Battaglia, Rik

[PeplumParadise]

Rik Battaglia in Cineguida 1961

Rik Battaglia in Cineguida 1963

Rik Battaglia (or Rick, the spellings are split roughly 50/50) was a supporting actor and occasional lead, active in Italian films and television from 1954 until 1999. He matriculated at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1957.

He was born Caterino Bertaglia in Corbola, Italy on February 18th 1927. In an interview Rik says he never met his father, rarely saw his mother and was raised by his grandmother.

After having worked a few years as a seaman, legend has it that he was discovered working as a bartender, but, depending which source you choose to believe, the discovery could have been made by director Mario Soldati, producer Carlo Ponti or writer Goffredo Parise, while Rik himself said it was a talent scout. Regardless of who it was who found him, with looks reminiscent of a young Elvis Presley he was cast in the leading role opposite Italy's hottest starlet of the time, Sophia Loren, in La donna del fiume (1954). He followed up on this with a number of other leading roles over the next few years, while in 1955 he also enrolled to study acting at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, putting him in the rather unique position of being an established leading man before and during his studies.

Following his graduation he relinquished his leading man status in favour of playing large supporting character roles, more often than not playing the part of the villain. With genuine acting talent beyond his matinee idol looks, Rik continued to work steadily for the next 40 years, appearing in all the popular genres of Italian cinema. From the 70's onwards his roles tended to be smaller, but he continued working regularly until retiring in 1999. From around 1977 onwards he always used the spelling "Rick".

He died of heart failure on March 27th 2015 in Corbola, aged 88.

Perhaps his best remembered roles today are from the series of Karl May westerns he appeared in during the mid-60’s, shot in Germany and Yugoslavia. He acquired something of a reputation for being romantically involved with the actresses in his films, which he confirms in an interview from 2014.

Filmography

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1954

1. La donna del fiume .... Gino Lodi (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
   
   1956
2. La risaia .... Gianni (credited)
3. Orlando e i Paladini di Francia .... Orlando (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
4. Ragazzi di Trastevere (short feature) .... Righetto (credited)
   
   1957
5. I fidanzati della morte .... Carlo (credited)
6. La Gerusalemme liberata .... Rinaldo d'Este (credited)
7. Liana, la schiava bianca .... Ibrahim (credited)
   
   1958
8. Adorabili e bugiarde .... Giorgio Pitagora (credited)
9. Nudi come Dio li creò .... Joschi Turk (poster credit - role unconfirmed)
10. Raw Wind in Eden .... Gavino (credited)
    
    1959
11. Annibale .... Hasdrubal (credited)
12. I battellieri del Volga .... Lieutenant Lisenko (credited)
13. I Reali di Francia .... Roland, Count of Besançon (credited)
    
    1960
14. Esther and the King .... Simon (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
15. Il conquistatore d'Oriente .... Nadir (credited)
16. La giornata balorda .... Carpiti (credited)
17. Teseo contro il minotauro .... Demetrio (credited)
    
    1961
18. Don't Bother to Knock .... Giulio (credited)
    
    1962
19. Giulio Cesare, il conquistatore delle Gallie .... Vercingetorix (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
20. Sodoma e Gomorra .... Melchior (credited)
21. Una regina per Cesare .... Lucius (credited)
    
    1963
22. Il figlio del circo .... Steffi (poster credit - role unconfirmed)
23. Il giorno più corto .... Austrian soldier (credited with image)
24. Il leone di San Marco .... Jandolo (credited)
25. Rocambole .... Conrad Von Berthold (credited)
26. Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem .... Sambigliong (credited)
    
    1964
27. Der Schut (Una carabina per Schut) .... Nirwan (credited)
28. Freddy und das Lied der Prärie .... Steve Perkins (credited)
29. Old Shatterhand (La Battaglia di Forte Apache) .... Dixon (credited)
    
    1965
30. Amanti d'oltretomba .... David (credited)
31. Das Vermächtnis des Inka (Viva Gringo) .... Antonio Perillo (credited)
32. Der Schatz der Azteken (I violenti di Rio Bravo) .... Captain Lazoro Verdoja (credited)
33. Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes (I violenti di Rio Bravo) .... Captain Lazaro Verdoja (credited)
34. L'avventuriero della Tortuga .... Pedro Valverde (credited)
35. Winnetou - 3. Teil (Desperado Trail) .... Rollins (credited)
    
    1966
36. Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand .... Captain Mendoza (credited)
    
    1967
37. I frutti amari .... Sebastian (poster credit - role unconfirmed)
38. Misión en Ginebra / Per 50.000 maledetti dollari .... Drummer (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1968
39. Black Jack - Un uomo per 5 vendette .... Skinner (credited)
40. I lunghi giorni dell'odio .... Vic Graham (credited)
41. Spara, Gringo, spara .... Captain Norton (credited)
42. Ti darò un posto all'inferno .... Manuel (credited)
43. Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten (L'uomo dal lungo fucile) .... Murdock (credited)
    
    1969
44. La battaglia del deserto .... Bob (credited)
    
    1970
45. Ehi amigo... sei morto! .... Barnett
46. L'oro dei bravados .... Murphy (credited)
    
    1971
47. Addio fratello crudele .... The father (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
48. Giù la testa .... Santema (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
49. La grande scrofa nera .... unknown role (poster credit)
    
