Ernesto Colli (16 May 1940 – 19 November 1982) was an Italian film, television and stage actor.

Life and career

Born in

Biella Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the Province of Biella, province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of ...

, Colli graduated from

liceo classico The ''liceo classico'' or ''ginnasio'' () is the oldest public secondary education in Italy, secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 196 ...

, then he started acting in some

amateur dramatics Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...

and starred in two lost

Super 8 film Super 8 mm film is a motion-picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format. The formal name for Super 8 is 8-mm Type S, distinguishing it from the ...

s. After one year of university he decided to abandon his studies to enroll the Fersen drama school in Rome. A real life friend of

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important producti ...

, Colli often acted alongside him, especially on stage, and he made his film debut playing a small role in the Gassman's film '' The Devil in Love''. He then appeared in a large number of movies and TV-series, even if usually in

character role A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014 ...

s. He was a character actor who acted actively especially during the seventies. Equipped with a particularly disturbing face, Ernesto Colli always recited customized roles for him, from the crazy to the delinquent and from the possessed to the weird man; probably the films where he had a most significant part wa
''The Pleasure Shop on 7th Avenue''
and in '' Deadly Inheritance'' . The last role he played was that of a porter of a stable in Rome, in the movie ''Pierino La Peste Alla Riscossa!'', shot a few months before his death and in which he already appeared with the face and the physique excavated by disease.

Selected filmography

* ''Il morbidone'' (1965) - Uomo del monsignore (uncredited) * ''

Pleasant Nights ''Pleasant Nights'' () is a 1966 Italian anthology comedy film directed by Armando Crispino and Luciano Lucignani and starring Vittorio Gassman and Gina Lollobrigida. Premise The film comprises three comedic tales set in the Middle Ages. Cas ...

'' (1966) - Baccio * '' The Devil in Love'' (1966) * '' Deadly Inheritance'' (1968) - Janot * ''Lucrezia'' (1968) - Valetto ambasciatore * ''

Spirits of the Dead ''Spirits of the Dead'' (, ), also known as ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination'' and ''Tales of Mystery'', is a 1968 horror anthology film comprising three segments respectively directed by Roger Vadim, Louis Malle and Federico Fellini, based o ...

'' (1968) - One of the Manetti brothers - director (segment "Toby Dammit") (uncredited) * '' Faustina'' (1968) - Vespasiano - Lover of Faustina's mother * ''Italiani! È severamente proibito servirsi della toilette durante le fermate'' (1969) * '' The Conspiracy of Torture'' (1969) - Chief Guard (uncredited) * ''Belle d'amore'' (1970) - Magnaccia (uncredited) * ''Quella chiara notte d'ottobre'' (1970) * '' Lady Caliph'' (1970) - Un operaio * ''La Poudre d'escampette'' (1971) * '' Er Più – storia d'amore e di coltello'' (1971) - Gigi * ''Per amore o per forza'' (1971) * ''Maddalena'' (1971) * ''

Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte ''Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte'' (translation: "Room 17-17, income taxes palace, tax office") is a 1971 Italian heist comedy film directed by Michele Lupo. Plot Paduan architect Giambattista Manteghin, actor Romolo More ...

'' (1971) - Parking Attendant * ''

Caliber 9 ''Caliber 9'' (; also released as ''The Contract'') is a 1972 Italian poliziottesco film written and directed by Fernando Di Leo and starring Gastone Moschin, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bouchet, Philippe Leroy, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, and Lionel S ...

'' (1972) - Alfredo Bertolon * ' (1972) * '' Hai sbagliato... dovevi uccidermi subito!'' (1972) - Dr. Torres * ''Decameron nº 3 - Le più belle donne del Boccaccio'' (1972) - Renutio (segment "The Mummy") * ''

Winged Devils ''Winged Devils'' (Italian: ''Forza "G"'', literally ''"G" Force'') is a 1972 Italian adventure-comedy film directed by Duccio Tessari. Cast *Riccardo Salvino: Lt. Gianni Orlando *Pino Colizzi: Cpt. Bergamini *Mico Cundari: Lt. Muschin * Ernes ...

'' (1972) - Leutnant Ernesto del Prete * '' The Infamous Column'' (1972) - Judge * ''Rugantino'' (1973) * ''

Torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...

'' (1973) - Gianni Tomasso, the scarf vendor * ''Non ho tempo'' (1973) * '' Hospitals: The White Mafia'' (1973) - Patient on the bus * '' Seven Hours of Violence'' (1973) - Tomassian * ''Buona parte di Paolina'' (1973) * ''

Claretta and Ben ''Claretta and Ben'' () is a 1974 Italian comedy film directed by Gian Luigi Polidoro. Plot Gino Pistone, manager of a provincial company, makes ends meet as best he can. The company is dissolved by the lead actress and he, to reunite it, has a ...

'' (1974) - Remengo * '' The Antichrist'' (1974) - Possessed Man * ''Bello come un arcangelo'' (1974) - Cicillo, Sacristan * ''

Autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

'' (1975) - Ivo * '' The Suspect'' (1975) - Party Functionary in Paris * ''

Giubbe rosse ''Giubbe rosse'' (''Red Coats''), internationally released as ''Cormack of the Mounties'', ''Killers of the Savage North'', ''Red Coat'' and ''Royal Mounted Police'', is a 1975 Italian adventure film co-written and directed by Joe D'Amato. It i ...

'' (1975) - Photographer (uncredited) * '' The Peaceful Age'' (1975) - Imbianchino * '' Go Gorilla Go'' (1975) - The Watchman of Builder's Yard (uncredited) * ''

Illustrious Corpses ''Illustrious Corpses'' (, ) is a 1976 Italian-French thriller film directed by Francesco Rosi and starring Lino Ventura, based on the novel '' Equal Danger'' by Leonardo Sciascia (1971). In 2008, the film was included in the Italian Ministr ...

'' (1976) - Detective on night duty * ''

Free Hand for a Tough Cop ''Free Hand for a Tough Cop'' (), also known as ''Tough Cop'', is an Italian poliziottesco-action film directed in 1976 by Umberto Lenzi and the second entry into the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza shared universe. In this movie Tomas Milian plays for the ...

'' (1976) - Roschetto * '' Meet Him and Die'' (1976) - Settecapelli * ''Puttana galera!'' (1976) * ''Io tigro, tu tigri, egli tigra'' (1978) - Conduttore del telegiornale (uncredited) * ''Il Porno Shop Della Settima Strada'' (1979) - Bob * ''Switch'' (1979) - Il Malato * ''Pierino la Peste Alla Riscossa!'' (1982) - portiere di via Piccolomini * ''Porca vacca'' (1982) - (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colli, Ernesto 1940 births 1982 deaths Italian male film actors Italian male television actors Italian male stage actors People from Biella Male actors from Piedmont 20th-century Italian male actors