Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film Django (1966), which made him a pop culture icon and launched an international career that includes over 200 leading and supporting roles in a wide variety of films and television programmes.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Nero was actively involved in many popular Italian "genre trends", including poliziotteschi, gialli, and Spaghetti Westerns. His best-known films include The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966), Camelot (1967), The Day of the Owl (1968), The Mercenary (1968), Battle of Neretva (1969), Tristana (1970), Compañeros (1970), Confessions of a Police Captain (1971), The Fifth Cord (1971), High Crime (1973), Street Law (1974), Keoma (1976), Hitch-Hike (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Enter the Ninja (1981), Die Hard 2 (1990), Letters to Juliet (2010), Cars 2 (2011), and John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017).
Nero has had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave, which began during the filming of Camelot. They were married in 2006, and are the parents of the actor Carlo Gabriel Nero.
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Known For
Django Unchained
(2012)
Amerigo Vessepi
Cars 2
(2011)
Uncle Topolino (voice)
The Pope's Exorcist
(2023)
The Pope
John Wick: Chapter 2
(2017)
Julius
Die Hard 2
(1990)
General Ramon Esperanza
Django
(1966)
Django
The Bible: In the Beginning...
(1966)
Abel
Letters to Juliet
(2010)
Lorenzo
David
(1997)
Natan
Force 10 from Navarone
(1978)
Lescovar
The Mercenary
(1968)
Sergei Kowalski, The Polish
Keoma
(1976)
Keoma
The Lost City of Z
(2017)
Baron de Gondoriz
The Match
(2020)
Old Branko
The Visitor
(1979)
Jesus Christ
Saint Paul
(2000)
Gamaliel
Full Filmography
Acting
Un delitto
(1963)
Italian Engagement
(1964)
The Tramplers
(1965)
Charley Garvey
I Knew Her Well
(1965)
Italo - The garage attendant
La Celestina P… R…
(1965)
Fabrizio
The Bible: In the Beginning...
(1966)
Abel
Django
(1966)
Django
Texas, Adios
(1966)
Burt Sullivan
Massacre Time
(1966)
Tom Corbett
The Wild, Wild Planet
(1966)
Lt. Jake
War of the Planets
(1966)
Lt. Jake Jacowitx
The Hired Killer
(1966)
Tony Lo Bello
The Third Eye
(1966)
Mino Alberti (as Frank Nero)
Camelot
(1967)
Lancelot Du Lac
Man, Pride and Vengeance
(1967)
José
The Mercenary
(1968)
Sergei Kowalski, The Polish
A Quiet Place in the Country
(1968)
Leonardo Ferri
The Day of the Owl
(1968)
Captain Bellodi
Sardinia Kidnapped
(1968)
Gavino
The Battle of Neretva
(1969)
Capitani Michele Rossi
Detective Belli
(1969)
Commissario Stefano Belli
Tristana
(1970)
Horacio
Compañeros
(1970)
Yodlaf Peterson
The Virgin and the Gypsy
(1970)
The gypsy
The 5th Day of Peace
(1970)
Bruno Grauber
Dropout
(1970)
Bruno
The Fifth Cord
(1971)
Andrea Bild
Confessions of a Police Captain
(1971)
Sostituto Procuratore Traini
Don't Turn the Other Cheek
(1971)
Prince Dimitri Vassilovich Vladek Orlowsky
Vacation
(1971)
Osiride
The Case Is Closed, Forget It
(1971)
Vanzi
The Monk
(1972)
Ambrosio
Pope Joan
(1972)
Louis
The Harder They Come
(1972)
Django (archive footage)
The Assassination of Matteotti
(1973)
Giacomo Matteotti
Redneck
(1973)
Mosquito
White Fang
(1973)
Jason Scott
High Crime
(1973)
Commissario Belli
Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears
(1973)
Johnny Ears
Blood Brothers
(1974)
Nicola Bellizzi
The Last Four Days
(1974)
Walter Audisio
Street Law
(1974)
Carlo Antonelli
Challenge to White Fang
(1974)
Jason Scott
Cry, Onion!
