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.

Filmography

• 2026Aurora — Bertoldo
• 2026Il Vecchio Terribile — Oste
• 2026In the Hand of Dante — Don Lecco (86)
• 2026L'ANIME CHE OGNI OBESO HA BISOGNO — Epk Camera Operator
• 2026Roma elastica — The Old Filmmaker
• 2025The Estate — Executive Producer
• 2024Compagni d'arte
• 2024The Jester from Transylvania — One-eye
• Django — Reverend
• 2023Giorni felici — Antonio
• 2023On Our Way
• 2023Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black — Valentino's Spirit
• 2023The Man Who Drew God — Emanuele, Director
• 2023The Pope's Exorcist — The Pope
• 2022Buon Lavoro
• 2022The Man from Rome — The Pope
• 2021Off the Rails — Giovanni
• 2021The Duel
• 2021The Match — Old Branko
• 2020Entree Des Artists — Henry's Grandfather
• 2020Harmonie
• 2020Immortalist — Paolo Spersoni
• 2020The Dark Dance — L'Impresario
• 2019A Rose in Winter — Rainer Praeger
• 2019Christmas in Rome — Luigi Forlinghetti
• 2019Ed è subito sera
• 2019Havana Kyrie — Vittorio Arditi De Bellis
• 2019Recon — Angelo
• 2019The Collini Case — Fabrizio Collini
• 2018Red Land — Professor Ambrosin
• 2017Agony — Carlo
• 2017Iceman — Ditob
• 2017Il crimine non va in pensione — il primario
• 2017John Wick: Chapter 2 — Julius
• 2017The Broken Key — Hiram Abif
• 2017The Lost City of Z — Baron de Gondoriz
• 2017The Neighborhood — Guglielmo
• 2017The Time of Their Lives — Alberto
• 2016Along the River — Frank De Ville
• Delicious — Joe Benelli
• 2015Earth
• 2015Road to Capri — Guido
• 2014Django, Sartana, Trinita' et les autres… — Lui-même
• 2014Figli di Maam
• 2014Killer Mermaid — Niko
• 2014Love Island — Marquis Polesini
• 2014Obsessive Rhythms — Carmine
• 2014The Mystery of Dante — Executive Producer
• 2013Handy — Frank The Black
• 2013Memories They Told Me — Paolo
• 2012Crazy Dog — Alvaro Genta
• 2012Django Unchained — Amerigo Vessepi, Thanks
• 2012New Order — Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen
• 2012The Last Alchemist — Felix the Alchemist
• 2011Cars 2 — Uncle Topolino (voice)
• 2011Father — Enrico
• Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire — Augustine of Hippo
• 2010Letters to Juliet — Lorenzo
• 2010Prigioniero di un segreto — Il barbone
• 2010Rasputin — Narratore
• 2010Restless Heart: The Confessions of Augustine — Augustinus (age 76)
• 2009Franco Cristaldi e il suo cinema Paradiso
• 2009Killing Is My Business, Honey — Enrico Puzzo
• 2008A Night at the Grand Hotel — Ferran Moreno
• 2008Bastardi — René Iuvara
• 2008Bathory: Countess of Blood — King Mathias
• Il sangue e la rosa — Conte Uberto Mancini
• 2008La rabbia — Mentore, Producer, Executive Producer
• 2008Mein Herz in Chile — Carlos Sanchez
• Mein Herz in Chile — Carlos Sanchez
• 2008Márió, a varázsló — Mario, Co-Producer
• Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons — Max Freeman
• L'inchiesta - Anno Domini XXXIII — Caifa
• 2007Mineurs — Michele Acucella
• 2007The Final Inquiry — Caifa
• 2007Two Families — Morandi
• 2006Amore e libertà - Masaniello — Vicerè
• 2006Giornata Nera
• 2006Hans — Giudice/barbone
• 2006The Holy Family — Zachary
• 2005Forever Blues — Luca, Writer, Director, Producer
• Rosamunde Pilcher - Magic of Love
• 2005Summer Solstice — Lorenzo
• 2005Vasco Rossi - È solo un rock'n'roll show — Judge
• 2004Guardians of the Clouds — Padre
• 2004Post Coitum — Bakchus
• 2003Bad Inclination — Il barbone
