Roberto Villa (born Giulio Sabetta; December 2, 1915 – June 30, 2002) was an Italian

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 (), l ...

and

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...

Biography

Born in Casablanca, Villa completed his studies at the

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Film Centre or Italian National film school) was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film. The centre is the oldest film school in ...

in Rome and he eventually made his way up to acting. He made his film debut in the 1936 film ''

The Great Appeal ''The Great Appeal'' (Italian: ''Il Grande appello'') is a 1936 Italian war film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Camillo Pilotto, Roberto Villa and Lina d'Acosta. It is sometimes known by the alternative title ''The Last Roll-Call''. Came ...

'' directed by

Mario Camerini Mario Camerini (6 February 1895 – 4 February 1981) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. The cousin of Augusto Genina, he made the most well-known films in Italy during the 1930s, most of them comedies starring Vittorio De Sica. H ...

. Villa acted in two other films throughout the course of the late 1930s which includes ''

Luciano Serra, Pilot ''Luciano Serra, Pilot'' (Italian: ''Luciano Serra pilota'') is a 1938 Italian war drama film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Germana Paolieri and Roberto Villa. It was screened at the Venice Film Festival i ...

'' directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904, in Cairo – 16 May 1978, in Rome) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian champion ...

and ''

The Fornaretto of Venice ''The Fornaretto of Venice'' (Italian: ''Il fornaretto di Venezia'') is a 1939 Italian historical drama film directed by Duilio Coletti and starring Roberto Villa, Elsa De Giorgi and Clara Calamai.Forgacs & Gundle p.162 It is an adaptation of t ...

'' directed by

Duilio Coletti Duilio Coletti (28 December 1906 – 22 May 1999) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 29 films between 1934 and 1977. Career Born in Penne, Abruzzo, he took a degree in medicine and surgery and practiced the profess ...

. Villa‘s likeness on the big screen was once compared to that of international actors such as Robert Montgomery and

Robert Young Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, or Bobby Young may refer to: Academics * R. A. Young (Robert Arthur Young, 1871–1959), British physician * Robert J. C. Young (born 1950), British cultural critic and historian * Robert J. Young (born 1942), Canadian h ...

. By the 1940s, Villa intensified his acting career and worked frequently with directors like

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome. He directed several ...

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (8 July 1894 – 4 January 1998) was an Italian film director whose career spanned from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. He mainly directed adventure pictures and popular comedies, including some starring Totò. His 1942 ...

Sergio Tofano Sergio Tòfano (20 August 1886 – 28 October 1973) was an Italian actor, director, playwright, scene designer and illustrator. Tofano was born in Rome. In 1909, he made his first appearance on stage with Ermete Novelli, then joined Virgi ...

and more. Villa worked on stage frequently during the 1950s and moved on to television in the 1960s. He also worked as a voice dubbing artist, dubbing foreign films for release in Italy, most notably Robert Shaw’s voice. Villa’s voice was dubbed in some of his films by

Carlo Romano Carlo Romano (8 May 1908 – 16 October 1975) was an Italian actor, voice actor and screenwriter. Biography Born in Livorno, Romano was the son of actress Dina Romano and the younger brother of actor Felice Romano. Romano started his acti ...

and

Mario Pisu Mario Pisu (21 May 1910 – 17 July 1976) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Montecchio Emilia, Pisu was considered to be one of the most elegant performers of the Italian cinema. He began his career on stage and screen in ...

. He then retired from cinema and television altogether with his wife during the 1970s.

Personal life

Villa was married to actress and director Adriana Parrella (who he met during a radio session in 1949) from 1952 until his death in 2002. Villa had a passion for collecting

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...

s during his spare time.

Death

Villa passed away in his home in Sutri following complications from

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic p ...

on 30 June 2002. He was 86 years old.

Filmography

Cinema

*''

'' (1936) *''

'' (1938) *''

'' (1939) *''Se quell'idiota ci pensasse'' (1939) *''La fanciulla di Portici'' (1940) *''

Maddalena, Zero for Conduct ''Maddalena, Zero for Conduct'' (Italian: ''Maddalena... zero in condotta'') is a 1940 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica.Cardullo p.117 It is a remake of the Hungarian film ''Magda Expelled'' (1938). Plot A myst ...

'' (1940) *''Ecco la radio!'' (1940) *''La gerla di papà Martin'' (1941) *''Il sogno di tutti'' (1941) *'' Marco Visconti'' (1941) *''I mariti'' (1941) *''L'elisir d'amore'' (1941) *''La sonnambula'' (1941) *''

Princess Cinderella ''Princess Cinderella'' ( it, Cenerentola e il signor Bonaventura) is a 1941 Italian fantasy-comedy film written and directed by Sergio Tofano. It is based on the characters of the popular comic strip series Signor Bonaventura, created in 1917 by ...

'' (1941) *''Una volta alla settimana'' (1942) *''Violette nei capelli'' (1942) *'' The Two Orphans'' (1942) *''Divieto di sosta'' (1942) *'' Wedding Day'' (1942) *'' Signorinette'' (1942) *''La fortuna viene dal cielo'' (1942) *''Il paese senza pace'' (1943) * ''

Lively Teresa ''Lively Teresa'' (Italian: ''La vispa Teresa'') is a 1943 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Lilia Silvi, Roberto Villa and Carlo Ninchi. It was produced in the style of the White Telephone comedie ...

