Roger Browne Jr. (April 13, 1930 – October 11, 2024) was an American actor and voice artist, best known for his work in

Italian cinema The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by List of Italian film directors, Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and ...

. He was a star of peplum and

Eurospy film Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the British James Bo ...

s popular in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life

Browne was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, on April 13, 1930. He enrolled in pilot training while serving in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

, flying the AT-6 trainer aircraft. Browne completed 64 hours of training, including 20 hours of solo flight but was unable to finish due to

airsickness Airsickness is a specific form of motion sickness which is induced by air travel and is considered a normal response in healthy individuals. Airsickness occurs when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the body (including ...

and related symptoms of Manifestations of Apprehension (MOA).

Career

In a telephone interview with ''Monster Kid Radio'', Browne said whilst he was studying acting and getting bit roles he supported himself as a

physical therapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease prevention ...

. One of his clients was going to Rome and asked Roger if he would come with him to carry on his work. As the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

were under way, Roger eagerly accepted the offer. He remained in Europe where he was discovered and offered a role in the

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was known for her numerous publicity stunts and open personal life. He ...

film ''

It Happened in Athens ''It Happened in Athens'' is a 1962 American sports comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox. It is directed by Andrew Marton and features Jayne Mansfield, newcomer Trax Colton, Maria Xénia, Nico Minardos, Roger Browne in his debut, an ...

''. Upon his return to Rome, Browne was asked to appear as

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

in ''

Vulcan, Son of Giove ''Vulcan, Son of Jove'' () is a 1962 Italian fantasy-adventure film directed and co-written by Emimmo Salvi in his directorial debut. The film is also known as ''Vulcan, Son of Jupiter'' (American TV title). The film was partly shot in Iran. Plo ...

'' and repeated his role in the film '' Mars, God of War''. With the decline of the

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (: pepla), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget Holly ...

genre Browne moved into the

Eurospy Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Cinema of Italy, Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the ...

genre. Browne lived 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, ...

from 1960 to 1980Roger Browne interview conducted 2018 and made films throughout Europe. He had roles in more than 30 films and television shows. During his time in Rome, he became frequently involved with the English Language Dubbers Association of Rome (ELDA), at one point the leading English dubbing group in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He witnessed the organization’s growth into becoming more professional, and in 1966 succeeded

Tony Russel Tony Russel (born Antonio Pietro Russo, and sometimes credited as Tony Russo or Tony Russell; November 23, 1925 – March 18, 2017) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was noted for having worked extensively in the Italian film ...

as president. ELDA were still an “unofficial” company, however, and suffered from lack of tax and income being paid, including an incident where Browne was robbed while delivering payroll. Deciding to finally become “official”, ELDA became Associated Recording Artists (ARA) in the 1970s. Browne worked with

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), which made him a pop cul ...

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

Luciano Salce Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, television host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the ...

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

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 ...

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...

Rita Tushingham Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including '' A Taste of Honey'' (1961), '' The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965 ...

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...

, the

Taviani Brothers Paolo Taviani (; 8 November 1931 – 29 February 2024) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on numerous fi ...

Yoko Tani was a Japanese-French actress and vedette, who had a career in both Japanese and European cinema during the 1950s and '60s. Early life Tani was born Yōko Itani (猪谷洋子) in Paris in 1928, to Japanese parents Zenichi Itani and Taeko Egi. ...

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder, known for his starring roles in Italian sword-and-sandal and Spaghetti Western films. Early life Charles Allen Pendleto ...

, Charlie Fawcett, and

. He is best remembered for his role in ''

Argoman the Fantastic Superman ''Argoman the Fantastic Superman'' () is a 1967 English-language Italian superhero- Eurospy film directed by Sergio Grieco. The film stars Roger Browne, as the eponymous superhero, and Dominique Boschero. Comedy podcast RiffTrax ( Michael J. Ne ...

'' (also known as ''The Incredible Paris Incident'' and ''Come rubare la corona d'Inghilterra''), 1967. He also appeared as himself in the

Fine Brothers React Media, LLC (also known as React and formerly Fine Brothers Productions, Inc., Fine Brothers Entertainment, Inc., FBE, Inc., and FBE, LLC) is an American digital media and entertainment company founded by brothers Benny Fine (born March 19, ...

'' Elders React'' YouTube series.