• Der Fürst und das Mädchen
• 2003The Uncrowned Heart — Bear's Trainer
• 2002Die achte Todsünde: Das Toskana-Karussell — Giuseppe Mantaldo
• 2002Fumata blanca — Cardenal Tura
• Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften — Fashion Billionaire
• 2002The Last Gunfighter — The pistolero
• 2002Ultimo stadio — Antonio
• 2001Chimera — Imprenditore
• 2001La ragion pura — Marito
• La voce del sangue — Antonio Castaldi
• 2001Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 — General Francini
• 2001Sacra Corona — Bishop Gellért
• 2001The Crusaders — Ibnazul
• The Crusaders — Ibnazul
• 2000Mirka — Il Sindaco
• 2000Saint Paul — Gamaliel
• Saint Paul — Gamaliel
• 2000Uninvited — Ralph Barolo, Producer
• 2000Winds of Passion — Michele Giangrande
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Roberto Distasio
• 1999Li chiamarono... briganti! — Caporale Nerza
• 1998Il tesoro di Damasco — Andrea
• 1998Talk of Angels — Dr. Vicente Areavaga
• 1998The Versace Murder — Gianni Versace
• 1997Bella Mafia — Mario Domino
• 1997David — Natan
• David — Nathan
• 1997Desert of Fire — Marcel Duvivier
• Desert of Fire — Marcel Duvivier
• Painted Lady — Robert Tassi
• 1997Rack Up — Jesus Barro
• 1997The Medal — Ing. Ferrero
• 1996The Conquest — Árpád vezér
• 1996The Innocent Sleep — Adolfo Cavani
• The Return of Sandokan — Yogi Azim
• Desideria e l'anello del drago — Dragon King
• 1995Io e il re — Maggiore Ferri
• 1995Jonathan of the Bears — Jonathan, Story, Producer
• Nemici intimi — Lorenzo Stradella
• 1994The Dragon Ring — Dragon King
• 1993Azzurro profondo — Luca Morinari
• 1993Das Babylon Komplott — Chris Lang
• 1993Der Fall Lucona — Enzo Lombardi
• 1993Test of Memory — Paul Herzog
• 1992Amelia Lópes O'Neill — Fernando
• 1992Brothers and Sisters — Franco
• 1992From Time to Time — Leonard De Vinci
• 1992Gold — Gabriele da Poppi
• 1991Touch and Die — Aquani
• Young Catherine — Count Vorontsov
• 1990Breath of Life — Angelo
• 1990Die Hard 2 — General Ramon Esperanza
• 1989A Double Victory — Saverio Pallucca
• Blaues Blut — Sandro Castellani
• I promessi sposi — fra Cristoforo
• 1988Magdalene — Janza
• 1988Race to Danger — Francis, il marinaio
• 1988Run for Your Life — Commissario
• 1988Top Line — Ted Angelo
• 1988Young Toscanini — Claudio Toscanini
• 1987Django Strikes Again — Django
• 1987Sweet Country — Paul
• 1987The Girl — Johan (John) Berg
• 1986Un altare per la madre — -
• 1985André schafft sie alle — Andre
• 1985Devil's Crude — Nick
• 1985The Repenter — Falco
• 1984Die Försterbuben — Böhme
• The Last Days of Pompeii — Arbaces
• 1983The Falcon — Banović Strahinja
• The Hitchhiker — Dr. Peter Milne
• 1982Grog — Nicola Fanelli
• 1982Kamikaze '89 — Weiss
• 1982Querelle — Lieutenant Seblon
• 1982Red Bells Part I: Mexico in Flames — John Reed
• 1982Red Bells Part II: I Saw the Birth of a New World — John Reed
• 1981Enter the Ninja — Cole
• Le rose di Danzica — Il generale Konrad Von Den Berg
• 1981The Salamander — Carabinieri Colonel Dante Matucci
• 1980Day of the Cobra — Larry Stanziani
• 1980The Blue-Eyed Bandit — Renzo Dominici
• 1980The Man with Bogart's Face — Hakim
• 1979Le rose di Danzica — General Konrad von Der Berg
• 1979Mimi — Guido
• 1979The Shark Hunter — Mike di Donato, Co-Producer
• 1979The Visitor — Jesus Christ
• 1978Force 10 from Navarone — Lescovar
• 1977Hitch Hike — Walter Mancini
• 1977Sahara Cross — Jean Ballard
