Thomas, Alfred
Posted: 05/08/2019, 20:54
Alfred Thomas was yet another black actor who made a career for himself in Rome. An instantly recognizable and highly sympathetic presence, he was active in cinema, television, theater and even fotoromanzi from at least the late 1950s and up until the mid 1980s, yet practically no information is available on him anywhere.
Presumably an African-American who emigrated to Rome (much like John Kitzmiller, Wilbert Bradley, Carl Latimer, Jon Chevron and many others), Alfred Thomas was also a singer and musician, something which was occasionally reflected in the roles he played. According to an article in Radiocorriere N. 37 (1964), he was part of a group called Folk-Studio Spiritual Singers together with Harold Bradley, Ines Carmona, Yvette Dru, Archie Savage and Keefe West.
In film, he appeared in several westerns and peplums, and was especially active in the jungle adventures which were popular in the 1960s. Among these was Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine (1968) in which his villainous part is probably among the largest roles of his career, though he also has a fairly large role in the comedy Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi (1972).
As with most black actors working in Italian cinema, the majority of Alfred Thomas' roles were uncredited (very often unfairly so) and there are no doubt many more discoveries to be made for him.
Filmography
- Canzone appassionata .... Pianist (uncredited)
1954 - Teodora, imperatrice di Bisanzio .... Bongo player (uncredited)
- Un americano a Roma .... Bar customer (uncredited)
1957 - Rascel-Fifì .... Nightclub piano player (uncredited)
1958 - Afrodite, dea dell'amore .... Bongo player in the slave tent (uncredited)
- La morte viene dallo spazio .... UN conference attendee (uncredited)
- Ragazzi della marina .... Fake tourist guide (credited as "Thomas")
- Romeo Bar (TV) .... The pianist (credited)
1959 - Ben-Hur .... Oarsman (uncredited)
1960 - I baccanali di Tiberio .... Slave (uncredited)
- Messalina Venere imperatrice .... Carriage bearer (uncredited)
- Noi duri .... Man lighting cigarette outside nightclub (uncredited)
- Revak, lo schiavo di Cartagine .... Carriage bearer (uncredited)
- Sotto dieci bandiere .... Crew member evacuating ship (uncredited)
- Teseo contro il minotauro .... Drummer (uncredited)
1961 - Il relitto .... Winni (uncredited)
- La vendetta di Ursus .... Palace guard (uncredited)
- Le meraviglie di Aladino .... Servant of the Grand Vizier (uncredited)
- Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi .... Team leader in tug-of-war / Guard (uncredited)
1962 - Boccaccio '70 - segment: "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" .... American jazz musician (uncredited)
- I moschettieri del mare .... Servant on the ship (uncredited)
1963 - Io Semiramide .... Masseur (uncredited)
1964 - Tarzak contro gli uomini leopardo .... Native chief (credited as "Al Thomas")
1966 - Amore all'italiana - segment "Playboy" .... Pianist in the hotel bar (uncredited)
- Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro .... Coast Guard officer (uncredited)
- Il vostro super agente Flit .... Samuele (credited)
- Sicario 77, vivo o morto .... Croupier at the club (uncredited)
- Sugar Colt .... Sammy (credited)
1967 - Bersaglio mobile .... Nightclub customer (uncredited)
- Dio perdona... io no! .... Horn player in the funeral band (uncredited)
- Gungala, la vergine della giungla .... Agnogno (credited)
- Le streghe .... Suicide spectator (uncredited)
- Matchless .... Soldier (uncredited)
- OK Connery .... Attendee at plastic surgery congress (uncredited)
- Troppo per vivere... poco per morire .... Man at the jewellery show (uncredited)
- Wanted .... Baker houseman (uncredited)
1968 - Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell .... Member of the 293 squadron reunion (uncredited)
- Due volte Giuda .... Sam, Barrett houseman (uncredited)
- Il marchio di Kriminal .... Von Beck servant (uncredited)
- Il mio corpo per un poker .... Poker room valet (uncredited)
- Il pistolero segnato da Dio .... Clerigen houseman (uncredited)
- Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine .... Ukeke (credited as "Al Thomas")
- Seduto alla sua destra .... Excellency (uncredited)
- The Shoes of the Fisherman .... Cardinal (uncredited)
1969 - Atti degli apostoli (TV mini series) Ep. 5 .... Roman citizen (uncredited)
- H2S .... Man killed by Tommaso (credited)
- Tarzana, sesso selvaggio .... Kamuru (credited)
- Una su 13 .... Mbama (credited)
1970 - Due bianchi nell'Africa nera .... Cannibal chief (uncredited)
- F.B.I. - Francesco Bertolazzi Investigatore (TV series) - episode 1: "Sparita il giorno delle nozze" .... Mahamud (credited)
1971 - The Statue .... U.N. member (uncredited)
- Storie dell'anno Mille (TV mini series) - episode 4 .... Man in ropes (uncredited)
1972 - Avanti! .... Man in the airport immigration queue (uncredited)
- Il West ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja .... Tom, Ferguson butler (uncredited)
- Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi .... Bellafronte (credited)
- La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? .... Thomas (uncredited)
- Le notti peccaminose di Pietro l'Aretino .... Servant holding Nana's horse (uncredited)
1973 - Vogliamo i colonnelli .... African politician (uncredited)
1974 - Moses the Lawgiver (TV mini series) .... Death rite performer (uncredited)
1976 - Emanuelle in America .... African tribal chief (uncredited)
- Il Casanova di Federico Fellini .... Servant (uncredited)
- Il vangelo secondo Simone e Matteo .... Antiques dealer (uncredited)
- Signore e signori, buonanotte .... Assassination victim (uncredited)
1977 - Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? .... Guard in the Emir's palace (uncredited)
1978 - Piedone l'africano .... Johannesburg Air Club employee (uncredited)
1981 - Cornetti alla crema .... Cardinal (uncredited)
- La scuola dei duri (TV series) Ep. 3: "Senza tregua" .... The Pianist (credited)
1983 - Questo e quello - segment "Quello... col basco rosso" .... The butler (credited)
- Segni particolari: Bellissimo .... Josephine's father (credited)
1984 - A tu per tu .... Sam, the piano player (uncredited)
1985 - Casablanca, Casablanca .... Sam, the piano player (credited)
Other works
- Il mattatore (TV variety show, 1959) - episode 3 .... One-legged man in Harlem (credited)