Luigi Pistilli (19 July 192921 April 1996) was an Italian actor of stage, screen, and television. At one time Pistilli was one of Italy's most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. In theater, he was considered one of the country's finest interpreters of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's plays in ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

'' and '' St Joan of the Stockyards''. He is known to Italian horror movie buffs mainly for his three 1972 thrillers ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'', ''Iguana with the Tongue of Fire'' and ''Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key''. Pistilli committed suicide in 1996 at age 66.

Biography

Born in

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the ...

, Pistilli studied acting at Milan's Piccolo Teatro, graduating in 1955. Although he went into acting in films, he never completely severed his ties with the theater and often returned to appear in plays directed by

Giorgio Strehler Giorgio Strehler (; ; 14 August 1921 – 25 December 1997) was an actor, Italian opera and theatre director. Biography Strehler was born in Barcola, Trieste; His father, Bruno Strehler, was a native of Trieste with family roots in Vienna and died ...

. He appeared in many

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s such as ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...

'' (1966) (as the priest Pablo Ramírez, brother of

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...

's character Tuco) and in ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor ...

'' (1965) as the cunning second-in-command Groggy (his first credited film role). He played the murderous Albert in the

Mario Bava Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the M ...

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

'' Twitch of the Death Nerve'' (''A Bay of Blood'') in 1971. He had a regular role on the popular Italian television

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

drama ''

La piovra ''La Piovra'' (; en, The Octopus, referring to the Mafia) is an Italian television drama series about the Mafia. The series was directed by various directors who each worked on different seasons, including Damiano Damiani (first season), Flores ...

'' (''The Octopus''). He also appeared as the main villain in '' Death Rides a Horse'' (1967). After a role in the 1970

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

thriller ''

Cold Sweat "Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and rea ...

'', in 1972 he appeared in two

films ''Iguana With the Tongue of Fire'' and '' Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key'' (playing an alcoholic), and appeared as an exorcising priest in the 1974 cult horror film ''The Eerie Midnight Horror Show'' (aka ''The Sexorcist'').

Death

Pistilli committed suicide in his home in Milan just before he was scheduled to appear in the final performance of

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramati ...

'' on 21 April 1996. The program was panned by critics and audiences, and that might have contributed to Pistilli's state of mind. However, according to his suicide note, Pistilli had suffered deep despair after making bitter public comments regarding the recent end of a four-year off-stage relationship with singer/actress

Milva Maria Ilva Biolcati, (; 17 July 1939 – 23 April 2021), known as Milva (), was an Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality. She was also known as ''La Rossa'' (Italian for "The Redhead"), due to the characteristic co ...

. In his note he apologized to her for the spiteful statements released in the published interview.

Selected filmography

*''Walter e i suoi cugini'' (1961) – Man discussing with Tavolini (uncredited) *''

'' (1965) – Groggy (Indio's Gang) *''One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Lassiter'' (1966) – Danny *'' Texas, Adios'' (1966) – Hernandez *''

'' (1966) – Father Pablo Ramírez *''

We Still Kill the Old Way ''We Still Kill the Old Way'' ( it, A ciascuno il suo; ) is a 1967 Italian crime film directed by Elio Petri. It was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Screenplay. It is based on the novel '' To Each H ...

'' (1967) – Arturo Manno *'' Death Rides a Horse'' (1967) – Walcott *''La lunga sfida'' (1967) – Paynes *''

The Sweet Body of Deborah ''The Sweet Body of Deborah'' ( it, Il dolce corpo di Deborah) is a 1968 ''giallo'' film directed by Romolo Girolami and starring Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel. It was written by Ernesto Gastaldi based on a story by Gastaldi and producer Luciano M ...

'' (1968) – Philip (starring Carroll Baker) *''Roma come Chicago – Banditi a Roma'' (1969) – Colangeli *'' The Great Silence'' (1968) – Henry Pollicut *'' The Libertine'' (1968) – Otto Frank, aka Mr. X *'' The Protagonists'' (1968) – Tassoni *''L'amante di Gramigna'' (1969) *'' The Lady of Monza'' (1969) – Count Fuentes *'' Machine Gun McCain'' (1969) – Duke Mazzanga *''

Eagles Over London ''Eagles Over London'' ( it, La battaglia d'Inghilterra), is a " macaroni combat" war film from 1969 directed by Enzo G. Castellari.Severin Films DVD Case, 2009. Last accessed: September, 2009. It starred Frederick Stafford, Van Johnson and F ...

'' (1969) – Maj. Krueger *''La notte dei serpenti'' (1969) – Lieutenant 'The Snake' Hernandez *'' Dead of Summer'' (1970) – Doctor Volterra *''

'' (1970) – Fausto Gelardi (starring Charles Bronson) *''Veruschka – poesia di una donna'' (1971) – Luigi the manager *'' Twitch of the Death Nerve'' (1971) aka ''A Bay of Blood'' – Albert *''

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail ''The Case of the Scorpion's Tail'' (Italian: ''La coda dello scorpione'' / ''Tail of the Scorpion'') is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Sergio Martino, produced by Luciano Martino and co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Eduardo Maria Broc ...

