Gian Maria Volontè

Milan, 9 April 1933 – Florina 6 December 1994

 

 

His father, Mario Volontè, was a fascist soldier originating in Saronno, in 1944 he was at the command of the Black Brigade of Chivasso; his mother, Carolina Bianchi belonged to a wealthy family of Milanese industrialists. As a boy because of the economic precariousness of the family, he spends a difficult and unhappy childhood, caused mainly by the arrest of his father, commander of the Black Brigade of Chivasso awaiting trial, dead perhaps suicidal or perhaps the beatings received by Jailers.Volonte was incarcerated on charges of ordering the shooting of some partisans. Carolina, the mother, seeks in every way to cope with the crisis, coming to rent the rooms of her big house and to sell many objects of value. Gian Maria abandoned his studies at the age of 14 and decided to find a job, in order to provide support to the poor mother. After working for almost two years in France as a worker for the harvesting of apples, he returns to Italy where he lives of expedients. In this period he volunteered for literature, becoming assiduous reader of the works of Camus and Sartre. 

At the age of 16 years Volontè, for economic needs, he joins the itinerant theater troupe the Chariots of Thespis, taking on the roles of help – wardrobe and Secretary. 

But such experience gives rise in him the passion for acting that, in 1954, will push him to Rome to attend the National Academy of dramatic art, where you Will soon notice that a young man of great talent. In 1957 van Zyl, a student at the Academy, he had his first experience as an actor reciting, directed by Franco Enriquez, in television drama the petrified forest, and later, directed by Corrado Pavolini, Phaedra. In 1959 recites in the company of the Teatro Stabile di Trieste in 1959, she starred in the television series the idiot and Caravaggio; in 1960 starred in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Theatre and in 1963, the good wife Carlo Goldoni, and Sacco and Vanzetti. 

In 1963 she starred in the tv movie the cutting of the wood, based on the homonymous short story by Carlo Cassola. His film debut with the film under ten flags, by Duilio Coletti. 

He was married to Tiziana Mix, but had other romances as Armenia Balducci, screenwriter and film director, the actress Carla Gravina, with whom he had a daughter Jeanne; Mireille Darc and Angelica Ippolito, goddaughter of Eduardo De Filippo, with whom he lived the last 15 years of his life. Volontè was also enrolled in the Italian Communist Party, appearing on the electoral rolls of 1975, salvo was dismissed when he helped to escape from Italy Oreste Scalzone, his friend and leader of the Worker's autonomy and Potere Operaio, sentenced to 16 years in prison. In the elections of ' 92 is candidate from the Democratic Party of the left in Rome-Viterbo – Latin – Frosinone, according to non-elected. In 1994 died of cardiac arrest during the filming of Ulysses ' gaze.  

 

 

Filmography

 

1959/ The Idiot, directed by Giorgio Albertazzi

1960/ The Pisana, directed by Giacomo Vaccari

1960/ Under ten Flags, directed by Duilio Coletti

1961/ The girl with the Suitcase, directed by Valerio Zurlini

1961/ Antinea, the lover, of the Buried city, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and Giuseppe Masini

1961/ A Horse of the Tiger, directed by Luigi Comencini

1962/ A man to burn, directed by Valentino Orsini, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

1962/ The four days of Naples, directed by Nanni Loy

1963/ Sin, directed by Jordi Grau

1963/ The cutting of the wood, directed by Vittorio Cottafavi

1963/ The Terrorist, directed by Gianfranco De Bosio

1964/ For A Fistful of Dollars, directed by Sergio Leone

1964/ The Magnificent Cuckold, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli

1965/ The inquiries of the Commissioner Maigret, directed by Mario Landi, episode of the first seriesa life in play

1965/ For a few Dollars more, directed by Sergio Leone

1966/ Wake Up and kill, directed by Carlo Lizzani

1966/ The seasons of Our Love, directed by Florestano vaccines

1966/ The Brancaleone Army, directed by Mario Monicelli

1966/  The Witch in Love, directed by Damiano Damiani

1966/ Quien sabe?, directed by Damiano Damiani

1967/ To each his, directed by Elio Petri

1967/ Face-to-face, directed by Sergio Sollima

1968/ Bandits in Milan, directed by Carlo Lizzani

1968/ The Seven Brothers Cervi, directed by Gianni Puccini

1968/ Summit, directed by Giorgio Bontempi

1968/ The lover of Gramigna, directed by Carlo Lizzani

1969/ Under the sign of Scorpio, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

1970/ Survey on a citizen above suspicion, directed by Elio Petri

1970/ Unnamed, directed by Jeane – Pierre Melville

1970/ Men Against, directed by Francesco Rosi

1970/ East Wind, directed by Jean Luc Godard

1971/ Sacco and Vanzetti, directed by Giuliano Montaldo

1971/ The working class goes to Heaven, directed by Elio Petri

1972/ The Mattei case, directed by Francesco Rosi

1972/ L'assassination, directed by Yves Boisset

1927/ Slam the monster on the front page, directed by Marco Bellocchio

1973/ Lucky Luciano, directed by Francesco Rosi

1973/ Giordano Bruno, directed by Giuliano Montaldo

1975/ The Suspicion, directed by Francesco Maselli

1975/ Music for Freedom, directed by Luigi Perelli

1976/ Todo modo, directed by Elio Petri

1976/ Actas de Marusia, History of a massacre, directed by Miguel Littìn

1977/ I'm afraid, directed by Damiano Damiani

1979/ Christ stopped at Eboli, directed by Francesco Rosi

1979/ Ogro, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo

1980/ Stark System, directed by Armenia Balducci

1981/ The True Story of the Lady of Camellias, directed by Mauro Bolognini

1982/ The death of Mario Ricci, directed by Claude Goretta

1986/ The Moro case, directed by Giuseppe Ferrara

1987/ Chronicle of a Death Foretold, directed by Francesco Rosi

1987/ A girl from Calabria, directed by Luigi Comencini

1988/ The Opera at the Black, directed by Andrè Delvaux

1989/ Pestalozzis Berg, directed by Peter Von Gunten

1990/ Three columns in Chronicle, directed by Carlo Vanzina

1990/ Open Doors, directed by Gianni Amelio

1991/ A simple story, directed by Greek Emidio

1992/ Funes, a great Amor, directed by Raoul de la Torre

1993/ The tyrant Banderas, directed by José Luis Garcìa Sànchez

 

 Italian Voicer

 

Nando Gazzolo in for a fistful of Dollars, for a few bucks more

Antonio Guidi in Summit, the seasons of our Love

Gianfranco Bellini in under ten flags