    1972
50. La lunga cavalcata della vendetta .... Montana (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
51. The Call of the Wild .... Dutch Harry (credited)
52. Treasure Island .... Captain Smollett (credited)
    
    1973
53. Canterbury n° 2 - Nuove storie d'amore del '300 .... Averagus (credited)
54. La isla misteriosa .... Finch (credited)
55. La isla misteriosa (TV mini-series) Eps. 5, 6 .... Finch (credited)
56. Zanna Bianca .... Jim Hall (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1974
57. Diez negritos (And Then There Were None) .... Vendedor (credited)
    
    1975
58. Il lupo dei mari .... Johnson (credited)
59. Un genio, due compari, un pollo .... Captain (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1976
60. A Matter of Time (Nina) .... Nina's father-Not found (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
61. La fine dell'innocenza .... Superintendant (credited)
62. Le deportate della sezione speciale SS .... Dr. Schubert (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
63. Una vita venduta .... role??? (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1977
64. Il mondo dei sensi di Emy Wong .... Captain (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
65. Il prefetto di ferro .... Antonio Capecelatro (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
66. Mannaja .... Gerald Merton (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
67. Ritornano quelli della calibro 38 .... Police commissioner (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
68. Suor Emanuelle .... Catsabriaga (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1978
69. Il grande attacco .... French partisan (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1979
70. I contrabbandieri di Santa Lucia .... Don Calogero Avallone (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
71. Lo scugnizzo .... Don Vincenzo Tramontano (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
72. Napoli... la camorra sfida, la città risponde .... Doctor Rampone (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1980
73. La tua vita per mio figlio .... Don Calogero (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
74. Zappatore .... Don Andrea Amitrano (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1981
75. La casa rossa (TV mini-series) Eps. 1, 2 & 4 .... Athos (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
76. Quell'antico amore (TV mini-series) Eps. 2 & 3 .... Rousselot (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1982
77. Bomber .... Trainer (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
78. Giuramento .... Frank Geraci (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
79. La vela incantata (TV movie) …. role unknown (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1983
80. L'amante dell'Orsa Maggiore (TV mini-series) Ep. 4 .... Non-commissioned officer (credited)
    
    1985
81. Il pentito .... Officer at the morgue (credited)
82. Liberté, égalité, choucroute .... De La Fayette (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
83. Schiave bianche - Violenza in Amazzonia .... Catherine's father (credited as "Dick Marshall")
    
    1986
84. Asilo di polizia .... Don Zanetti (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
85. Giuro che ti amo .... Don Vito (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
86. Strada senza uscita (TV mini-series) Ep. 2 .... The man with the scythe (credited as "Ric Battaglia")
    
    1988
87. Don Bosco .... Michele Cavour (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1989
88. Diva Futura - L'avventura dell'amore .... role unknown (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
89. La ragazza del metrò .... Andrea (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1991
90. Buck ai confini del cielo .... Bauman (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1992
91. Omicidio a luci blu .... Bill (credited as "Rick Battaglia")
    
    1994
92. Rodjen kao ratnik .... Bogie (credited as "Rick Bataglia")

Titles to check

• Cuore in gola (1988 TV movie) IMDb as Mr. Charles Jones.
• La carne e il diavolo (1992 TV movie) IMDb.
• Pumuckls Abenteuer (1999 TV series) IMDb, Episode 12: Pumuckls Abschiedsfoto, as Kuster. This should be Rik's final screen appearance, however IMDb says it is an animated series, so it is unclear if Rik appears or just provides voiceover.
• He should also appear as an interviewee in several documentary features found as extras on DVD's

No Rik!

Titles where Rik is listed as appearing somewhere online, but he couldn't be found.

• Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald (1956) IMDb as Crewman. Rik does not appear, presumably confused with his appearance in the sequel.
• Caterina Sforza, la leonessa di Romagna (1959) IMDb with no role. Rik is not credited and does not appear.

[PeplumParadise]

La donna del fiume (1954) credited as "Rick Battaglia", as Gino Lodi.

Rik made his film debut playing the love interest of Italy's hottest starlet, Sophia Loren. Given his total lack of experience he equips himself well, playing mean and moody opposite the more experienced Loren.

[PeplumParadise]

La risaia (1956) credited, as Gianni

[PeplumParadise]

Orlando e i Paladini di Francia (1956) credited as "Rick Battaglia", as Orlando (Roland in English versions)

[PeplumParadise]

Ragazzi di Trastevere (1956 short feature) credited, as Righetto.

This student film from Umberto Lenzi came during Rik's days at C.S.C. and it must have presumably been a bit of a shock to go from leading man in major movies to bottom billing in a barely noticable role. He would work for Lenzi again in Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem (1963)

[PeplumParadise]

I fidanzati della morte (1957) credited, as Carlo

[PeplumParadise]

La Gerusalemme liberata (1957) credited, as Rinaldo d'Este

Images upgraded

[PeplumParadise]

Liana, la schiava bianca (Liane: Die Weisse Sklavin) (1957) credited, as Ibrahim

[PeplumParadise]

Adorabili e bugiarde (1958) credited, as Giorgio Pitagora

[PeplumParadise]

Nudi come Dio li creò (Nackt, wie Gott sie schuf) (1958) credited and pictured on the posters, as Joschi Turk (role to be confirmed)