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 (), lit ...

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 ''Zanna Bianca alla riscossa'' (internationally released as ''White Fang to the Rescue'') is a 1974 Italian adventure film directed by Tonino Ricci. It is an unofficial sequel of Lucio Fulci's 1973 film ''White Fang'', in which Ricci was second un ...

'', in part due to his resemblance to Franco Nero. However the following year became a true banner one for Merli when he made '' Violent Rome'' which was an enormous success, and made him the star of '' poliziotteschi'' genre. He went on to make 11 more, two as Commissario Betti, Merli's character in '' Violent Rome''. 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 (SFPD) ...

and a film of Nero. However, distinctive elements in '' Violent Rome'' reflected Italian law enforcement of the era. Similar to Luigi Calabresi, 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 '' Violent Rome'', 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 '' poliziotteschi''. 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 ...

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 c ...

match.

Partial filmography

*'' The Leopard'' (1963) - (uncredited) *''Due rrringos nel Texas'' (1967) - Union Soldier (uncredited) *'' Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen'' (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 *''

'' (1974) - Burt Halloway *'' Violent Rome'' (1975) - Commissario Betti *'' The Tough Ones'' (1976) - Inspector Leonardo Tanzi *'' Violent Naples'' (1976) - Commissario Betti *'' A Special Cop in Action'' (1976) - Betti *'' The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist'' (1977) - Leonardo Tanzi *'' Mannaja'' (1977) - Mannaja *'' Highway Racer'' (1977) - Marco Palma *''

Seagulls Fly Low ''Seagulls Fly Low'' ( it, I gabbiani volano basso) is a 1977 Italian crime film written and directed by Giorgio Cristallini and starring Maurizio Merli, Nathalie Delon and Mel Ferrer. It was shot between Rome, Civitavecchia and Ponza. Plot Cas ...

'' (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'' (1978) - Murri *'' Convoy Busters'' (1978) - Olmi *'' The Iron Commissioner'' (1978) - Commissario Mauro Mariani *'' From Corleone to Brooklyn'' (1979) - Lt. Giorgio Berni *'' Hunted City'' (1979) - Commissario Paolo Ferro *'' The Rebel'' (1980) - Nick Rossi *' (1981) - Mark Spencieri *'' Priest of Love'' (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