• The Pirate — Baydr Al Fay
• 197621 Hours at Munich — Issa
• 1976Keoma — Keoma
• 1976Submission — Armand
• 1976Victory March — Captain Asciutto
• 1975Cry, Onion! — Onion Stark
• 1975Death Rite — Sadry
• 1975How to Kill a Judge — Giacomo Solaris
• 1975Smiling Maniacs — Judge Dani
• 1975The Flower in His Mouth — Professore Michele Belcore
• 1975The Legend of Valentino — Rudolph Valentino
• 1974Blood Brothers — Nicola Bellizzi
• 1974Challenge to White Fang — Jason Scott
• 1974Street Law — Carlo Antonelli
• 1974The Last Four Days — Walter Audisio
• 1973Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears — Johnny Ears
• 1973High Crime — Commissario Belli
• 1973Redneck — Mosquito
• 1973The Assassination of Matteotti — Giacomo Matteotti
• 1973White Fang — Jason Scott
• 1972Pope Joan — Louis
• 1972The Harder They Come — Django (archive footage)
• 1972The Monk — Ambrosio
• 1971Confessions of a Police Captain — Sostituto Procuratore Traini
• 1971Don't Turn the Other Cheek — Prince Dimitri Vassilovich Vladek Orlowsky
• 1971The Case Is Closed, Forget It — Vanzi
• 1971The Fifth Cord — Andrea Bild
• 1971Vacation — Osiride, Producer
• 1970Compañeros — Yodlaf Peterson
• 1970Dropout — Bruno, Co-Producer
• 1970The Fifth Day of Peace — Bruno Grauber
• 1970The Virgin and the Gypsy — The gypsy
• 1970Tristana — Horacio
• 1969Detective Belli — Commissario Stefano Belli
• 1969The Battle of Neretva — Capitano Michele Rossi
• 1968A Quiet Place in the Country — Leonardo Ferri
• 1968Sardinia Kidnapped — Gavino
• 1968The Day of the Owl — Captain Bellodi
• 1968The Mercenary — Sergei Kowalski, The Polish
• 1967Camelot — Lancelot Du Lac
• 1967Man, Pride and Vengeance — José
• 1966Django — Django
• 1966Massacre Time — Tom Corbett
• 1966Texas, Adios — Burt Sullivan
• 1966The Bible: In the Beginning... — Abel, Still Photographer
• 1966The Hired Killer — Tony Lo Bello
• 1966The Third Eye — Mino Alberti (as Frank Nero)
• 1966The Wild, Wild Planet — Lt. Jake
• 1966War of the Planets — Lt. Jake Jacowitx
• 1965I Knew Her Well — Italo - The garage attendant
• 1965La Celestina P… R… — Fabrizio
• 1965The Tramplers — Charley Garvey
• 1964Italian Engagement
• 1963Un delitto
• 1962Scorched Skin
• Django Lives! — Django
• El Sobrino
• La battaglia di Gorthene

Appearances as themselves (25)

• 2024Titanus 1904 — Self
• 2021Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained — Self - Actor
• 2021Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto — Self
• 2021Two Men Alone — Himself
• 2021We Are Cinema — Self (archive footage)
• Emigratis — Self
• 2016Road to Ruin — Self
• 2015Sergio Corbucci: The Smiling Man — Himself
• 2014Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films — Self - Actor
• 2014Red Chairs - Parma and the Cinema — Self
• 2013I Tarantiniani — Self
• 2013Istintobrass — Self
• 2013The Outsider: The Cinema of Antonio Margheriti — Self
• 2012Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s — Self
• 2006Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern — Self
• 2005Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker — Self
• 2005The Spaghetti West — Self
• Through the Night with... — Self
• 2001Franco Nero: Back in the Saddle — Self
• 2001In the Company of Compañeros — Self
• Viva el lunes — Self
• Na sowas! — Self
• 1982Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works — Self
• 1982Sergey Bondarchuk — Self
• Der große Preis — Self