Franco Nero: Biography

Handsome, blue-eyed Italian actor Franco Nero was a film leading man from 1965. Nero starred in the popular spaghetti western Django, and later played the chop-socky leading role in Enter the Ninja (1980). Never trepidatious about playing non-heroic or psychologically complex roles, Nero has been seen as the villainous Esperanza in Die Hard 2 (1990) and as the "outed" gay ship's captain in the French Querelle (1982). Nero's most famous American screen roles include Abel in John Huston's The Bible and Sir Lancelot in Joshua Logan's Camelot (1967); his romantic relationship with Camelot leading lady Vanessa Redgrave resulted in a son named Carlos. On American television, Nero essayed the leading role in The Legend of Valentino (1975). More recently, Franco Nero both wrote and starred in the 1994 theatrical feature Jonathan of the Bears. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide