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
- Roma elastica
- Il Vecchio Terribile as Oste
- L'ANIME CHE OGNI OBESO HA BISOGNO ... (Epk Camera Operator)
2025
- The Estate
- In the Hand of Dante as Don Lecco
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
- Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black as Valentino's Spirit
- Giorni felici as Antonio
2022
- The Man from Rome as The Pope
- Buon Lavoro
2021
- We Are Cinema as Self (archive footage)
- Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained as Self - Actor
- The Match as Old Branko
- Off the Rails as Giovanni
- Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto as Self
- The Duel
- Two Men Alone as Himself
2020
- Immortalist as Paolo Spersoni
- Harmonie
- Entree Des Artists as Henry's Grandfather
- The Dark Dance as L'Impresario
2019
- Recon as Angelo
- The Collini Case as Fabrizio Collini
- Christmas in Rome as Luigi Forlinghetti
- A Rose in Winter as Rainer Praeger
- Havana Kyrie as Vittorio Arditi De Bellis
- 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 Broken Key as Hiram Abif
- Agony as Carlo
- The Neighborhood as Guglielmo
- The Time of Their Lives as Alberto
- 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
- Sergio Corbucci: The Smiling Man as Himself
- Earth
2014
- Killer Mermaid as Niko
- Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films as Self - Actor
- Love Island as Marquis Polesini
- Obsessive Rhythms as Carmine
- The Mystery of Dante ... (Executive Producer)
- 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
- Rasputin as Narratore
- Restless Heart: The Confessions of Augustine as Augustinus (age 76)
- Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire as Augustine of Hippo
- Prigioniero di un segreto as Il barbone
2009
2008
- Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons as Max Freeman
- Bathory: Countess of Blood as King Mathias
- Il sangue e la rosa as Conte Uberto Mancini
- La rabbia as Mentore
- Mein Herz in Chile as Carlos Sanchez
- Bastardi as Rene Iuvara
- A Night at the Grand Hotel as Ferran Moreno
- Mein Herz in Chile as Carlos Sanchez
- Márió, a varázsló as Mario
2007
- The Final Inquiry as Caifa
- L'inchiesta - Anno Domini XXXIII as Caifa
- Two Families as Morandi
- Mineurs as Michele Acucella
2006
- Hans as Giudice/barbone
- Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern as Self
- The Holy Family as Zachary
- Amore e libertà - Masaniello as Vicerè
- Giornata Nera
2005
- Rosamunde Pilcher - Magic of Love
- The Spaghetti West as Self
- Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker as Self
- Summer Solstice as Lorenzo
- Vasco Rossi - È solo un rock'n'roll show as Judge
- Forever Blues as Luca
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
- Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften as Fashion Billionaire
- The Last Gunfighter as The pistolero
- Ultimo stadio as Antonio
- Die achte Todsünde: Das Toskana-Karussell as Giuseppe Mantaldo
- Fumata blanca as Cardenal Tura
2001
- Ulisse - The pleasure of discovery as Self
- Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 as General Francini
- The Crusaders as Ibnazul
- The Crusaders as Ibnazul
- Sacra Corona as Bishop Gellért
- La voce del sangue as Antonio Castaldi
- In the Company of Compañeros as Self
- La ragion pura as Marito
- Chimera as Imprenditore
- Franco Nero: Back in the Saddle as Self
2000
- Saint Paul as Gamaliel
- Saint Paul as Gamaliel
- Mirka as Il Sindaco
- Uninvited as Ralph Barolo
- Winds of Passion as Michele Giangrande
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
- Desert of Fire as Marcel Duvivier
- David as Nathan
- Desert of Fire as Marcel Duvivier
- Davide as Nathan
- Rack Up as Jesus Barro
- The Medal as Ing. Ferrero
1996
- The Return of Sandokan as Yogi Azim
- The Innocent Sleep as Adolfo Cavani
- The Conquest as Árpád vezér
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
- Azzurro profondo as Luca Morinari
- Test of Memory as Paul Herzog
- Das Babylon Komplott as Chris Lang
1992
- Gold as Gabriele da Poppi
- Brothers and Sisters as Franco
- Amelia Lópes O'Neill as Fernando
- 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
- Blaues Blut as Sandro Castellani
- A Double Victory as Saverio Pallucca
1988
- Magdalene as Janza
- Top Line as Ted Angelo
- Young Toscanini as Claudio Toscanini
- Run for Your Life as Commissario
- Race to Danger as Francis, il marinaio
1987
- The Girl as Johan (John) Berg
- Django Strikes Again as Django
- Sweet Country as Paul
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
- Grog as Nicola Fanelli
- Red Bells Part II: I Saw the Birth of a New World as John Reed
- Kamikaze '89 as Weiss
- Red Bells Part I: Mexico in Flames as John Reed
- Sergey Bondarchuk as Self
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works as Self
1981
- The Salamander as Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci
- Enter the Ninja as Cole
- Le rose di Danzica as Il generale Konrad Von Den Berg
1980
- Day of the Cobra as Larry Stanziani
- The Man with Bogart's Face as Hakim
- 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
- Hitch Hike as Walter Mancini
- The Pirate as Baydr Al Fay
- Sahara Cross as Jean Ballard
1976
- Submission as Armand
- Keoma as Keoma
- 21 Hours at Munich as Issa
- Victory March as Captain Asciutto
1975
- Cry, Onion! as Onion Stark
- The Flower in His Mouth as Professore Michele Belcore
- Smiling Maniacs as Judge Dani
- How to Kill a Judge as Giacomo Solaris
- Death Rite as Sadry
- The Legend of Valentino as Rudolph Valentino
1974
- Der große Preis as Self
- The Last Four Days as Walter Audisio
- Blood Brothers as Nicola Bellizzi
- Challenge to White Fang as Jason Scott
- Street Law as Carlo Antonelli
1973
- White Fang as Jason Scott
- Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears as Johnny Ears
- High Crime as Commissario Belli
- Redneck as Mosquito
- The Assassination of Matteotti as Giacomo Matteotti
1972
- The Harder They Come as Django (archive footage)
- The Monk as Ambrosio
- Pope Joan as Louis
1971
- Vacation as Osiride
- Don't Turn the Other Cheek as Prince Dimitri Vassilovich Vladek Orlowsky
- The Case Is Closed, Forget It as Vanzi
- The Fifth Cord as Andrea Bild
- Confessions of a Police Captain as Sostituto Procuratore Traini
1970
- Compañeros as Yodlaf Peterson
- Tristana as Horacio
- The Fifth Day of Peace as Bruno Grauber
- The Virgin and the Gypsy as The gypsy
- Dropout as Bruno
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
- Texas, Adios as Burt Sullivan
- Massacre Time as Tom Corbett
- War of the Planets as Lt. Jake Jacowitx
- The Hired Killer as Tony Lo Bello
- The Third Eye as Mino Alberti (as Frank Nero)
- The Wild, Wild Planet as Lt. Jake
1965
- I Knew Her Well as Italo - The garage attendant
- The Tramplers as Charley Garvey
- La Celestina P… R… as Fabrizio