# Franco Nero

Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor. 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 productions.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Nero was actively involved in many popular Italian "genre trends", including polizieschi, 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), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), and The Pope's Exorcist (2023).
Nero has had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave, which began during the filming of Camelot. With Redgrave, Nero starred in two films directed by Tinto Brass: Dropout (1970) and La Vacanza (1971). They were married in 2006, and are the parents of the actor Carlo Gabriel Nero (b.1969).

## Early life

Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero was born in San Prospero Parmense (Parma, Emilia-Romagna), the son of a commissioned officer in the Carabinieri. His parents were originally from San Severo (Foggia, Apulia). He grew up in Bedonia and in Milan. He studied briefly at the Economy and Trade faculty of the local university, before leaving to study at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.

## Career

Nero's first film role was a small part in Pelle viva (1962), and he had his first lead role in Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966) a Spaghetti Western and one of his best-known films. In 1966 from Django he went on to appear in eight more films released that year including Texas, Adios (1966) and Massacre Time.
In 1967, he appeared in Camelot as Lancelot, where Nero met his longtime romantic partner, and later his wife, Vanessa Redgrave. Following this he appeared in the mafia film Il The Day of the Owl opposite Claudia Cardinale released in 1968.
A lack of proficiency in English tended to limit these roles, although Nero also appeared in other English-language films including The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Enter the Ninja (1981) and Die Hard 2 (1990).
Although often typecast in films like Los amigos (1973) or Keoma (1976) he has attempted an impressive range of characters, such as Abel in John Huston's epic The Bible: In The Beginning (1966), the humiliated engineer out for revenge in Street Law, the gay lieutenant in Querelle (1982), and Serbian mediaeval hero in The Falcon (1983). Nero has appeared in over 150 films, and has written, produced and starred in one: Jonathan degli orsi (1993).
More recently, Nero starred in Hungarian director Koltay Gábor [hu]'s Honfoglalás (Conquest) in 1996, in Li chiamarono... briganti! (1999) by Pasquale Squitieri and subsequently in Koltay's Sacra Corona (Holy Crown) in 2001.
In 2009, Nero played an eccentric author called "Mario Puzzo" in Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling ("Murder is my trade, darling", Italian title "Tesoro, sono un killer"). German critics found his performance was the best part of the film: "Having Franco Nero playing in this film is really a great joy – it is only regrettable that after his appearances there is still so much film left."
In 2010, Nero appeared in the film Letters to Juliet with Redgrave. In 2011, he appeared as a guest star on the season 13 premiere episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. His character, although Italian, was based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn. In the same year, he received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In 2012, Nero made a cameo appearance in the film Django Unchained in one scene alongside Jamie Foxx, who stars as Django Freeman in the film. Nero, playing the original Django, questions Foxx's Django about how his name is spelled, and asks him to spell it, referencing a scene from Nero's role as Django in the original Django film. Upon learning that their names are spelled the same way, Nero's Django says "I know" to Foxx's Django.
In 2016 and 2017, he interpreted Gabriele Tinti's poetry, giving voice to the masterpieces in the National Roman Museum.
Nero appears in the dark comedy feature film The Immortalist in 2020, along with Sherilyn Fenn, Paul Rodriguez, Aries Spears and Jeff DuJardin, directed by Vlad Kozlov.
In June 2024, principal photography was completed on The Estate, a feature drama, executive produced by Nero, his wife Vanessa Redgrave, and son Carlo Gabriel Nero. The film is written and directed by his son, and stars Nero and Vanessa Redgrave.

