Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volontè (9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (credited in the USA as "Johnny Wels") and For a Few Dollars More. In Italy, he was more notable for his roles in high-profile social dramas depicting the political and social stirrings of Italian and European society in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Volontè was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957. He had a brief career as a television and theatre (Shakespeare, Goldoni) actor, before concentrating on his film career.
Career
Volontè made his debut in 1960 in Sotto dieci bandiere, directed by Duilio Coletti. Just four years later, he played "Ramón Rojo" in A Fistful of Dollars (1964), and "El Indio" in For a Few Dollars More (1965), both for cash reasons as he did not consider either role seriously. Both films were directed by the then-unknown Sergio Leone, and Volontè's roles in them would bring him his greatest recognition from American audiences. He played Carlo Levi in Cristo si é fermato a Eboli (1979), which was based on Levi's autobiographical account of his years in internal-exile in Italy in the 1930s. The name in English of the account (and the name of the film based on this account) is Christ Stopped at Eboli. Volontè played the memorable role of the Bandito-turned-guerrilla, El Chucho, in A Bullet for the General (1966).