Gian Maria Volontè

If you know more information about Gian Maria Volontè help us to improve this page

Birthday:

9 April 1933, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Height:

184 cm

Born in Milan in 1933, Gian Maria Volontè studied in Rome at the National Dramatic Arts Academy, where he obtained his degree in 1957. He began working in theatre and television, where he was soon noticed as one of the most promising actors of his generation. After several supporting appearances in film, he reached notoriety with the character of Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's Per un pugno di dollari (1964). This success was doubled in Leone's next film, Per qualche dollaro in più (1965). The following ten years would be the most intense of Volontè career. L'armata Brancaleone (1966) (directed by Mario Monicelli) was the most successful Italian movie of the year, A ciascuno il suo (1967) (directed by Elio Petri) won the Grand Prix du Scenario at the Cannes Film Festival, and Volontè won his first Nastro d'Argento (Silver Ribbon - the most presitgious acting award in Italy) in 1970 for Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (1970) (also directed by Petri), making him an international star. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and two Italian Golden Globes, including one for his performance. In 1972, he starred in two Italian movies as the protagonist: Petri's La classe operaia va in paradiso (1971) and Francesco Rosi's Il caso Mattei (1972), both of which win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, where he also wins a Special Mention. In his life, Volontè won a huge number of other prizes and honours, becoming one of the most celebrated Italian actors of the seventies, and challenging Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni as the most popular Italian actor. He died in Greece in 1994. Show less «

I accept or reject a film based on my conception of cinema. The definition of political cinema is one I don't agree with, because every film...Show more »

I accept or reject a film based on my conception of cinema. The definition of political cinema is one I don't agree with, because every film, every show, is typically political in nature. Political cinema is simply the brainchild of bad journalists. Show less «

Being an actor is a matter of choice that above all takes place at an existential level: either you express the conservative structures of s...Show more »

Being an actor is a matter of choice that above all takes place at an existential level: either you express the conservative structures of society and are nothing more that a tool in the hands of power, or you address the progressive components of this society in an attempt to settle a revolutionary relation between art and life. Show less «

I try to make films that say something about the mechanisms of a society like ours, which correspond with some research of a shred of truth....Show more »

I try to make films that say something about the mechanisms of a society like ours, which correspond with some research of a shred of truth. For me, there is a need to understand the cinema as a means of mass communication, as well as the theater and television. Show less «