## Personal life

His romantic involvement with English actress Vanessa Redgrave began in 1966 when they met on the set of Camelot. In 1969, they had a son, Carlo Gabriel Redgrave Sparanero (known professionally as Carlo Gabriel Nero), a screenwriter and director. After separating for many years, during which they both had relationships with other people, they reunited and married on 31 December 2006. Carlo Nero directed Redgrave in the cinematic adaptation of Wallace Shawn's play The Fever.
Nero dated actresses Catherine Deneuve, Goldie Hawn and Ursula Andress in the 1970s.
In 1983, he had a second son, Frank Sparanero (also known as Frankie Nero or Frank Nero Jr). Born in Rome by Danica Pevec (a.k.a. Alexandra Romanov), Frankie began his acting career with Pupi Avati in 1996 at a film Festival and then 1999 with the film Buck and the Magic Bracelet by Tonino Ricci. In addition to being an actor, he is also an artist, architect and photographer.
In December 1987, a paternity suit was filed against him in court in Colombia where he was filming a movie. Mauricia Mena claimed that Nero had fathered her son Franquito after a brief romantic affair.
In 1994, Nero walked his future stepdaughter Natasha Richardson (1963–2009) down the aisle when she married actor Liam Neeson. Her father, Tony Richardson, had died in 1991.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1965 | I Knew Her Well | Italo | Antonio Pietrangeli | |
| 1965 | The Tramplers | Charley Garvey | Albert Band | |
| 1965 | Wild, Wild Planet | Lt. Jake Jacowitz | Antonio Margheriti | |
| 1966 | War of the Planets | Lt. Jake Jacowitz | Antonio Margheriti | |
| 1966 | Hired Killer | Tony Lo Bello | Franco Prosperi | |
| 1966 | Django | Django | Sergio Corbucci | |
| 1966 | Massacre Time | Tom Corbett | Lucio Fulci | |
| 1966 | The Third Eye | Mino Alberti | Mino Guerrini | |
| 1966 | Texas, Adios | Sheriff Burt Sullivan | Ferdinando Baldi | |
| 1966 | The Bible: In the Beginning... | Abel | John Huston | First American film |
| 1967 | Man, Pride and Vengeance | Don José | Luigi Bazzoni | |
| 1967 | Camelot | Lancelot du Lac | Joshua Logan | Singing voice by Gene Merlino Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male |
| 1968 | The Day of the Owl | Capt. Claudio Bellodi | Damiano Damiani | David di Donatello Award for Best Actor |
| 1968 | Sardinia Kidnapped | Gavino | Gianfranco Mingozzi | |
| 1968 | The Mercenary | Sergei "Polack" Kowalski | Sergio Corbucci | |
| 1968 | A Quiet Place in the Country | Leonardo Ferri | Elio Petri | |
| 1969 | The Fifth Day of Peace | Ensign Bruno Grauber | Giuliano Montaldo | |
| 1969 | Detective Belli | Detective Stefano Belli | Romolo Guerrieri | |
| 1969 | Battle of Neretva | Capt. Michele Riva | Veljko Bulajić | |
| 1970 | Tristana | Horacio | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1970 | The Virgin and the Gypsy | The Gypsy | Christopher Miles | Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Star of Tomorrow, Male |
| 1970 | Dropout | Bruno Grazza | Tinto Brass | |
| 1970 | Compañeros | Yodlaf Peterson | Sergio Corbucci | |
| 1971 | The Case Is Closed, Forget It | Vanzi | Damiano Damiani | |
| 1971 | Confessions of a Police Captain | Deputy D.A. Traini | Damiano Damiani | Italian Golden Globe Award for Best Actor |
| 1971 | The Fifth Cord | Andrea Bild | Luigi Bazzoni | |
| 1971 | La vacanza | Osiride | Tinto Brass | |
| 1971 | Long Live Your Death | Dmitri Vassilovich Orlowsky | Duccio Tessari | |
| 1972 | Pope Joan | Louis II of Italy | Michael Anderson | |
| 1972 | The Monk | Ambrosio | Ado Kyrou | |
| 1973 | Redneck | Mosquito | Silvio Narizzano | |
| 1973 | Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears | Johnny Ears | Paolo Cavara | |
| 1973 | The Assassination of Matteotti | Giacomo Matteotti | Florestano Vancini | |
| 1973 | High Crime | Vice Commissioner Alessandro Nelli | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1973 | White Fang | Jason Scott | Lucio Fulci | |
| 1973 | I guappi | Nicola Bellizzi | Pasquale Squitieri | |
| 1974 | Last Days of Mussolini | Walter "Valerio" Audisio | Carlo Lizzani | |