Death

Browne died after a short illness in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, on October 11, 2024, at the age of 94.

Partial filmography

*''

13 Fighting Men ''13 Fighting Men'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Harry W. Gerstad and written by Robert Hamner and Jack W. Thomas. The film stars Grant Williams, Brad Dexter, Carole Mathews, Robert Dix, Richard Garland and Richard Crane. The fi ...

'' (1960) – Pvt. Connors (uncredited) *''Heroes Die Young'' (1960) – Mule *''

Barabbas According to the New Testament, Barabbas () was a Jewish bandit and rabble-rouser who was imprisoned by the Judaea (Roman province), Roman occupation in Jerusalem, only to be chosen over Jesus by a crowd to be pardoned by Roman governor Pontius ...

'' (1961) – Gladiator (uncredited) *''

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

'' (1962) – Minor Role *''

'' (1962) – Mars – God of War *'' Mars, God of War'' (1962) – Mars *'' The Ten Gladiators'' (a.k.a. ''I dieci gladiatori'') (1963) – Glaucus Valerius *'' Seven Slaves Against the World'' (a.k.a. ''Gli schiavi più forti del mondo'') (1964) – Marcus *'' The Revenge of Spartacus'' (a.k.a. ''La vendetta di Spartacus'') (1964) – Valerio *'' Three Swords for Rome'' (1964) – Fabio *'' Revenge of the Gladiators'' (1964) *''

Seven Rebel Gladiators ''Sette contro tutti'' (lit; Seven against all; ) is a 1965 Italian sword-and-sandal film directed by Michele Lupo. Plot Vadius, a Roman tribune wants to take hold of the kingdom of Aristea, by marrying the king's daughter Assuer. Marco, a cent ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Sette contro tutti'') (1965) – Marcus Aulus *'' Super Seven Calling Cairo'' (a.k.a. ''Superseven chiama Cairo'') (1965) – Martin Stevens / Superseven *'' Operation Poker'' (a.k.a. ''Operazione poker'') (1965) – Glenn Foster *'' Password: Kill Agent Gordon'' (1966) – Douglas Gordon *'' The Spy Who Loved Flowers'' (1966) – Martin Stevens *'' Rififi in Amsterdam'' (1966) – Rex Monroe *''

Un milione di dollari per sette assassini ''Last Man to Kill'' (, ) is a 1966 Italian-French crime-spy film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Roger Browne, Erika Blanc and Dakar. The Italian title translates as ''A Million Dollars for Seven Killers''. It was the fourth ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Last Man to Kill'') (1966) – Michael King *''

'' (aka ''The Incredible Paris Incident'') (1967) – Sir Reginald Hoover / Argoman *'' Assault on the State Treasure'' (a.k.a. ''Assalto al tesoro di stato'') (1967) – Johnny Quick *''È stato bello amarti'' (1968) *'' Samoa, Queen of the Jungle'' (a.k.a. ''Samoa, regina della giungla'') (1968) – Clint Loman *''One Day, My Daddy'' (a.k.a. ''It Was Nice Loving You'') (1968) *'' Patton'' (1970) – Soldier on Bridge (uncredited) *''Jungle Master'' (1972) – Lord Carter *'' The Black Hand'' (a.k.a. ''La Mano Nera (Prima della mafia, più della mafia)'') (1973) – State Attorney *'' Women in Cell Block 7'' (1973) – Inspector Weil *''

Mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

'' (1975) – Ad Agency Executive *'' The Big Operator'' (1976) – James (uncredited) *''

Emanuelle in America ''Emanuelle in America'' is a 1977 Italian sexploitation film, the third in the Black Emanuelle series starring Laura Gemser It is the second in the series to be directed by Joe D'Amato and has journalist Emanuelle investigate the production ...

'' (1977) – The Senator *''War of the Robots'' (1978) – Cmdr. King (uncredited) *'' Backwards ... March!'' (a.k.a. ''Riavanti ... Marsch!'') (1979) – General Thompson *''Do It with the Pamango'' (1980) – Harry Brakson *''Killer Looks'' (2018) – Creepy Old Man *''The Lone Road'' (2020) – Dad

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Roger 1930 births 2024 deaths American Korean War pilots American male film actors Military personnel from Cincinnati Military personnel from Ohio United States Air Force officers United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War Members of the English Language Dubbers Association of Rome