'' (1971) – Inspector Stavros *''

The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire ''L'iguana dalla lingua di fuoco'' () is a 1971 ''giallo'' film. It is directed by Riccardo Freda, who was unhappy with the film and had his name replaced with the pseudonym "Willy Pareto". Cast * Luigi Pistilli as Detective John Norton * Dagma ...

'' (1971) – Detective John Norton *'' Caliber 9'' (1972) – Mercuri *'' Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key'' (1972) – Oliviero *''

A White Dress for Marialé ''Spirits of Death'' ( it, Un bianco vestito per Marialé/ translation: ''A White Dress for Mariale'') is a 1972 Italian film directed by Romano Scavolini and starring Ida Galli, Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli. The film was also released as ''Exo ...

'' (1972) – Paolo *''

Tragic Ceremony ''Tragic Ceremony'' ( it, Estratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di una capitale europea - ''lit. Extracted from the Secret Police Archives of a European Capital'', es, Trágica ceremonia en villa Alexander) is a 1972 horror film directed b ...

at Villa Alexander'' (1972) – Lord Alexander *''Il gatto di Brooklyn aspirante detective'' (1973) – Tony Mangialafoglia *'' The Black Hand (The Birth of the Mafia)'' (1973) – Don Nunzio Pantaleo *''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' (1973) – Carabinieri commander *''One Way'' (1973) – Javier *''

Silence the Witness ''Silence the Witness'' ( it, Il testimone deve tacere) is a 1974 Italian poliziottesco film written and directed by Giuseppe Rosati. Cast * Bekim Fehmiu: Dr. Giorgio Sironi * Rosanna Schiaffino: Luisa Sironi * Aldo Giuffrè: Inspector Santi ...

'' (1974) – Inspector De Luca *''

The Eerie Midnight Horror Show ''The Eerie Midnight Horror Show'' ( it, L'Ossessa/ The Exorcism; also known as ''Enter the Devil'', ''The Sexorcist'' and ''The Devil Obsession'') is a 1974 Italian horror film ''Exorcist'' clone directed by Mario Gariazzo, and starring Stella Ca ...

'' (1974) aka ''The Sexorcist'' – Father Xeno * '' The Suspects'' (1974) – Marcello Angiotti *''

The Killers Are Our Guests ''The Killers Are Our Guests'' (originally titled ''Gli assassini sono nostri ospiti'') is a 1974 Italian crime-thriller film directed by Vincenzo Rigo. Plot Franco, Eliana and Mario rob a jewelry store in Milan and take flight. Franco, howe ...

'' (1974) – Commissario Di Stefano *''

Cagliostro Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (, ; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795) was the alias of the Italian occultist Giuseppe Balsamo (; in French usually referred to as Joseph Balsamo). Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician. ...

'' (1975) – Cardinal de Rohan *''Due Magnum .38 per una città di carogne'' (1975) – Commissario Perri *''

Sins Without Intentions ''Sins Without Intentions'' ( it, Peccato senza malizia) is a 1975 Italian erotic-drama film written and directed by Theo Campanelli and starring Jenny Tamburi, Gabriele Tinti and Luigi Pistilli. Plot When she reaches adulthood, Stefania leaves ...

'' (1975) – Stefania's Stepfather *' (1976) – Commissario *''La principessa nuda'' (1976) – Marco *'' Illustrious Corpses'' (1976) – Cusan *''

Confessions of a Frustrated Housewife ''Confessions of a Frustrated Housewife'' ( it, La moglie di mio padre) is a 1976 Italian drama film directed by Andrea Bianchi and starring Carroll Baker. Cast * Carroll Baker as Laura * Adolfo Celi as Antonio Lenzini * Cesare Barro as Claudio ...

'' (1976) – Doctor Carlo *'' Antonio Gramsci: The Days of Prison'' (1977) – Gennaro Gramsci *''

Mamma Ebe ''Mamma Ebe'' (''Mother Ebe'') is a 1985 courtroom drama film directed by Carlo Lizzani. It was entered into the main competition at the 42nd Venice International Film Festival, in which Barbara De Rossi won the Pasinetti Award for best actress. B ...

'' (1985) – Roberto Lavagnino *''Una casa in bilico'' (1986) *''Mal d'Africa'' (1990) *''L'amante senza volto'' (1993) – Athos Magnani

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pistilli, Luigi 1929 births 1996 deaths 1996 suicides 20th-century Italian male actors Italian male film actors Italian male stage actors Italian male television actors Male Spaghetti Western actors People from Grosseto Suicides by hanging in Italy