| 1974 | Street Law | Carlo Antonelli | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1974 | Challenge to White Fang | Jason Scott | Lucio Fulci | |
| 1975 | Smiling Maniacs | Judge Roberto Dani | Marcello Aliprandi | |
| 1975 | How to Kill a Judge | Giacomo Solaris | Damiano Damiani | |
| 1975 | Cry, Onion! | Onion Stark | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1975 | The Flower in His Mouth | Professor Michele Belcore | Luigi Zampa | |
| 1976 | Victory March | Capt. Asciutto | Marco Bellocchio | |
| 1976 | Death Rite | Sadry | Claude Chabrol | |
| 1976 | Submission | Armand | Salvatore Samperi | |
| 1976 | Keoma | Keoma Shannon | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1977 | Sahara Cross | Jean Bellard | Tonino Valerii | |
| 1977 | Hitch-Hike | Walter Mancini | Pasquale Festa Campanile | |
| 1978 | Force 10 from Navarone | Captain Nicolai Lescovar \ Colonel von Ingorslebon | Guy Hamilton | |
| 1979 | The Visitor | Jesus Christ | Giulio Paradisi | Uncredited |
| 1979 | Mimi | Guido | Florestano Vancini | |
| 1979 | The Shark Hunter | Mike DiDonato | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1980 | The Man with Bogart's Face | Hakim | Robert Day | |
| 1980 | The Blue-Eyed Bandit | Renzo Dominici | Alfredo Giannetti | |
| 1980 | Day of the Cobra | Larry Stanzani | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1981 | The Salamander | Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci | Peter Zinner | |
| 1981 | The Falcon | Strahinja Banović | Vatroslav Mimica | |
| 1981 | Enter the Ninja | Cole | Menahem Golan | |
| 1982 | Red Bells | John Reed | Sergei Bondarchuk | |
| 1982 | Kamikaze 1989 | Weiss | Wolf Gremm | |
| 1982 | Querelle | Lieutenant Seblon | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | |
| 1982 | Grog | Nicola Fanelli | Francesco Laudadio | |
| 1983 | Red Bells II | John Reed | Sergei Bondarchuk | |
| 1985 | Andre Handles Them All | André | Peter Fratzscher | |
| 1985 | The Repenter | Judge Falco | Pasquale Squitieri | |
| 1987 | Sweet Country | Paul | Michael Cacoyannis | |
| 1987 | The Girl | Johan Berg | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1987 | Django Strikes Again | Django | Nello Rossati | |
| 1987 | Grosso guaio a Cartagena | Francis | Tommaso Dazzi | |
| 1988 | Top Line | Ted Angelo | Nello Rossati | |
| 1988 | Pigmalione 88 | Lorenzo | Flavio Mogherini | |
| 1988 | Young Toscanini | Claudio Toscanini | Franco Zeffirelli | |
| 1988 | Magdalene | Janza | Monica Teuber [de] | |
| 1988 | Run for Your Life | Comissare | Terence Young | |
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 | General Ramon Esperanza | Renny Harlin | |
| 1990 | Breath of Life | Gesulado | Beppe Cino | |
| 1991 | Amelia Lópes O'Neill | Fernando | Valeria Sarmiento | |
| 1992 | Brothers and Sisters | Franco | Pupi Avati | |
| 1992 | Crimson Dawn | Paul Herzog | Marcello Aliprandi | |
| 1992 | Zoloto | Gabriele da Poppi | Fabio Bonzi | |
| 1992 | The Player | Himself | Robert Altman | Scene deleted |
| 1993 | The Lucona Affair | Enzo Lombardo | Jack Gold | |
| 1993 | Jonathan of the Bears | Jonathan Kowalski | Enzo G. Castellari | |
| 1995 | Io e il re | Major Ferri | Lucio Gaudino | |
| 1996 | The Italians Are Coming | Luigi | Eyal Halfon | |
| 1996 | The Innocent Sleep | Adolfo Cavani | Scott Michell | |
| 1996 | The Conquest | Árpád | Gábor Koltay | |
| 1997 | Il tocco – La sfida | Jesus Barro | Enrico Coletti | |
| 1997 | La medaglia | Ferrero | Sergio Rossi | |
| 1998 | The Versace Murder | Gianni Versace | Menahem Golan | |
| 1998 | Talk of Angels | Dr. Vicente Areavaga | Nick Hamm | |
| 1999 | Brigands | Nerza | Pasquale Squitieri | |
| 1999 | Uninvited | Ralph Barolo | Carlo Gabriel Nero | |
| 2000 | Mirka | Giancarlo | Rachid Benhadj | |
| 2000 | Winds of Passion | Michele Giangrande | Sandro Cecca | |
| 2001 | Chimera | The Businessman | Pappi Corsicato | |
| 2001 | Sacra Corona | Bishop Gellért | Gábor Koltay | |
| 2001 | The Sleeping Wife | Marco | Silvano Agosti | |
| 2001 | Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 | General Michelangelo Francini | Brian Trenchard-Smith | |
| 2002 | Fumata blanca | Cardinal Tura | Miquel García Borda | |
