VOLONTE, GIAN MARIA

(1933-1994)

Actor. One of the most accomplished and distinctive actors in Italy in the postwar period, Volonte was also the foremost representative of a cinema of political commitment and social denunciation. Having graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic Art in 1957, Volonte soon began to draw attention for the intensity of his acting, both in classics on the stage and on television, where he came to particular notice in a much-praised production of Fyodor Dostoyevsky'sThe Idiot. His film career began in a minor key with a small part in Duilio Coletti's war drama,Sotto dieci bandiere(Under Ten Flags, 1961), and an appearance as the King of Sparta inVittorio Cottafavi'speplumErcole alla conquista di Atlantide(Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis, 1961). His participation in genre cinema continued with the villains he played in two ofSergio Leone's Westerns,Per un pugno di dollari(A Fistful of Dollars, 1964) andPer qualche dollaro inpiu(For a Few Dollars More, 1965), and the part of El Chuco inDamiano Damiani'sQuien sabe?(A Bullet for the General, 1967). At the same time, his appearance as Salvatore, the union activist who dares to challenge the power of the Mafia inPaolo and Vittorio Taviani'sUn uomo da bruciare(A Man for Burning, 1962), had opened the way to what would be a long line of much more socially conscious and politically committed roles, particularly in the films ofElio PetriandFrancesco Rosi. His interpretation of Paolo Laurana inA ciascuno il suo(We Still Kill the Old Way, 1967), Petri's adaptation of Leonardo Sciascia's novel about politics and the Mafia in contemporary Sicily, earned Volonte both aNastro d'argentoin Italy and a nomination for the Palme d'or at Cannes.After appearing as Lieutenant Ottolenghi inUomini contro(Many Wars Ago, 1970), the first of many films he would make with Rosi, which would includeIl caso Mattei(The Mattei Affair, 1972),Lucky Luciano(1973), andCristo si e fermato a Eboli(Christ Stopped at Eboli, 1979), he provided what remains perhaps his most stunning and engaging performance in Petri'sIndagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto(Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, 1970), which brought him his second Nastro d'argento and aDavid di Donatello.

Highly respected internationally, Volonte was also called to work with a number of non-Italian directors, including Jean-Luc Godard onLe vent d'est(Wind from the East, 1970), Andre Delvaux on his adaptation of Marguerite Yourcenar's novel,L'oeuvre au noir(The Abyss, 1988), and Swiss director Bernard Fontana onLa mort de Mario Ricci(The Death of Mario Ricci, 1983) in an intepretation that was widely praised and for which he received the Best Actor award at Cannes. In 1991 his three decades of achievement were recognized with a career Golden Lion at theVenice Festival. After an extraordinarily thoughtful performance as Judge Vito Di Francesco inGianni Amelio'sPorte aperte(Open Doors, 1990), for which he received both another David and the Special Prize of the Jury at the European Film Awards, Volonte died suddenly of a heart attack while filming Theodoros Angelopoulos'sUlysses'Gaze(1995).