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