| 2002 | Ultimo stadio | Antonio | Ivano De Matteo | |
| 2004 | Post Coitum | Bakchus | Juraj Jakubisko | |
| 2004 | Guardians of the Clouds | Il Padre | Luciano Odorisio | |
| 2005 | Forever Blues | Luca | Franco Nero | Also directorial debut |
| 2006 | Hans | The Magistrate | Louis Nero | |
| 2006 | Amore e libertà – Masaniello | Vicerè D'Arcos | Angelo Antonucci | |
| 2007 | Mineurs | Michele Acucella | Fulvio Wetzl | |
| 2008 | Márió, a varázsló | Mario | Tamás Almási | |
| 2008 | Bastardi | Rene Iuvara | Federico Del Zoppo, Andres Alce Meldonado | |
| 2008 | The Rage | Mentore | Louis Nero | |
| 2008 | Bathory: Countess of Blood | King Mathias II of Hungary | Juraj Jakubisko | |
| 2008 | Ti stramo - Ho voglia di un'ultima notte da manuale prima di tre baci sopra il cielo | Vagrant | Pino Insegno, Gianluca Sodaro | Cameo |
| 2009 | Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling | Enrico Puzzo | Sebastian Niemann | |
| 2009 | Palestrina - Prince of Music | Domenico Ferrabosco | Georg Brintrup | |
| 2010 | Angelus Hiroshimae | The Hunter | Giancarlo Planta | |
| 2010 | Letters to Juliet | Lorenzo Bartolini | Gary Winick | |
| 2010 | Prigioniero di un segreto | Vagrant | Carlo Fusco | |
| 2011 | Rasputin | Narrator | Louis Nero | |
| 2011 | New Order | Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen | Marco Rosson | |
| 2011 | Father | Enrico | Pasquale Squitieri | |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Uncle Topolino | John Lasseter | Voice |
| 2012 | Canepazzo | Alvaro Genta | David Petrucci | |
| 2012 | A Memória que me Contam | Paolo | Lúcia Murat | |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Amerigo Vessepi | Quentin Tarantino | Cameo |
| 2012 | The Woods | Enzo Philipo | Michael Mandell | |
| 2013 | Cadences obstinées | Carmine | Fanny Ardant | |
| 2013 | Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic | Circles Introduction | Mike Disa Shukō Murase Yasuomi Umetsu Victor Cook Jong-Sik Nam Kim Sang-jin Lee Seung-Gyu | Voice Italian version only |
| 2014 | Nymph | Niko | Milan Todorović | |
| 2014 | Love Island | Marquis Polesini | Jasmila Žbanić | |
| 2014 | Figli di Maam | Herod | Paolo Consorti | |
| 2016 | Il Ragazzo della Giudecca | Salvatore | Alfonso Bergamo | |
| 2016 | The Lost City of Z | Baron de Gondoriz | James Gray | |
| 2017 | The Neighborhood | Guglielmo | Frank D'Angelo | |
| 2017 | John Wick: Chapter 2 | Julius | Chad Stahelski | |
| 2017 | Il crimine non va in pensione | Primario | Fabio Fulco | |
| 2017 | Iceman | Ditob | Felix Randau | |
| 2017 | The Time of Their Lives | Alberto | Roger Goldby | |
| 2018 | The Broken Key | Hiram Abif | Louis Nero | |
| 2018 | Red Land (Rosso Istria) | Professor Ambrosin | Maximiliano Hernando Bruno | |
| 2018 | A Rose in Winter | Rainer Praeger | Joshua Sinclair | |
| 2019 | Ed è subito sera | Rosario De Martino | Claudio Insegno | |
| 2019 | The Collini Case | Fabrizio Collini | Marco Kreuzpaintner | |
| 2020 | Recon | Angelo | Robert David Port | |
| 2021 | The Match | Branko | Jakov Sedlar, Dominik Sedlar | |
| 2021 | Off the Rails | Giovanni | Jules Williamson | |
| 2021 | Immortalist | Paolo | Vladislav Kozlov | |
| 2022 | The Man from Rome | The Pope | Sergio Dow | |
| 2022 | The Man Who Drew God | Emanuele | Franco Nero | Also director |
| 2023 | The Pope's Exorcist | The Pope | Julius Avery | Nominated - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor |
| 2024 | Giorni Felici | Antonio | Simone Petralia | |
| TBA | In the Hand of Dante | | Julian Schnabel | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1975 | The Legend of Valentino | Rudolph Valentino | Melville Shavelson | Television film |
| 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | Luttif Afif | William A. Graham | Television film |
| 1978 | The Pirate | Sheikh Baydr Al-Fay the Pirate | Ken Annakin | Television miniseries |
| 1979 | Le rose di Danzica | General Konrad van Der Berg | Alberto Bevilacqua | Television miniseries |
| 1983 | Wagner | Crespi | Tony Palmer | Television miniseries |
| 1983 | Die Försterbuben | Andreas Boehme | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Arbaces | Peter R. Hunt | Television miniseries |
