He was born on May 6th 1932 in Roccamaldolfi, Italy and died on December 18th 1984 in Novara, aged 52. He is known to have had a brother, Armando.
His looks were the result of suffering from acromegaly, a rare condition where the body produces too much growth hormone, causing body tissues and bones to grow more quickly which, over time, leads to abnormally large hands and feet, and a wide range of other symptoms. This was also the cause of his death at an early age, causing a heart attack following thyroid-related surgery.
Popular legend has it that he was discovered as a flower vendor outside Cinecitta by director Carmelo Bene, though it is difficult to know if this is true or something dreamed up by the publicity department.
IMDb lists 2 titles from 1970, but he has not been found in these, so his actual debut looks to have been in ...e lo chiamarono Spirito Santo in 1971. From thereon he rapidly became an in-demand character player, appearing in some 30-odd productions over the next 3 years. Initially he played more "normal" roles, but it wasn't long before film-makers began to exploit his looks, casting him as a succession of brutes, neanderthals and other roles of a freakish nature. At the time of his death he was preparing to play what would have been one of his biggest roles, the part eventually played by Ron Perlman in Il nome della rosa, ironically named Salvatore.
Given his appearance and high profile among genre fans, it seems unlikely that there will be much in the way of undocumented roles to be found, but stranger things have happened.[1]
- ...e lo chiamarono Spirito Santo …. Prisoner (uncredited)
1972 - Decameron n° 2 - Le altre novelle del Boccaccio …. Friar in purgatory (uncredited)
- Decameron proibitissimo (Boccaccio mio statte zitto) …. Brigand (uncredited)
- E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico …. Prisoner (uncredited)
- I 2 figli dei Trinità …. King Kong (uncredited)
- Il grande duello …. Barkeeper (credited)
- Jesse & Lester - Due fratelli in un posto chiamato Trinità …. Paco (uncredited)
- Le notti peccaminose di Pietro l'Aretino …. Satanasso (uncredited)
- Roma …. Cafe patron (uncredited)
- Salome …. Courtier (uncredited)
- Senza famiglia, nullatenenti cercano affetto …. Nurse (uncredited)
- Spirito Santo e le 5 magnifiche canaglie …. Man wanting to cross the river with goats (uncredited)
- Tutti fratelli nel west... per parte di padre …. Excited cowboy (uncredited)
- Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato... Parola di Spirito Santo …. Spirito Santo recruit (credited)
1973 - Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli …. Angelo's food tester (uncredited)
- Corte marziale .... Mine worker (uncredited - footage from "...e lo chiamarono Spirito Santo", 1971)
- Il gatto di Brooklyn aspirante detective …. Golem (credited)
- Le cinque giornate …. Garafino (credited)
- Le favolose notti d'oriente …. The Sheik (credited as "Salvatore Beccaro")
- Le mille e una notte... e un'altra ancora! …. Sage (credited)
- Li chiamavano i tre moschettieri... invece erano quattro …. Duke of Buckingham (credited)
- Provaci anche tu Lionel …. Man who faints (uncredited)
- Sette monache a Kansas City …. Bart henchman (credited)
1974 - 4 marmittoni alle grandi manovre …. Farmer who pees in the beans (uncredited)
- Anche gli angeli tirano di destro …. Sonny's neighbour (uncredited)
- Farfallon …. Galeotto (credited)
- Le secret des Flamands (TV mini-series) Ep. 2 …. The doorman (credited)
- Terror! Il castello delle donne maledette …. Ook (credited as "Boris Lugosi")
- The Arena …. Winekeeper (credited)
1975 - L'educanda .... Righetto (credited)
- L'esorciccio …. Mother of Satanetto (uncredited)
- Mondo candido …. Orco (uncredited)
- Profondo rosso …. Fruit vendor in the market (uncredited)
- Qui comincia l'avventura …. Michelone henchman (credited)
- Scusi eminenza... posso sposarmi? .... role?? (credited) - no pic so far
- Un urlo dalle tenebre …. Satanist (uncredited)
1976 - 40 gradi all'ombra del lenzuolo …. One of the admirers of Emilia (credited)
- Cassiodoro il più duro del pretorio …. Wild man (credited)
- Remo e Romolo …. Alban soldier (uncredited)
- Salon Kitty …. Brutish man used to test female S.S. recruits (uncredited)
- Spogliamoci così, senza pudor… …. Salvatore (credited)
1977 - Casa privata per le SS …. Brutish man used to test female S.S. recruits (uncredited)
- Il mostro …. Wolf man (uncredited)
- La bestia in calore …. The beast (credited as "Sal Boris")
- Von Buttiglione Sturmtruppenführer …. Soldier sleeping with teddy bear (uncredited)
1978 - La soldatessa alle grandi manovre …. Crispino (uncredited)
- Proibito erotico …. Masseur (uncredited)
- Scontri stellari oltre la terza dimensione …. Neanderthal man (uncredited)
1979 - La liceale, il diavolo e l'acquasanta …. Primitive man in the afterlife (credited)
- Sabato, domenica e venerdì …. Gustavo (credited)
- Squadra antigangsters …. Rocco (credited as "Salvatore Vaccaro")
1980 - Il casinista …. Prisoner (credited)
- Il pap'occhio …. Choir member (credited)
- Zucchero, miele e peperoncino …. The farmer (uncredited)
1981 - Caligola e Messalina …. Alciede (uncredited)
- Pierino contro tutti …. Pinball player (uncredited)
- Pierino medico della SAUB …. Patient who scares Gasparoni (uncredited)
- Uno contro l'altro, praticamente amici …. Client of Madam di Tebe (credited)
1982 - Ator 2: L'invincibile Orion …. Chief of the cavemen (uncredited)
- Il tifoso, l'arbitro e il calciatore …. AS Roma supporter (uncredited)
- Pierino colpisce ancora …. Giovanni (credited)
1983 - Se tutto va bene siamo rovinati …. Antelope (credited)
- Sfrattato cerca casa equo canone …. Schiattamorto (credited)
1984 - Dagobert …. The lumberjack (credited)
- C'est dingue... mais on y va (1979) - IMDb as Le propriétaire de la voiture volée
- La moglie più bella (1970) IMDb. There is a "Salvatore Vaccaro" credited, which IMDb believes should refer to Baccaro, but he does not appear.
- Ma chi t'ha dato la patente? (1970) IMDb with no role. I've been through the film a number of times with no success finding Salvatore.
- Fiorina la vacca (1972) ANICA with no role. Not found.
- Quant'è bella la Bernarda, tutta nera, tutta calda (1975) IMDb as Caprio. Not found, my copy isn't very good, but even so I think I would have recognised him.
- Emanuelle in America (1977) IMDb as Charlie. I couldn't find him.
- La vergine, il toro e il capricorno (1977) IMDb with no role. Once again there was no sign of Salvatore.
- Tutti dentro (1984) ANICA with no role. Still another film that I've looked through multiple times with no luck finding Salvatore.
1. Some of his biographical details are confirmed in a brief interview with his brother that can be found on YouTube. |