(1975)
Onion Stark
The Flower in His Mouth
(1975)
Professore Michele Belcore
How to Kill a Judge
(1975)
Giacomo Solaris
Death Rite
(1975)
Sadry
Smiling Maniacs
(1975)
Judge Dani
The Legend of Valentino
(1975)
Rudolph Valentino
Keoma
(1976)
Keoma
Victory March
(1976)
Captain Asciutto
21 Hours at Munich
(1976)
Issa
Submission
(1976)
Armand
Hitch Hike
(1977)
Walter Mancini
Sahara Cross
(1977)
Jean Ballard
Force 10 from Navarone
(1978)
Lescovar
The Pirate
(1978)
Baydr Al Fay
Mimi
(1979)
Guido
The Shark Hunter
(1979)
Mike di Donato
Le rose di Danzica
(1979)
General Konrad von Der Berg
The Visitor
(1979)
Jesus Christ
The Man with Bogart's Face
(1980)
Hakim
The Blue-Eyed Bandit
(1980)
Renzo Dominici
Day of the Cobra
(1980)
Larry Stanziani
Enter the Ninja
(1981)
Cole
The Salamander
(1981)
Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci
Grog
(1982)
Nicola Fanelli
Red Bells Part I: Mexico on Fire
(1982)
John Reed
Red Bells Part II: I Saw the Birth of a New World
(1982)
John Reed
Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works
(1982)
Self
Kamikaze 1989
(1982)
Weiss
Querelle
(1982)
Lieutenant Seblon
The Falcon
(1983)
Banović Strahinja
Die Försterbuben
(1984)
Böhme
Devil's Crude
(1985)
Nick
Andre Handles Them All
(1985)
Andre
The Repenter
(1985)
Falco
Un altare per la madre
(1986)
-
Django Strikes Again
(1987)
Django
The Girl
(1987)
Johan (John) Berg
Sweet Country
(1987)
Paul
Top Line
(1988)
Ted Angelo
Run for Your Life
(1988)
Commissario
Young Toscanini
(1988)
Claudio Toscanini
Race to Danger
(1988)
Francis, il marinaio
Magdalene
(1988)
Janza
Die Hard 2
(1990)
General Ramon Esperanza
Breath of Life
(1990)
Angelo
Touch and Die
(1991)
Aquani
Brothers and Sisters
(1992)
Franco
Amelia Lópes O'Neill
(1992)
Fernando
Gold
(1992)
Gabriele da Poppi
Das Babylon Komplott
(1993)
Chris Lang
Der Fall Lucona
(1993)
Enzo Lombardi
Azzurro profondo
(1993)
Luca Morinari
Test of Memory
(1993)
Paul Herzog
The Dragon Ring
(1994)
Dragon King
Jonathan of the Bears
(1995)
Jonathan
Io e il re
(1995)
Maggiore Ferri
The Conquest
(1996)
Árpád vezér
The Innocent Sleep
(1996)
Adolfo Cavani
David
(1997)
Natan
The Medal
(1997)
Ing. Ferrero
Bella Mafia
(1997)
Mario Domino
Desert of Fire
(1997)
Marcel Duvivier
Talk of Angels
(1998)
Dr. Vicente Areavaga
Il tesoro di Damasco
(1998)
Andrea
The Versace Murder
(1998)
Gianni Versace
Li chiamarono... briganti!
