Antonio Cantafora (2 February 1944 – 20 April 2024), also known professionally as Michael Coby, was an Italian film and television actor.

Life and career

Born in

Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...

, Cantafora studied acting with

Alessandro Fersen Alessandro Fersen (5 December 1911 – 3 October 2001) was a Polish-born Italian dramatist, actor, theater director, author and drama teacher. Life He was born as Aleksander Fajrajzen in Łódź to a Jewish family, that moved to Genoa in 1913. ...

, then he made his film debut in 1967. Between 1973 and 1977, he made a series of films with Paul L. Smith, a couple formed with the purpose of copying the successful films of the duo

Terence Hill and Bud Spencer Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti in 1939) and Bud Spencer (born Carlo Pedersoli, 1929–2016) are Italian actors who made numerous action-comedy and spaghetti Western films together. They "garnered world acclaim and attracted millions to theater ...

. Smith played

Bud Spencer Bud Spencer (born Carlo Pedersoli; 31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016) was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player. He was known for action-comedy and spaghetti Western roles with his long-time film partner and friend Ter ...

-like characters, while Coby was thanks to a vague resemblance a

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with hi ...

lookalike. Later Cantafora continued his career mainly as a character actor, working with prominent directors such as

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (; born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist, actor and painter. Beginning as a screenwriter for Andrzej Wajda's ''Innocent Sorcerers'' (1960), Skolimowski has made more than twenty films since his dire ...

Bruno Barreto Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barreto has been making feature-length films ever since he was 17 years old and remains one of Brazil's most accomplished and pop ...

Alberto Lattuada Mario Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a studen ...

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the University of Florence, Bol ...

. Cantafora died of a heart attack in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

on 20 April 2024, aged 80.

Partial filmography

* '' The Dirty Outlaws'' (1967) - (uncredited) * ''Lo stato d'assedio'' (1969) - Umberto * ''Ombre roventi'' (1970) * ''

And God Said to Cain ''And God Said to Cain'' (, ) is an Italian-German 1970 Gothic Western film. The story is about Gary Hamilton, who is granted a free pardon from a prison work camp and heads out after the men who framed him. The film is set at a stormy night in ...

'' (1970) - Dick Acombar * ''Shoot Joe, and Shoot Again'' (1971) - Jack's Man * '' Black Killer'' (1971) - Ramon O'Hara * ''

Baron Blood Baron Blood is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Baron Blood, John Falsworth, first appeared in ''The Invaders (comics), The Invaders'' #7 (July 1976), who has ...

'' (1972) - Peter Kleist * ''Decameron proibitissimo (Boccaccio mio statte zitto)'' (1972) - Fra' Domenico * ''Novelle galeotte d'amore'' (1972) * ''Bounty Hunter in Trinity'' (1972) - Pizarro * ''Metti lo diavolo tuo ne lo mio inferno'' (1973) - Ricciardetto * ''L'affaire Crazy Capo'' (1973) - Antonio Marchesi * '' Supermen Against the Orient'' (1973) - Max * ''...e continuavano a mettere lo diavolo ne lo inferno'' (1973) - Ricciardo * '' Carambola!'' (1974) - Toby * ''La badessa di Castro'' (1974) - Giulio Branciforti * '' Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket'' (1975) - Coby * '' Convoy Buddies'' (1975) - Toby * '' We Are No Angels'' (1975) - Angel * '' The Diamond Peddlers'' (1976) - Matteo / Butch * ''La casa'' (1976) - Philip * '' Carioca tigre'' (1976) - Carlo Parodi * ''

Sahara Cross ''Sahara Cross'' is a 1977 Italian action film directed by Tonino Valerii. It is the first Italian film to use steadicam.David Ballerini, ''Steadicam. Una rivoluzione nel modo di fare cinema'', Falsopiano, Alessandria 1999, p. 70. Plot Cast ...

'' (1977) * '' Enfantasme'' (1978) - Flavio, le hippy * ''Midnight Blue'' (1979) - Pier Luigi * '' Supersonic Man'' (1979) - Paul * '' The Bitch'' (1979) - Nico Cantafora * '' The Cricket'' (1980) - Alberto 'Cipria' Antonelli * ''

Gabriela Gabriela may refer to: * Gabriela (given name) Gabriela is the Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, Spanish, Czech language, Czech, Slovak language, Slovak, Romanian language, Romanian, Latvian language, Latvian, Polish language, Po ...

'' (1983) - Tonico Bastos * ''

Scream for Help ''Scream for Help'' is a 1984 British horror film directed by Michael Winner, written by Tom Holland, and starring Rachael Kelly, David Brooks, and Marie Masters. Set in New Rochelle, New York, the film follows a teenage girl who discovers that ...

'' (1984) - Man At Motel * ''

Demons 2 ''Demons 2'' () is a 1986 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento. It is a sequel to Bava's 1985 film ''Demons'' and stars David Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi Tassoni, as well as Argento's youngest da ...

'' (1986) - Ingrid's Father * ''Puro cashmere'' (1986) - Jody * ''

Intervista ''Intervista'' (English: ''Interview'') is a 1987 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini. Plot Interviewed by a Japanese TV crew for a news report on his latest film, Fellini takes the viewer behind the scenes at Cinecittà. A nighttime set i ...

'' (1987) - Spouse * ''Il coraggio di parlare'' (1987) - Caporale * ''Der Commander'' (1988) - Nick De Carlo * ''Donna d'ombra'' (1988) - Vincenzo * '' Torrents of Spring'' (1989) - Richter * ''

Vacanze di Natale '90 ''Vacanze di Natale '90'' (aka ''Christmas Vacation '90'') is a 1990 Italian Christmas comedy film directed by Enrico Oldoini. Plot In residence in the mountains of St Moritz, intertwine the stories of five characters. Nick, a poor waiter, wins ...

'' (1990) - Pippo * ''Il ritorno del grande amico'' (1990) * ''In camera mia'' (1992) - Mannari * ''

Giovanni Falcone Giovanni Falcone (; 18 May 1939 – 23 May 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian ...

'' (1993) - Totuccio Inzerillo * ''Power and Lovers'' (1994) - Toto * '' A spasso nel tempo'' (1996) - Casanova * ''Marquise'' (1997) * ''Il decisionista'' (1997) * ''Hammamet Village'' (1997) * ''Buck and the Magic Bracelet'' (1998) - Sergeant O'Connor * '' The Card Player'' (2004) - Vice Squad Chief Marini * '' I Viceré'' (2007) * ''

One Of The Family 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

'' (2018) - Cicciuzzo

References

Sources

External links

* 1944 births 2024 deaths Italian male film actors Male actors from Calabria Italian male television actors People from Crotone 20th-century Italian male actors {{Italy-film-actor-stub