Franco Nero
Born: 1941-11-23 in San Prospero Parmense, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Known For: Acting
Biography
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born November 23, 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film Django (1966), which made him a pop culture icon and launched an international career that includes over 200 leading and supporting roles in a wide variety of films and television programmes. During the 1960s and 1970s, Nero was actively involved in many popular Italian "genre trends", including poliziotteschi, gialli, and Spaghetti Westerns. His best-known films include The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966), Camelot (1967), The Day of the Owl (1968), The Mercenary (1968), Battle of Neretva (1969), Tristana (1970), Compañeros (1970), Confessions of a Police Captain (1971), The Fifth Cord (1971), High Crime (1973), Street Law (1974), Keoma (1976), Hitch-Hike (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Enter the Ninja (1981), Die Hard 2 (1990), Letters to Juliet (2010), Cars 2 (2011), and John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). Nero has had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave, which began during the filming of Camelot. They were married in 2006, and are the parents of the actor Carlo Gabriel Nero.
Filmography
2026
- In the Hand of Dante as Don Lecco (86)
- Roma elastica as The Old Filmmaker
- Il Vecchio Terribile as Oste
- L'ANIME CHE OGNI OBESO HA BISOGNO ... (Epk Camera Operator)
2025
2024
- Titanus 1904 as Self
- The Jester from Transylvania as One-eye
- Compagni d'arte
2023
- The Pope's Exorcist as The Pope
- Django as Reverend
- On Our Way
- The Man Who Drew God as Emanuele
- Giorni felici as Antonio
- Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black as Valentino's Spirit
2022
- Buon Lavoro
- The Man from Rome as The Pope
2021
- The Match as Old Branko
- Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained as Self - Actor
- Off the Rails as Giovanni
- We Are Cinema as Self (archive footage)
- Two Men Alone as Himself
- The Duel
- Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto as Self
2020
- The Dark Dance as L'Impresario
- Entree Des Artists as Henry's Grandfather
- Immortalist as Paolo Spersoni
- Harmonie
2019
- The Collini Case as Fabrizio Collini
- Recon as Angelo
- A Rose in Winter as Rainer Praeger
- Havana Kyrie as Vittorio Arditi De Bellis
- Christmas in Rome as Luigi Forlinghetti
- Ed è subito sera
2018
- Red Land as Professor Ambrosin
2017
- John Wick: Chapter 2 as Julius
- The Lost City of Z as Baron de Gondoriz
- Iceman as Ditob
- The Neighborhood as Guglielmo
- The Broken Key as Hiram Abif
- The Time of Their Lives as Alberto
- Agony as Carlo
- Il crimine non va in pensione as il primario
2016
- Emigratis as Self
- Delicious as Joe Benelli
- Road to Ruin as Self
- Along the River as Frank De Ville
2015
- Road to Capri as Guido
- Earth
- Sergio Corbucci: The Smiling Man as Himself
2014
- Killer Mermaid as Niko
- Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films as Self - Actor
- The Mystery of Dante ... (Executive Producer)
- Love Island as Marquis Polesini
- Obsessive Rhythms as Carmine
- Red Chairs - Parma and the Cinema as Self
- Figli di Maam
- Django, Sartana, Trinita' et les autres… as Lui-même
2013
- Istintobrass as Self
- I Tarantiniani as Self
- Memories They Told Me as Paolo
- The Outsider: The Cinema of Antonio Margheriti as Self
- Handy as Frank The Black
2012
- Django Unchained as Amerigo Vessepi
- Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s as Self
- New Order as Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen
- Crazy Dog as Alvaro Genta
- The Last Alchemist as Felix the Alchemist
2010
- Letters to Juliet as Lorenzo
- Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire as Augustine of Hippo
- Rasputin as Narratore
- Restless Heart: The Confessions of Augustine as Augustinus (age 76)
- Prigioniero di un segreto as Il barbone
2009
2008
- Bathory: Countess of Blood as King Mathias
- Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons as Max Freeman
- Il sangue e la rosa as Conte Uberto Mancini
- Mein Herz in Chile as Carlos Sanchez
- Mein Herz in Chile as Carlos Sanchez
- La rabbia as Mentore
- Bastardi as Rene Iuvara
- Márió, a varázsló as Mario
- A Night at the Grand Hotel as Ferran Moreno
2007
- L'inchiesta - Anno Domini XXXIII as Caifa
- The Final Inquiry as Caifa
- Two Families as Morandi
- Mineurs as Michele Acucella
2006
- Giornata Nera
- The Holy Family as Zachary
- Amore e libertà - Masaniello as Vicerè
- Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern as Self
- Hans as Giudice/barbone
2005
- Rosamunde Pilcher - Magic of Love
- Summer Solstice as Lorenzo
- The Spaghetti West as Self
- Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker as Self
- Forever Blues as Luca
- Vasco Rossi - È solo un rock'n'roll show as Judge
2004
- Post Coitum as Bakchus
- Guardians of the Clouds as Padre
2003
- Der Fürst und das Mädchen
- Bad Inclination as Il barbone
- The Uncrowned Heart as Bear's Trainer
2002
- Through the Night with... as Self
- Fumata blanca as Cardenal Tura
- Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften as Fashion Billionaire
- Ultimo stadio as Antonio
- Die achte Todsünde: Das Toskana-Karussell as Giuseppe Mantaldo
- The Last Gunfighter as The pistolero
2001
- Ulisse - The Pleasure of Discovery as Self
- The Crusaders as Ibnazul
- Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 as General Francini
- The Crusaders as Ibnazul
- La voce del sangue as Antonio Castaldi
- Chimera as Imprenditore
- La ragion pura as Marito
- In the Company of Compañeros as Self
- Sacra Corona as Bishop Gellért
- Franco Nero: Back in the Saddle as Self
2000
- Saint Paul as Gamaliel
- Saint Paul as Gamaliel
- Winds of Passion as Michele Giangrande
- Mirka as Il Sindaco
- Uninvited as Ralph Barolo
1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Roberto Distasio
- Li chiamarono... briganti! as Caporale Nerza
1998
- Talk of Angels as Dr. Vicente Areavaga
- The Versace Murder as Gianni Versace
- Il tesoro di Damasco as Andrea
1997
- David as Natan
- Painted Lady as Robert Tassi
- Bella Mafia as Mario Domino
- David as Nathan
- Davide as Nathan
- Desert of Fire as Marcel Duvivier
- Desert of Fire as Marcel Duvivier
- The Medal as Ing. Ferrero
- Rack Up as Jesus Barro
1996
- The Return of Sandokan as Yogi Azim
- The Conquest as Árpád vezér
- The Innocent Sleep as Adolfo Cavani
1995
- Viva el lunes as Self
- Desideria e l'anello del drago as Dragon King
- Jonathan of the Bears as Jonathan
- Io e il re as Maggiore Ferri
1994
- The Dragon Ring as Dragon King
1993
- Der Fall Lucona as Enzo Lombardi
- Test of Memory as Paul Herzog
- Azzurro profondo as Luca Morinari
- Das Babylon Komplott as Chris Lang
1992
- Gold as Gabriele da Poppi
- Brothers and Sisters as Franco
- From Time to Time as Leonard De Vinci
- Amelia Lópes O'Neill as Fernando
1991
- Young Catherine as Count Vorontsov
- Touch and Die as Aquani
1990
- Die Hard 2 as General Ramon Esperanza