(1999)
Caporale Nerza
Saint Paul
(2000)
Gamaliel
Mirka
(2000)
Il Sindaco
Uninvited
(2000)
Ralph Barolo
Megiddo: The Omega Code 2
(2001)
Gen. Francini
Sacra Corona
(2001)
Bishop Gellért
The Crusaders
(2001)
Ibnazul
La ragion pura
(2001)
Marito
In the Company of Compañeros
(2001)
Self
Fumata blanca
(2002)
Cardenal Tura
Die achte Todsünde: Das Toskana-Karussell
(2002)
Giuseppe Mantaldo
The Last Gunfighter
(2002)
The pistolero
Ultimo stadio
(2002)
Antonio
Bad Inclination
(2003)
Il barbone
The Uncrowned Heart
(2003)
Bear's Trainer
Post Coitum
(2004)
Bakchus
Guardiani delle nuvole
(2004)
Padre
Vasco Rossi - È solo un rock'n'roll show
(2005)
Judge
Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker
(2005)
Self
Forever Blues
(2005)
Luca
Summer Solstice
(2005)
Lorenzo
The Spaghetti West
(2005)
Self
Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen: Der Italowestern
(2006)
Self
The Holy Family
(2006)
Zachary
Giornata Nera
(2006)
Amore e libertà - Masaniello
(2006)
Hans
(2006)
Giudice/barbone
Mineurs
(2007)
Michele Acucella
The Final Inquiry
(2007)
Caifa
Bathory: Countess of Blood
(2008)
King Mathias
Mein Herz in Chile
(2008)
Carlos Sanchez
La rabbia
(2008)
Mentore
Márió, a varázsló
(2008)
Mario
A Night at the Grand Hotel
(2008)
Ferran Moreno
Bastardi
(2008)
Rene Iuvara
Killing Is My Business, Honey
(2009)
Enrico Puzzo
Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire
(2010)
Augustinus (age 76)
Rasputin
(2010)
Narratore
Prigioniero di un segreto
(2010)
Il barbone
Letters to Juliet
(2010)
Lorenzo
Cars 2
(2011)
Uncle Topolino (voice)
Father
(2011)
Enrico
Django Unchained
(2012)
Amerigo Vessepi
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s
(2012)
Self
New Order
(2012)
Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen
Crazy Dog
(2012)
Alvaro Genta
The Last Alchemist
(2012)
Felix the Alchemist
Memories They Told Me
(2013)
Paolo
The Outsider - The Cinema of Antonio Margheriti
(2013)
Self
Istintobrass
(2013)
Self
I Tarantiniani
(2013)
Self
Obsessive Rythms
(2014)
Carmine
Killer Mermaid
(2014)
Niko
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
(2014)
Self - Actor
Figli di Maam
(2014)
Love Island
(2014)
Marquis Polesini
Red Chairs - Parma and the Cinema
(2014)
Self
Django, Sartana, Trinita' et les autres…
(2014)
Lui-même
Earth
(2015)
Sergio Corbucci: The Smiling Man
(2015)
Himself
Road to Capri
(2015)
Guido
Road to Ruin
(2016)
Self
Along the River
(2016)
Frank De Ville
John Wick: Chapter 2
(2017)
Julius
The Time of Their Lives
(2017)
Alberto
The Lost City of Z
(2017)
Baron de Gondoriz
The Neighborhood
(2017)
Guglielmo
The Broken Key
(2017)
Hiram Abif
Iceman
(2017)
Ditob
Agony
(2017)
Carlo
Il crimine non va in pensione
(2017)
il primario
Iceman
(2017)
Ditob
Red Land
(2018)
Professor Ambrosin
The Collini Case
(2019)
Fabrizio Collini
Ed è subito sera
(2019)
Christmas in Rome
(2019)
Luigi Forlinghetti
Recon
(2019)
Angelo
Havana Kyrie
(2019)
Vittorio Arditi De Bellis
A Rose in Winter
(2020)
Rainer Praeger
The Dark Dance
(2020)
L'Impresario
Immortalist
(2020)
Paolo Spersoni
The Match
(2020)
Old Branko
The Jester from Transylvania
(2020)
One-eye
Harmonie
(2020)
Entree Des Artists
(2020)
Henry's Grandfather
Off the Rails
(2021)
Giovanni
Two Men Alone
(2021)
Himself
Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained
(2021)
Self
The Duel
(2021)
We Are Cinema
(2021)
Self (archive footage)
Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto
(2021)
Himself
Silent Life
(2022)
Spirit
The Man from Rome
(2022)
The Pope
The Man Who Drew God
(2023)
Emanuele
The Pope's Exorcist
(2023)
The Pope
Giorni Felici
(2023)
On Our Way
(2023)
Camera
Production
Dropout
(1970)
Co-Producer
Vacation
(1971)
Producer
The Shark Hunter
(1979)
Co-Producer
Test of Memory
(1993)
Producer
Jonathan of the Bears
(1995)
Producer
Uninvited
(2000)
Producer
Forever Blues
(2005)
Producer
The Mystery of Dante
(2014)
Executive Producer
Writing
Directing
Crew