Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born November 23, 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.
The roles that explain the career.
80 credits across 2 departments.
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | In the Hand of Dante | Don Lecco (86) | Film |
| 2026 | Roma elastica | The Old Filmmaker | Film |
| 2025 | The Estate | Film | |
| 2023 | The Pope's Exorcist | The Pope | Film |
| 2022 | The Man from Rome | The Pope | Film |
| 2021 | The Match | Old Branko | Film |
| 2019 | Recon | Angelo | Film |
| 2019 | Christmas in Rome | Luigi Forlinghetti | Film |
| 2019 | A Rose in Winter | Rainer Praeger | Film |
| 2019 | The Collini Case | Fabrizio Collini | Film |
| 2017 | The Lost City of Z | Baron de Gondoriz | Film |
| 2017 | Agony | Carlo | Film |
| 2017 | John Wick: Chapter 2 | Julius | Film |
| 2014 | Killer Mermaid | Niko | Film |
| 2013 | Memories They Told Me | Paolo | Film |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Amerigo Vessepi | Film |
| 2012 | Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s | Self | Film |
| 2012 | New Order | Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen | Film |
| 2012 | Crazy Dog | Alvaro Genta | Film |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Uncle Topolino (voice) | Film |
| 2010 | Rasputin | Narratore | Film |
| 2010 | Restless Heart: The Confessions of Augustine | Augustinus (age 76) | Film |
| 2010 | Letters to Juliet | Lorenzo | Film |
| 2009 | Killing Is My Business, Honey | Enrico Puzzo | Film |
| 2008 | La rabbia | Mentore | Film |
| 2008 | Bathory: Countess of Blood | King Mathias | Film |
| 2008 | Mein Herz in Chile | Carlos Sanchez | Film |
| 2007 | The Final Inquiry | Caifa | Film |
| 2005 | Vasco Rossi - È solo un rock'n'roll show | Judge | Film |
| 2005 | The Spaghetti West | Self | Film |
| 2004 | Post Coitum | Bakchus | Film |
| 2003 | Bad Inclination | Il barbone | Film |
| 2002 | Fumata blanca | Cardenal Tura | Film |
| 2001 | Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 | General Francini | Film |
| 2001 | The Crusaders | Ibnazul | Film |
| 2001 | Chimera | Imprenditore | Film |
| 2001 | Sacra Corona | Bishop Gellért | Film |
| 2000 | Saint Paul | Gamaliel | Film |
| 1999 | Li chiamarono... briganti! | Caporale Nerza | Film |
| 1998 | Talk of Angels | Dr. Vicente Areavaga | Film |
| 1997 | David | Natan | Film |
| 1997 | Bella Mafia | Mario Domino | Film |
| 1997 | Desert of Fire | Marcel Duvivier | Film |
| 1997 | Painted Lady | Robert Tassi | TV |
| 1996 | The Conquest | Árpád vezér | Film |
| 1995 | Jonathan of the Bears | Jonathan | Film |
| 1994 | The Dragon Ring | Dragon King | Film |
| 1992 | Brothers and Sisters | Franco | Film |
| 1992 | Amelia Lópes O'Neill | Fernando | Film |
| 1992 | Gold | Gabriele da Poppi | Film |
| 1991 | Touch and Die | Aquani | Film |
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 | General Ramon Esperanza | Film |
| 1988 | Young Toscanini | Claudio Toscanini | Film |
| 1988 | Top Line | Ted Angelo | Film |
| 1988 | Run for Your Life | Commissario | Film |
| 1987 | Django Strikes Again | Django | Film |
| 1987 | The Girl | Johan (John) Berg | Film |
| 1985 | Devil's Crude | Nick | Film |
| 1983 | The Falcon | Banović Strahinja | Film |
| 1982 | Red Bells Part I: Mexico in Flames | John Reed | Film |
| 1982 | Red Bells Part II: I Saw the Birth of a New World | John Reed | Film |
| 1982 | Querelle | Lieutenant Seblon | Film |
| 1982 | Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works | Self | Film |
| 1982 | Kamikaze '89 | Weiss | Film |
| 1981 | The Salamander | Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci | Film |
| 1981 | Enter the Ninja | Cole | Film |
| 1980 | The Blue-Eyed Bandit | Renzo Dominici | Film |
| 1980 | The Man with Bogart's Face | Hakim | Film |
| 1980 | Day of the Cobra | Larry Stanziani | Film |
| 1979 | The Shark Hunter | Mike di Donato | Film |
| 1979 | Mimi | Guido | Film |
| 1978 | Force 10 from Navarone | Lescovar | Film |
| 1977 | Sahara Cross | Jean Ballard | Film |
| 1977 | Hitch Hike | Walter Mancini | Film |
| 1976 | Victory March | Captain Asciutto | Film |
| 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | Issa | Film |
| 1976 | Keoma | Keoma | Film |
| 1976 | Submission | Armand | Film |
| 1975 | How to Kill a Judge | Giacomo Solaris | Film |
| 1975 | The Legend of Valentino | Rudolph Valentino | Film |
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