Maurizio Merli (February 8, 1940 – March 10, 1989) was an Italian

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), ...

and a star of many Italian police thrillers.

Career

After a decade of minor film roles, 1974 saw a breakthrough for Merli with his first starring role in a remake of romantic drama '' Catene'', and brought in as lead in the third of a franchise for '' White Fang to the Rescue'', in part due to his resemblance to

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 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), ...

. However the following year became a true banner one for Merli when he made ''

Violent Rome ''Violent Rome'' ( it, Roma violenta) is an Italian 1975 ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Marino Girolami It obtained a great commercial success and launched the career of Maurizio Merli. The film has two sequels, '' Violent Naples'' and '' A Spe ...

'' which was an enormous success, and made him the star of ''

poliziotteschi Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ' ...

'' genre. He went on to make 11 more, two as Commissario Betti, Merli's character in ''

''. Betti is a detective who metes out apoplectic violence, and in some way the character was an exploitative imitation of American police thrillers like

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

and a film of Nero. However, distinctive elements in ''

'' reflected Italian law enforcement of the era. Similar to

Luigi Calabresi Luigi Calabresi (14 November 1937 – 17 May 1972) was an Italian Police officer in Milan assassinated by far-left terrorists. This was one of the most important murders during the historical period of social turmoil and political violence in It ...

, a real life policeman who though morally upright became notorious after being denounced in media for brutality and was assassinated, the character of Betti finds himself a marked man. At the ending of ''

'', Betti's now paralyzed in a wheelchair colleague cannot escape the conviction that Betti is fated to have a short future. Merli appeared in a few international productions and even a comedy, but remained identified with Betti the toughest hero of ''

''. The genre's decline as he moved into middle age meant that his last roles were in lesser productions. The athletic looking Merli enjoyed participating in sport and was unaware of having any heart trouble, but he died suddenly in 1989 of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

after a

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

match.

Partial filmography

*''

The Leopard ''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli, after two rejections by the ...

'' (1963) - (uncredited) *''Due rrringos nel Texas'' (1967) - Union Soldier (uncredited) *''

Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen ''Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen'' ( it, Fenomenal e il tesoro di Tutankamen) is a 1968 Italian film directed by Ruggero Deodato. The film was produced by and starred Nicola Mauro Parenti as Fenomenal, a masked superhero who attempts t ...

'' (1968) - Pino *''Eros e Thanatos'' (1969) - Giornalista Barni *''Decameron proibitissimo (Boccaccio mio statte zitto)'' (1972) - Cecco - friend of Rinaldo *''Le mille e una notte all'italiana'' (1972) *'' Catene'' (1974) - Alfio Capuano *'' White Fang to the Rescue'' (1974) - Burt Halloway *''

'' (1975) - Commissario Betti *''

The Tough Ones ''The Tough Ones'' () is a 1999 Finnish film directed by Aleksi Mäkelä. It was Finland's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination.* Plot The film starts when Jussi ...

'' (1976) - Inspector Leonardo Tanzi *'' Violent Naples'' (1976) - Commissario Betti *''

A Special Cop in Action ''Special Cop in Action'' ( it, Italia a mano armata, lit=Italy at gunpoint) is a 1976 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Marino Girolami, here credited as Franco Martinelli. The film is the final chapter in the Girolami's Commissioner Bet ...

'' (1976) - Betti *''

The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist ''The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist'' ( it, Il cinico, l'infame, il violento, lit=The Cynic, the Infamous, the Violent) is an Italian ''poliziotteschi'' film directed in 1977 by Umberto Lenzi and third entry into the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza shared un ...

'' (1977) - Leonardo Tanzi *''

Mannaja ''Mannaja'' (also known as ''A Man Called Blade'') is an Italian 1977 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Martino. The main role, Blade, is played by Maurizio Merli. Other central roles are played by John Steiner, Sonja Jeannine, Donald O ...

'' (1977) - Mannaja *''

Highway Racer ''Highway Racer'' (originally titled ''Poliziotto sprint'') is a 1977 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Stelvio Massi. It was the first collaboration between Massi and Maurizio Merli, who worked together in six titles between 1977 and 198 ...

'' (1977) - Marco Palma *'' Seagulls Fly Low'' (1978) - Albert Morgan *''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'' (1978) - Walter 'Wally' Spada *'' Covert Action'' (1978) - John Florio *''

Fear in the City Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear i ...

'' (1978) - Murri *''

Convoy Busters ''Convoy Busters'' ( it, Un poliziotto scomodo) is a 1978 ''poliziotteschi'' film directed by Stelvio Massi and starring Maurizio Merli. Cast *Maurizio Merli: Inspector Francesco Olmi *Olga Karlatos: Anna *Massimo Serato: Degan Sr. *Mario Feli ...

'' (1978) - Olmi *''

The Iron Commissioner '' Il commissario di ferro'' ( is a 1978 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Stelvio Massi. Plot Commissioner Mauro Mariani is known for his severity towards criminals and for his habit of acting on his own, which cost him the transition f ...

'' (1978) - Commissario Mauro Mariani *''

From Corleone to Brooklyn ''From Corleone to Brooklyn'' (original title: ''Da Corleone a Brooklyn'') is an Italian '' poliziotteschi'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi. The film was released in Italy on 13 April 1979 and stars Maurizio Merli, Mario Merola and Van Johnson. ...

'' (1979) - Lt. Giorgio Berni *''

Hunted City ''Hunted City'' ( it, Sbirro, la tua legge è lenta... la mia no! ) is a 1979 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Stelvio Massi. It represents one of the few negative roles for Merola. Production ''Hunted City'' was the fifth collaboration betw ...

'' (1979) - Commissario Paolo Ferro *'' The Rebel'' (1980) - Nick Rossi *' (1981) - Mark Spencieri *''

Priest of Love ''Priest of Love'' is a British biographical film about D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda (née Von Richthofen) played by Ian McKellen and Janet Suzman. It was a Stanley J. Seeger presentation, produced and directed by Christopher Miles and ...

'' (1981) - Angelo Ravagli *' (1983) - Peter Wayne *''Tango blu'' (1987) - Walter Mantegazza

References

External links

* 1940 births 1989 deaths Italian male film actors Male actors from Rome 20th-century Italian male actors People of Lazian descent {{Italy-actor-stub