- Breath of Life as Angelo
1989
- I promessi sposi as fra Cristoforo
- Blaues Blut as Sandro Castellani
- A Double Victory as Saverio Pallucca
1988
- Top Line as Ted Angelo
- Race to Danger as Francis, il marinaio
- Young Toscanini as Claudio Toscanini
- Run for Your Life as Commissario
- Magdalene as Janza
1987
- The Girl as Johan (John) Berg
- Sweet Country as Paul
- Django Strikes Again as Django
1986
1985
- The Repenter as Falco
- André schafft sie alle as Andre
- Devil's Crude as Nick
1984
- The Last Days of Pompeii as Arbaces
- Die Försterbuben as Böhme
1983
- The Hitchhiker as Dr. Peter Milne
- The Falcon as Banović Strahinja
1982
- Na sowas! as Self
- Querelle as Lieutenant Seblon
- Red Bells Part I: Mexico in Flames as John Reed
- Grog as Nicola Fanelli
- Kamikaze '89 as Weiss
- Red Bells Part II: I Saw the Birth of a New World as John Reed
- Sergey Bondarchuk as Self
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works as Self
1981
- The Salamander as Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci
- Le rose di Danzica as Il generale Konrad Von Den Berg
- Enter the Ninja as Cole
1980
- The Man with Bogart's Face as Hakim
- Day of the Cobra as Larry Stanziani
- The Blue-Eyed Bandit as Renzo Dominici
1979
- Mimi as Guido
- The Visitor as Jesus Christ
- The Shark Hunter as Mike di Donato
- Le rose di Danzica as General Konrad von Der Berg
1978
- Force 10 from Navarone as Lescovar
- The Pirate as Baydr Al Fay
1977
- The Pirate as Baydr Al Fay
- Hitch Hike as Walter Mancini
- Sahara Cross as Jean Ballard
1976
- Submission as Armand
- Keoma as Keoma
- 21 Hours at Munich as Issa
- Victory March as Captain Asciutto
1975
- Death Rite as Sadry
- Cry, Onion! as Onion Stark
- How to Kill a Judge as Giacomo Solaris
- Smiling Maniacs as Judge Dani
- The Flower in His Mouth as Professore Michele Belcore
- The Legend of Valentino as Rudolph Valentino
1974
- Der große Preis as Self
- The Last Four Days as Walter Audisio
- Street Law as Carlo Antonelli
- Challenge to White Fang as Jason Scott
- Blood Brothers as Nicola Bellizzi
1973
- White Fang as Jason Scott
- Redneck as Mosquito
- High Crime as Commissario Belli
- The Assassination of Matteotti as Giacomo Matteotti
- Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears as Johnny Ears
1972
- The Harder They Come as Django (archive footage)
- The Monk as Ambrosio
- Pope Joan as Louis
1971
- Vacation as Osiride
- The Fifth Cord as Andrea Bild
- Don't Turn the Other Cheek as Prince Dimitri Vassilovich Vladek Orlowsky
- The Case Is Closed, Forget It as Vanzi
- Confessions of a Police Captain as Sostituto Procuratore Traini
1970
- Tristana as Horacio
- The Fifth Day of Peace as Bruno Grauber
- Compañeros as Yodlaf Peterson
- Dropout as Bruno
- The Virgin and the Gypsy as The gypsy
1969
- The Battle of Neretva as Capitano Michele Rossi
- Detective Belli as Commissario Stefano Belli
1968
- The Mercenary as Sergei Kowalski, The Polish
- The Day of the Owl as Captain Bellodi
- A Quiet Place in the Country as Leonardo Ferri
- Sardinia Kidnapped as Gavino
1967
- Camelot as Lancelot Du Lac
- Man, Pride and Vengeance as José
1966
- Django as Django
- The Bible: In the Beginning... as Abel
- Massacre Time as Tom Corbett
- Texas, Adios as Burt Sullivan
- The Wild, Wild Planet as Lt. Jake
- The Hired Killer as Tony Lo Bello
- The Third Eye as Mino Alberti (as Frank Nero)
- War of the Planets as Lt. Jake Jacowitx
1965
- I Knew Her Well as Italo - The garage attendant
- La Celestina P… R… as Fabrizio
- The Tramplers as Charley Garvey