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