergio Martino Italian: 40 gradi all'ombra del lenzuolo The Tough Ones Vincenzo Moretto Umberto Lenzi The Cop in Blue Jeans Nico Giraldi Bruno Corbucci Italian: Squadra antiscippo The Twist The Detective Claude Chabrol French: Folies bourgeoises Hit Squad Nico Giraldi Bruno Corbucci Italian: Squadra antifurto Young, Violent, Dangerous the Commissioner Romolo Guerrieri Italian: Liberi armati pericolosi 1977 The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist Luigi Maietto Umberto Lenzi Italian: Il cinico, l'infame, il violento Free Hand for a Tough Cop Sergio Marazzi Brothers Till We Die Sergio Marazzi / The Hunchback Italian: La banda del gobbo Destruction Force Sergio Marazzi Stelvio Massi Swindle Nico Giraldi Bruno Corbucci 1978 Little Italy Italian Squadra antimafia 1979 The Gang That Sold America Italian: Squadra antigangsters Assassinio sul Tevere La Luna Giuseppe Bernardo Bertolucci Winter Kills Frank Mayo William Richert 1980 Il lupo e l'agnello Cuckoo Francesco Massaro Delitto a Porta Romana Nico Giraldi Bruno Corbucci 1981 Manolesta Gino Quirino Pasquale Festa Campanile Crime at the Chinese Restaurant Nico Giraldi Bruno Corbucci Italian: Delitto al ristorante cinese Uno contro l'altro, praticamente amici Quinto Cecione 1982 Delitto sull'autostrada Nico Giraldi Identification of a Woman Niccolò Michelangelo Antonioni Italian: Identificazione di una donna Monsignor Father Francisco Frank Perry Cat and Dog Tony Roma Bruno Corbucci 1983 Crime in Formula One Nico Giraldi Italian: Delitto in Formula Uno 1984 Cop in Drag Italian: Delitto al Blue Gay 1985 King David Akiss Bruce Beresford 1986 Salomé Herod II Claude d'Anna 1987 Distant Lights Bernardo Bernardi Aurelio Chiesa Italian: Luci lontane 1989 Cat Chaser Andres DeBoya Abel Ferrara Massacre Play Clem Da Silva Damiano Damiani 1990 Revenge Cesar Tony Scott Havana Colonel Menocal Sydney Pollack 1991 Money Robert Zarra Steven Hilliard Stern JFK Leopoldo Oliver Stone 1994 The Cowboy Way Manny Huerta Gregg Champion 1997 Fools Rush In Tomas Fuentes Andy Tennant Amistad Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano Steven Spielberg 2000 The Yards Manuel Sequeira James Gray Traffic General Arturo Salazar Steven Soderbergh 2001 The Hire: Ambush Passenger John Frankenheimer Short 2002 Washington Heights Eddie Alfredo De Villa 2005 The Lost City Don Federico Fellove Andy García The Feast of the Goat Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Luis Llosa Spanish: La fiesta del chivo 2013 Tomas Milian: Acting on Instinct Himself Ozzy Inguanzo Documentary 2014 Fugly! Gramps Alfredo De Villa

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1958 Decoy Juan Ortega Episode: "Fiesta at Midnight" 1959 The Millionaire Sailor Episode: "The Louise Benton Story" 1985, 1987 The Equalizer Immanuel Pena, Duran Episodes: "Reign of Terror", "Shadow Play" 1985 Miami Vice Octavio Arroyo Episode: "Bought and Paid For" 1991 L.A. Law Joseph Sifuentes Episode: "The Gods Must Be Lawyers" 1992 Murder, She Wrote Enrico Montejano Episode: "Day of the Dead" Frannie's Turn Joseph Escobar 6 episodes ScreenPlay Ramon Cires Episode: "Bitter Harvest" 1997 Oz Ricardo Alvarez Episodes: "Visits, Conjugal and Otherwise", "To Your Health" 2000 Law & Order Colonel Emilio Pantoya Episode: "Vaya Con Dios"

TV films and miniseries

Awards and nominations