Biography
Handsome, blue-eyed Italian actor Franco Nero was a film leading man from 1965. Nero starred in the popular spaghetti western
Django, and later played the chop-socky leading role in
Enter the Ninja (1980). Never trepidatious about playing non-heroic or psychologically complex roles, Nero has been seen as the villainous Esperanza in
Die Hard 2 (1990) and as the "outed" gay ship's captain in the French
Querelle (1982). Nero's most famous American screen roles include Abel in
John Huston's
The Bible and Sir Lancelot in
Joshua Logan's
Camelot (1967); his romantic relationship with
Camelot leading lady
Vanessa Redgrave resulted in a son named Carlos. On American television, Nero essayed the leading role in
The Legend of Valentino (1975). More recently, Franco Nero both wrote and starred in the 1994 theatrical feature
Jonathan of the Bears. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide