- Daniele Vargas in Cineguida 1963-64
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All available sources seem to be agreed that he was born Daniele Pitani on April 20th 1922 in Bologna, Italy.[3]. Filippo Braucci on Facebook has informed me that he was married to a Swedish woman and that in the 60's he lived on Via Emilia (in addition to the other addresses below).
According to his profile in Dizionario del cinema italiano he was a classmate of Pier Paolo Pasolini in school, after which he graduated in medicine. He reportedly practiced as a doctor for some years, relocating to Rome in 1957 so he could pursue his true passion, the cinema.
His career in Italian films kicked off with 6 roles in 1959. From that point on he worked steadily in Italian films for the next 2 decades, appearing in over 100 films, proving to be a reliable character player in pretty much every genre, usually cast in the roles of villains. His final film appearance came in 1981, the year of his death.
Daniele died in Rome on April 26th 1981, at the age of 59, confirmed by a newspaper obituary (most online sources give an incorrect year of 1992).
Daniele is one of 4 actors whose Facebook page I have been moderator of for many years. The other 3 (Dakar, José Jaspe, Umberto Silvestri) have led to my being in contact with family members of the actors in question, but curiously, with him being the best known of the 4, I have had absolutely no contact from anyone who knew Daniele, so sadly I am unable to add any new biographical information from this source.
Over the years I have uncovered a handful of previously undocumented film appearances by Daniele, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility that there may be one or two more to be discovered.
Biographical note[1, 2]
- Birthplace: Bologna.
- Height: 1,83 m.
- Instruction: Medical degree.
- Foreign languages: French, English, Spanish.
- Dubbing.
- Abodes: Rome, via S. Valentino, 24 (1963); Rome, via dell'Alpinismo, 24 (1968).
Filmography
- Caltiki il mostro immortale .... Bob (credited as "Daniel Vargas")
- Ercole e la regina di Lidia .... Anfiarao (credited as "Daniele Varga")
- La battaglia di Maratona .... Darius (credited as "Daniele Varga")
- La scimitarra del saraceno .... Gamal (credited as "Daniele Varga")
- Le cameriere .... Marini (credited)
- Non perdiamo la testa .... The Butler (credited as "Daniele Varga")
1960 - La furia dei barbari .... Napur (credited)
- La strada dei giganti .... Neri (credited as "Daniele Varga")
- Le signore .... Andrea (uncredited)
1961 - Il ladro di Bagdad .... Gamal (credited)
- Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita .... Marchese Daniele Augusto Maria Fortebraccio Pitone (credited as "Daniele Varcas")
- Una vita difficile .... Marchese Cafferoni (credited)
1962 - Arrivano i titani .... Prison guard (uncredited)
- La marcia su Roma .... His Excellency (credited)
- Sodoma e Gomorra .... Segur (credited)
1963 - Beta som .... Brauzzi (credited)
- I mostri .... Professor Pinzuto (credited)
- Il successo .... Peruvian consul (credited)
- L'invincibile cavaliere mascherato .... Don Luis (credited)
- Sansone contro i pirati .... Murad (credited)
1964 - Ercole contro Roma .... Filippo Afro (credited)
- I predoni della steppa .... Altan Khan (credited)
- La calda vita .... Renata's new husband (credited)
- La vendetta di Spartacus .... Lucio Trasone (credited)
- Panic Button .... Carlo (credited)
1965 - Golia alla conquista di Bagdad .... Saud (credited)
- Jeff Gordon spaccatutto .... Zacharoff (credited as "Daniel Vargas")
- La dama de Beirut .... Leonardo (credited)
- La montagna di luce .... Rajah Sindar (credited)
- Se non avessi più te .... Hotel Manager in Barcelona (credited)
- Su e giù .... Professor Maestrelli (credited)
- The Agony and the Ecstasy .... Physician (uncredited)
1966 - A Man Could Get Killed .... Osman (credited)
- After the Fox .... Prosecuting attorney (credited)
- Bacia e spara .... Tol Lim (credited)
- Degueyo .... Frank Thomas (credited as "Dan Vargas")
- Le piacevoli notti .... Fortebraccio da Montone (credited)
- Le spie amano i fiori .... Stan Harriman (credited as "Dan Vargas")
- Le stagioni del nostro amore .... Count Della Pica (credited)
- 3 notti violente .... Major Rossi (credited)
1967 - Assalto al tesoro di stato .... Kaufman (credited)
- Colpo doppio del camaleonte d'oro .... Bank manager (credited)
- Come rubare un quintale di diamanti in Russia .... Zack (credited)
- Con la muerte a la espalda .... Electra 1 (credited)
- Il figlio di Django .... Clay Ferguson (credited)
- Il lungo, il corto, il gatto .... Mr. Smith (credited)
- L'ultimo killer .... John Barrett (credited)
- Per amore... per magia .... Viscount of Pallerineri (credited)
- Tutto Totò (TV series) Ep.: "Totò ciak" .... Lupo (credited)
- Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistola .... Good Jim (credited)
- Wanted .... Mayor Gold (credited)
1968 - Histoires extraordinaires .... University professor (credited)
- Il mondo di Pirandello (TV series) Ep.: "Amori senza amore" .... Lulù Stacchi (credited)
- La vendetta è il mio perdono .... Doctor Frank Decker (credited)
- The Shoes of the Fisherman .... Cardinal (uncredited)
- Un dollaro per 7 vigliacchi .... Giovanni Casetti (credit unknown)
1969 - Le calde notti di Poppea .... Druso (credited)
- No importa morir .... Major (credited)
- Raptus .... Asylum director (credited)
- Une corde un Colt... .... Will Rogers (credited as "Daniel Vargas")
- Zorro alla corte d'Inghilterra .... Sir Basil Rutford (credited)
- Zorro marchese di Navarra .... Colonel Leon Brizzard (credited)
1970 - Il presidente del Borgorosso Football Club .... Don Amleto Ragazzoni (credited)
1971 - I quattro pistoleri di Santa Trinità .... Gomez (credited)
- Il diavolo a sette facce .... James Marlowe (credited)
- Riuscirà il nostro eroe a ritrovare il più grande diamante del mondo? .... Dolmann (credited)
1972 - Cool Million (TV series) Ep. 1: "Mask of Marcella" .... Sheik (uncredited)
- Il generale dorme in piedi .... Lieutenant Colonel Poli (credited)
- Il terrore con gli occhi storti .... José (credit unknown)
- Zambo, il dominatore della foresta .... Perkins (credited)
1973 - Baciamo le mani .... Don Santino Bileggi (credited)
- Campa carogna... la taglia cresce .... Major at Fort Apache (credited)
- Delitto di regime - Il caso Don Minzoni (TV movie) .... Lawyer Ferrando (credited)
1974 - Il piatto piange .... Lawyer Parietti (credited)
- Il testimone deve tacereo .... Senator Turrisi (credited)
- Il viaggio .... Don Liborio (credited)
- L'arbitro .... Club President (credited)
- La nipote .... Luigi Favaretto (credited)
- The Arena .... Timarchus (credited as "Daniel Vargas")
1975 - Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro .... Robby Alvarado (credited)
- L'infermiera .... Gustavo Scarpa (credited)
- L'ingenua .... Luigi Beton (credited)
- Quella provincia maliziosa .... Alceste (credited)
1976 - Oh, Serafina! .... Bodyguard (credited)
- Spogliamoci così, senza pudor... .... Lawyer Augusto Zenaro (credited)
1977 - Il passatore (TV mini-series) Ep. 2 .... Politi (credited)
- Il signor Ministro li pretese tutti e subito .... Luigi Romagnoli (credited - role unconfirmed)
- Tre tigri contro tre tigri .... Berchielli (credited)
1978 - Avere vent'anni .... Professor Affatati (credited)
- Dove vai in vacanza .... Cavalier Ciccio Colombi (credited)
- Return of the Saint (TV series) Ep. 13: "The Roman Touch" .... Capo (credited)
1979 - El periscopio .... Ophthalmologist (credited as "Danielle Vargas")
- Io zombo, tu zombi, lei zomba .... Zombie (credited)
- Sabato, domenica e venerdì .... The Director (credited)
- Una donna di notte .... Publisher (poster credit - role unconfirmed)
1980 - Fico d'India .... Lorenzo's boss (uncredited)
- Il ladrone .... Ruffo (credited)
- Il lupo e l'agnello .... Colonel De Luca (uncredited)
- The Day Christ Died (TV movie) .... 3rd witness (uncredited)
1981 - La maestra di sci .... Emir Hussein (credited)
- Spaghetti a mezzanotte .... Ulderico (credited)
Additional credits
- Luca il contrabbandiere (1980) .... Actor in the Western movie watched by Don Morrone (uncredited)
Titles to check
- Atsalut pader (1979) IMDb
- Un uomo da ridere (1980 TV mini-series) Ep. 4. IMDb as Mozzeni
- Accadde a Parma (1988) IMDb - Since Daniele died in 1981 his appearance here would seem improbable unless it came from re-used footage.
- Carosello (TV series, years unknown) Wikipedia, in various promotional spots
No Daniele!
Titles where Daniele is listed as appearing by other sources, but cannot be found. There always has to be one!
- Manos sucias (1957) as Dano. There is a very similar looking actor that I initially had identified as Daniele in this film shot in Barcelona, but on close examination beside the other images there is a slight difference in the nose, so I do not believe it is him. Maybe I will find more roles for Daniele's Spanish look-alike!
- The Pink Panther (1963) This title appears in Daniele's entry in Cineguida 1963-64. I have checked the film thoroughly and Daniele is nowhere to be found, so I presume he must have filmed a scene which ended up on the cutting room floor.
- Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia (1964) IMDb with no role. Daniele does not appear and is not credited.
- Daniele's entry, with his name mis-spelled, in the Annuario Degli Attori 1977-1978
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| 1. Dante Lazzaro. Cineguida 1963-64. 2. Dante Lazzaro. Cineguida 1968-69. 3. What few biographical details are known are corroborated by his Obituary in La Stampa newspaper. |