'' (1943) *''La signora in nero'' (1943) *''Principessina'' (1943) *''La moglie in castigo'' (1943) *''Il processo alle zitelle'' (1944) *''Scadenza trenta giorni'' (1944) *'' The Twentieth Duke'' (1945) *''Porte chiuse'' (1945) *''La prigioniera dell'isola'' (1946) *''

Hotel Luna, Room 34 ''Hotel Luna, Room 34'' (Italian: ''Albergo Luna, camera 34'') is a 1946 Italian crime melodrama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Chiaretta Gelli, Carlo Campanini and Andrea Checchi. It was produced by Lux Film, and earned ...

'' (1946) *''Un mese d'onestà'' (1947) *''La sirena del golfo'' (1948) *''

The Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification o ...

'' (1948) *''

My Daughter Joy ''My Daughter Joy'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring Edward G. Robinson, Peggy Cummins and Richard Greene. The screenplay concerns a millionaire who spoils his only daughter, but has a strained relationship w ...

'' (1950) *''Il medico delle donne'' (1962)

Television

*''L'amico del giaguaro'' (1961-1964) *''

Le avventure di Laura Storm ''Le avventure di Laura Storm'' (1965) is an Italian television series, starring Lauretta Masiero and Aldo Giuffrè Aldo Giuffrè (10 April 1924 – 26 June 2010) was an Italian film actor and comedian who appeared in over 90 films between ...

'' (1966)

Dubbing roles

Live action

Sheriff of Nottingham The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him ...

in ''

Robin and Marian ''Robin and Marian'' is a 1976 British-American romantic adventure film from Columbia Pictures, shot in Panavision and Technicolor, that was directed by Richard Lester and written by James Goldman after the legend of Robin Hood. The film stars Sea ...

'' *Romer Treece in '' The Deep'' *Keith Mallory in '' Force 10 from Navarone'' *General Marenkov in '' Avalanche Express'' *Bernie Ohls in ''

The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...

'' (1946 redub) *Skull in ''

Blackie the Pirate ''Blackie the Pirate'' ( it, Il corsaro nero) is a 1971 comedy film with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, unusual in that the popular team has little screen time together. Story In the late 17th century, Captain Blackie (Terence Hill) is a notoriou ...

'' * Palpatine / Darth Sidious in '' Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'' (original edition) *Ira Wells in '' The Late Show'' *Harry Coombes in ''

Harry and Tonto ''Harry and Tonto'' is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky. It features Art Carney as Harry in an Oscar-winning performance. Tonto is his pet cat. Plot Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is an elderly w ...

'' *Tom in ''

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here ''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' is a 1969 American Western film based on the true story of a Chemehuevi–Paiute Native American named Willie Boy and his run-in with the law in 1909 in Banning, California, United States. The film is an adapt ...

'' *Auction director in ''

Untamable Angelique ''Untamable Angelique'' (French: ''Indomptable Angélique'') is a 1967 historical adventure film directed by Bernard Borderie and starring Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein and Roger Pigaut. It was made as a co-production between France, Italy an ...

'' *Turkish Ambassador in ''

Angelique and the Sultan ''Angelique and the Sultan'' (French: ''Angélique et le Sultan'') is a 1968 historical adventure film directed by Bernard Borderie and starring Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein and Jean-Claude Pascal. It was made as a co-production between France ...

'' *Harry Greener in '' The Day of the Locust'' *George Sims in ''

Bedlam Bedlam, a word for an environment of insanity, is a term that may refer to: Places * Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England * Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet in England * Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London psychiatric institution and the ...

'' *Professor Ruzinsky in '' The Sentinel'' *

Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed. Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...

in ''

Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ！) is a 1970 epic war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fuk ...

'' * M in ''

Octopussy ''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by G ...

'' *Tronk in ''

The Desert of the Tartars ''The Desert of the Tartars'' ( it, Il deserto dei Tartari) is a 1976 Italian film by director Valerio Zurlini with an international cast including Jacques Perrin, Vittorio Gassman, Max von Sydow, Francisco Rabal, Philippe Noiret, Fernando ...

'' *Shack in ''

Emperor of the North Pole ''Emperor of the North Pole'' is a 1973 American action adventure film directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, and Charles Tyner. It was later re-released on home media (and is more widely known) un ...

'' *Sam Hastings in ''

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may ...

'' *Carlino in ''

Wait Until Dark ''Wait Until Dark'' is a play by Frederick Knott, first performed on Broadway in 1966 and often revived since then. A film version was released in 1967, and the play was published in the same year. Synopsis Susy Hendrix is a blind Greenwic ...

'' *Jeff Newby in '' The Undefeated'' *Dawes in '' The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'' *Del Gue in '' Jeremiah Johnson'' *Melk Tavares in ''

Gabriela Gabriela may refer to: * Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name * ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film * ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film * ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film * ''Gabriela' ...

'' *Ronald Bart in '' Hanover Street'' *Colonel Santilla in '' The Wrath of God'' *Dale Coba in ''

The Stepford Wives ''The Stepford Wives'' is a 1972 satirical "feminist horror" novel by Ira Levin. The story concerns Joanna Eberhart, a talented photographer, wife and young mother who suspects that something in Stepford's environment is changing the wives fr ...

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Villa, Roberto 1915 births 2002 deaths People from Casablanca Italian male film actors Italian male stage actors Italian male voice actors Italian male television actors Italian male radio actors 20th-century Italian male actors Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni Deaths from pancreatitis