Gabriele Ferzetti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabriele Ferzetti
Ferzetti in 1998
Born	Pasquale Ferzetti (1925-03-17)17 March 1925 Rome, Italy
Died	2 December 2015(2015-12-02) (aged 90) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1942–2015
Children	1

Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015) was a famous Italian actor. He appeared in over 160 movies, TV shows, and plays during his long career. He was most active in the 1950s and 1960s.

Ferzetti's first main role was in the movie Lo Zappatore (1950). He played the famous composer Puccini in two films. He became known around the world after starring in the movie L'Avventura (1960). After playing many romantic characters, he became known in Italy as a very elegant and charming leading man.

Ferzetti played Lot in the big movie The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966). He also played a railroad boss named Morton in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). His most famous role internationally was in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). In this film, he played Marc Ange Draco, even though another actor spoke his lines. He was also known for his role as Hans, a psychiatrist, in The Night Porter (1974). In the 1970s, he often played police inspectors in crime movies.

Later in his career, he appeared in movies like Julia and Julia and I Am Love (2009). He also played Nono in the TV series Une famille formidable.

Biography

Early life

Gabriele Ferzetti was born Pasquale Ferzetti in Rome, Italy, on March 17, 1925. He studied acting at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica in Rome. However, he was later asked to leave the school.

Career

1940s: Starting out

Ferzetti's first movie was Via delle Cinque Lune in 1942. He also appeared in Bengasi and La contessa Castiglione that same year. After these early roles, he took a break from movies to act in plays. He returned to films with small parts in Lost Happiness (1946) and Les Misérables (1948). In 1949, he appeared in Flying Squadron and Sicilian Uprising. He also played Claudio in the historical drama Fabiola, which was well-received.

1950s: Becoming a star

Ferzetti with Gina Lollobrigida in The Wayward Wife (1953)

In 1950, Ferzetti got his first main role in Lo Zappatore, a movie about farm workers. After this, he got many more roles. He appeared in comedies like Welcome, Reverend! (1950) and dramas like The Forbidden Christ (1951).

He starred in the successful movie about the composer Puccini (1953) and played the role again in Casa Ricordi (1954). Ferzetti also starred in The Wayward Wife (1953), where he played a professor who falls in love with a glamorous star, played by Gina Lollobrigida. His performance earned him an award, making him a top actor in Italy.

In 1955, Ferzetti starred in The Girlfriends (Le Amiche). He played Lorenzo, a struggling artist. He also appeared in Donatella (1956) and the crime film Parola di ladro (1957). In 1959, he played Fabius Maximus in the historical film Hannibal.

1960s: International fame

Ferzetti with Lea Massari in L'avventura (1960)

Ferzetti made his big international breakthrough in 1960. He played Sandro in Michelangelo Antonioni's movie L'Avventura. His role was highly praised.

Ferzetti in Long Night in 1943 (1960)

The 1960s were a very busy time for Ferzetti. In 1962 alone, he appeared in seven films. These included Jessica with Angie Dickinson and Le Crime ne paie pas. He also had a role in the war drama Torpedo Bay (1963).

In 1965, he appeared in Crime on a Summer Morning and Three Rooms in Manhattan. He then started working on American movies. He played Lot in John Huston's biblical movie The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966). He also appeared in two episodes of the American TV show I Spy.

In 1968, Ferzetti was in eight films. One of his most notable roles was as Morton, the railroad boss, in Sergio Leone's western movie Once Upon a Time in the West. He acted alongside famous stars like Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

Ferzetti as Marc-Ange Draco in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

In 1969, Ferzetti starred in the crime film Gli intoccabili. He also reunited with Gina Lollobrigida in Un bellissimo novembre. His most famous role that year, and perhaps his most famous worldwide, was as Marc-Ange Draco in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He played the father of Tracy di Vicenzo, who marries James Bond. Even though Ferzetti spoke good English, his lines were spoken by another actor because of his strong Italian accent. His character, Draco, helps Bond destroy the villain's base at the end of the film.

1970s: Crime films and dramas

In 1970, Ferzetti starred in the political thriller The Confession. He also had a small role in Cold Sweat. In 1972, he appeared in the boxing drama Un uomo dalla pelle dura. He then appeared in several crime films, often playing an inspector.

Ferzetti played Wilhelm Keitel (pictured) in Hitler: The Last Ten Days

In 1973, Ferzetti played Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel in the movie Hitler: The Last Ten Days, starring Alec Guinness as Hitler. The next year, 1974, he appeared in The Night Porter. In this film, he played Hans, a psychiatrist. The movie is about the Holocaust and its effects.

Ferzetti continued to appear in crime films, such as ...a tutte le auto della polizia (1975) and Nick the Sting (1976). He also had a small role in the fantasy film A Matter of Time (1976), which starred Ingrid Bergman. In 1977, he was in The Psychic, playing the husband of a woman who has visions.

1980s–2015: Later career

In 1981, Ferzetti played a Turkish brigadier in the war film Inchon, which starred Laurence Olivier. He also appeared in Vatican Conspiracy (1982) and the crime comedy Grog (1982).

As he got older, Ferzetti appeared in fewer major films. He mostly acted in TV movies and mini-series. These included The Scarlet and the Black (1983) and Quo Vadis? (1985). He also appeared in Julia and Julia (1987) and Computron 22 (1988).

In the 1990s, Ferzetti had smaller roles in TV movies like Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990) and Private Crimes (1995). One of his main roles in the 1990s was as the Duke of Venice in Othello (1995).

In the 2000s, Ferzetti appeared in Lost Love (2003) and I Am Love (2009). His most well-known role after 1996 was as Nono in the French TV series Une famille formidable. He appeared in 11 episodes of this show between 1996 and 2007. His final movie role was as Enrico in the comedy 18 Years Later (2010).

Death

Gabriele Ferzetti passed away on December 2, 2015, at the age of 90.

Filmography

Cinema

Television

Images for kids

• 

  Ferzetti in 1998

• 

  Ferzetti with Gina Lollobrigida in The Wayward Wife (1953)

• 

  Ferzetti with Lea Massari in L'avventura (1960)

• 

  Ferzetti in Long Night in 1943 (1960)

• 

  Ferzetti as Marc-Ange Draco in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

• 

  Ferzetti played Wilhelm Keitel (pictured) in Hitler: The Last Ten Days

See also

In Spanish: Gabriele Ferzetti para niños