| 1985 | Un marinaio e mezzo | Nick | Tommaso Dazzi | Television film |
| 1985 | The Hitchhiker | Dr. Peter Milne | Mai Zetterling | Television series Episode: "Murderous Feelings" |
| 1986 | Un altare per la madre | | Edith Bruck | Television film |
| 1987 | Il generale | Giuseppe Garibaldi | Luigi Magni | Television miniseries |
| 1988 | Windmills of the Gods | Ionescu | Lee Philips | Television miniseries |
| 1989 | The Magistrate | Paolo Pizzi | Kathy Mueller | Television miniseries |
| 1989 | The Betrothed | Friar Cristoforo | Salvatore Nocita | Television miniseries |
| 1990 | Blaues Blut | Sandro Castellani | Sidney Hayers | Television series Episode: "Gegen die Uhr" |
| 1990 | Oggi ho vinto anch'io | Saverio Palluca | Lodovico Gasparini | Television film |
| 1991 | Young Catherine | Count Mikhail Vorontsov | Michael Anderson | Television miniseries |
| 1991 | Julianus barát | Domenico | Gábor Koltay | Television miniseries |
| 1992 | Touch and Die | Aquani | Piernico Solinas | Television film |
| 1993 | Das Babylon Komplott | Chris Lang | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| 1993 | Azzurro profondo | Luca Morinari | Filippo De Luigi | Television film |
| 1994 | Nemici intimi | Lorenzo Stradella | Piernico Solinas | Television film |
| 1994 | The Dragon Ring | The Dragon King | Lamberto Bava | Television miniseries |
| 1996 | The Return of Sandokan | Yogi Azim | Enzo G. Castellari | Television miniseries |
| 1997 | David | Nathan | Robert Markowitz | Television film |
| 1997 | Desert of Fire | Marcel Duvivier | Enzo G. Castellari | Television miniseries |
| 1997 | Painted Lady | Robert Tassi | Julian Jarrold | Television miniseries |
| 1997 | Nessuno escluso | Alfonso Martinez | Massimo Spano | Television film |
| 1997 | Bella Mafia | Mario Domino | David Greene | Television film |
| 1998 | Il tesoro di Damasco | Andrea | José María Sánchez | Television film |
| 2000 | St. Paul | Gamaliel | Roger Young | Television miniseries |
| 2001 | La voce del sangue | Antonio Castaldi | Alessandro Di Robilant | Television film |
| 2001 | The Crusaders | Ibn-Azul | Dominique Othenin-Girard | Television miniseries |
| 2002 | Die achte Todsünde: Toskana-Karussell | Giuseppe Mantaldo | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| 2003 | The Uncrowned Heart | Bear's Trainer | Peter Patzak | Television film |
| 2003 | Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften | Pietro Bellini | Marco Serafini | Television miniseries |
| 2003 | Cattive inclinazioni | Vagrant | Pierfrancesco Campanella | Television film |
| 2005 | Summer Solstice | Lorenzo | Giles Foster | Television film |
| 2006 | The Holy Family | Zechariah | Raffaele Mertes | Television film |
| 2007 | Der Fürst und das Mädchen | Count Massimo di Romano | Karsten Wichniarz, Axel de Roche | Television series 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Two Families | Morandi | Romano Scavolini | Television film |
| 2008 | Il sangue e la rosa | Umberto Mancini | Salvatore Samperi, Luciano Odorisio, Luigi Parisi | Television series Episode: "Prima puntata" |
| 2008 | Mein Herz in Chile | Carlos Sanchez | Jörg Grünler | Television film |
| 2008 | A Night at the Grand Hotel | Ferran Moreno | Thorsten Näter | Television film |
| 2008 | Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons | Max Freeman | Giles Foster | Television miniseries |
| 2010 | Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine | Augustine of Hippo | Christian Duguay | Television miniseries |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Roberto Distasio | Michael Slovis | Television series Episode: "Scorched Earth" |
| 2017–18 | Delicious | Joe Benelli | John Hardwick, Clare Kilner | Television series 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Christmas in Rome | Luigi Forlinghetti | Ernie Barbarash | Hallmark Channel movie |
| 2022 | Django | Reverend | Francesca Comencini | Television series |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Cars 2: The Video Game | Uncle Topolino | Voice |

## Discography

* 1985 – Will Change The World/Cambierà (Lovers, LVNP 802, 7" – with his son Carlo)