Stuntman and actor Emilio A. Messina was born in Casablanca, Morocco on February 24th 1936. He died on April 21st 2007, aged 71. His wife was called Incontrata and he had a daughter, Stephanie, a son, Gabriele, a sister, Lidia and his stuntman/actor brother Roberto Messina, with whom he had a pretty much parallel career. [1]
Both Messina brothers began their film careers at the start of the 60's as stuntmen in peplum movies, often but not always working together. When those faded out they proved equally adept through the cycles of eurospies, spaghetti westerns and police buddy movies.
The brothers both moved to Miami, Florida in 1982, after which they only made a few more odd movies, most of which were Italian productions shot in Florida. They were still resident in Florida at the time of Emilio's death. [1]
Emilio always stood out from the pack of peplum stuntmen being the burliest and hairiest of the lot. With only two exceptions he had some sort of facial hair in all of his films, which helps as an aid to identifying him. I continue to find uncatalogued appearances from Emilio in all genres, so I am certain there will be additional titles being added to his filmography.
[1] Source: Emilio Messina Memorial page
FILMOGRAPHY
- Ursus e la ragazza tartara (uncredited) .... Battle victim
1962 - Drammi marini (TV series, episode 1: La luna dei Caraibi) (credited) .... Sailor
- Il gladiatore di Roma (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- L'ira di Achille (uncredited) .... Soldier on dock
- Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- Sodoma e Gomorra (credited as Emilio and Roberto Messina) .... Hebrew
- Ursus gladiatore ribelle (uncredited) .... Gladiator
1963 - Ercole contro Moloch (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- Goliath e la schiava ribelle (uncredited) .... Macedonian wrestler
- I dieci gladiatori (credited) .... Gladiator
- Maciste, l'eroe più grande del mondo (uncredited) .... Prison guard
1964 - Due mafiosi nel Far West (uncredited) .... Cowboy
- Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia (uncredited) .... Wrestler
- Ercole l'invincibile (uncredited) .... Palace guard
- Gli invincibili dieci gladiatori (credited as Don Emilio Messina + Master of arms) .... Leptus
- Golia alla conquista di Bagdad (uncredited) .... Wrestler
- I magnifici brutos del West (uncredited) .... One of Tom's men
- I tre centurioni (uncredited) .... Wrestler
- Il leone di Tebe (credited as Giovanni Messina) .... Wrestler
- Il magnifico gladiatore (uncredited) .... Gladiator with Hercules
- Il trionfo dei dieci gladiatori (credited as Don Emilio Messina + Master of arms) .... Leptus
- L'ultimo gladiatore (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- La spia che venne dall'ovest (uncredited) .... Thug (uncertain identification)
- Maciste gladiatore di Sparta (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- The Fall of the Roman Empire (uncredited) .... Gladiator
1965 - Asso di picche - Operazione controspionaggio (credited as Emil D. Messina + Master of arms) .... Frank
- Il mistero dell'isola maledetta (credited) .... Man at the market
- La magnifica sfida (uncredited) .... role?
- L'uomo che ride (uncredited) .... Borgia soldier
- Operazione poker (uncredited) .... Russian agent
- Superseven chiama Cairo (credited) .... Nikos
1966 - James Tont operazione D.U.E. (uncredited) .... Gorilla
- L'affare Beckett (uncredited) .... Major Blasco
- Perry Grant agente di ferro (credited) .... Albrecht
- Superargo contro Diabolikus (credited) .... One of Diabolikus' men
- Tre notti violente (credited) .... Thug
- Un angelo per Satana (uncredited) .... Man attacking Vittorio in the town square
1967 - Dick Smart 2.007 (uncredited) .... Attacker
- Flashman (credited) .... Kid's henchman
- Killer calibro 32 (uncredited) .... Freeman
- Qualcuno ha tradito (credited as Emil Messina) .... Willy
- Un colpo da re (uncredited) .... Fighter testing The Swede's strength
1968 - Angelica e il Gran Sultano (uncredited) .... Guard to Turkish Ambassador / Seaman
- Corri uomo corri (uncredited) .... Partner of Steve Wilkens
- Eva, la Venere selvaggia (uncredited) .... Mercenary shot by Albert
- L'invincibile Superman (uncredited) .... Wrestler
- Lucrezia (uncredited) .... Guard
- Niente rose per OSS 117 (uncredited) .... Assistant to OSS 117
- Uno dopo l'altro (uncredited) .... Herb
1969 - 5 per l'inferno (uncredited) .... German soldier
- Django il bastardo (uncredited) .... Murdok hanchman
- Gli specialisti (uncredited) .... One of El Diablo's men
- I quattro del Pater Noster (uncredited) .... Casino brawler
- La morte sull'alta collina (uncredited) .... role?
- Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino (uncredited) .... Hitman
- Una lunga fila di croci (uncredited) .... Santana
- Zorro marchese di Navarra (uncredited) .... Soldier
1970 - Ciakmull - L'uomo della vendetta (uncredited) .... Big John
- Le Mans - Scorciatoia per l'inferno (uncredited) .... Announcer
- Lo chiamavano Trinità...(uncredited) .... Brawler
- Wanted Sabata (uncredited) .... Mexican
1971 - Il provinciale (uncredited) .... Thief
- Quel maledetto giorno della resa dei conti (uncredited) .... Barroom brawler
- Riuscirà il nostro eroe a ritrovare il più grande diamante del mondo? (uncredited) .... Nurse
- Se t'incontro t'ammazzo (credited) .... Dexter's henchman
1972 - Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (credited as Master of Arms / Stunt co-ordinator) .... Tag wrestler
- Arriva Durango... paga o muori (credited) .... Diego Avenaja
- ...e poi lo chiamarono il Magnifico (uncredited) .... Fighter in saloon
- Il magnifico west (credited + Master of Arms) .... Henchman
- Il prode Anselmo e il suo scudiero (uncredited) .... One of Ottone's men
- Jesse & Lester due fratelli in un posto chiamato Trinità (credited) .... Grizzly Joe
- Man of La Mancha / L'uomo della Mancha (uncredited) .... Patrol
- Poppea una prostituta al servizio dell'impero (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- Sotto a chi tocca! (uncredited) .... Palace guard
- Un uomo dalla pelle dura (credited) .... Bookmaker
1973 - Dagli archivi della polizia criminale (uncredited) .... Leader of attack force
- Diario di una vergine romana (uncredited) .... Fighter (re-used footage)
- E il terzo giorno arrivò il Corvo (uncredited) .... Gunman
- Elena sì, ma... di Troia (uncredited) .... Ajax 2
- Piedone lo sbirro (uncredited) .... Ferramenti bodyguard
- Società a responsabilità molto limitata (uncredited) .... Boxer
1974 - Arrivano Joe e Margherito (credited) .... "Gorilla" Paco
- The arena / La rivolta delle gladiatrici (uncredited) .... Gladiator
1975 - Carambola, filotto... tutti in buca (credited) .... Word
- Colpo in canna (uncredited) .... Police car driver
- Giubbe rosse (uncredited) .... Bank robber
- Simone e Matteo - Un gioco da ragazzi (credited) .... Jean
1976 - Il grande racket (uncredited) .... Hood
- Il vangelo secondo Simone e Matteo (credited) .... Joe
- L'unica legge in cui credo (uncredited) .... Hitman
- Pronto ad uccidere (credited) .... Giovanni Caputo
1977 - La malavita attacca. La polizia risponde (uncredited) .... Barman
- La polizia è sconfitta (uncredited) .... Bank robber
- Orca (credit only as Underwater Stuntman)
1978 - Lo chiamavano Bulldozer (uncredited) .... Security in gambling den
- Piedone l'africano (uncredited) .... Wrestler in red
- Squadra antimafia (uncredited) .... Prisoner on the roof
1980 - S+H+E (credited) .... Zec
1982 - Gunan il guerriero (credited as Emil Messina) .... Nuriak
1983 - Cane e gatto (uncredited) .... One of Don Salvatore's men
- I sette magnifici gladiatori (credited as Ivan Beshears) .... Goliath
1984 - Guerreros de la jungla / Jungle Warriors (credited) .... Mastranga's bodyguard
1985 - Miami Supercops (I poliziotti dell'8ª strada) (uncredited) .... Duran henchman
1996 - Potenza virtuale (uncredited) .... Van Axel's man on the boat
A little more Emilio!
There are still a few movies where Emilio is credited by various online sources that I have been unable to find, so if anybody has images of Emilio in the films below you know ahat to do.
- Agente segreto 070 - Thunderbay missione Grasshopper (1966) (maybe credited)
- Esecutore oltre la legge (1974) as Steig (maybe credited)
- Noi non siamo angeli (1975) as Shark henchman (maybe credited)
- Il pentito (1985)
- Bersaglio sull'autostrada (1988) - beware of another film named Moving Target from the same year that comes up in searches for this one.
Messina is missing!
As often seems to be the case we also have a selection of films where Emilio is credited by some online resource, but where I have been unable to find him. I may have missed him in some, while in others he has been misidentified, mistaken for his not-at-all-look-alike brother or simply mysteriously does not appear. In all these titles he is uncredited.
- Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte (1968) credited on IMDb as playing a Tampico henchman. I've searched for him multiple times with no success so I'd say he almost certainly does not appear.
- Spara, Gringo, spara (1968) IMDb says he is credited under the pseudonym of Van Lanen and plays Soldier in Doneghan's army. I haven't found him.
- Il giorno del giudizio (1971) Does not appear.
- La via della droga (1977) Listed on IMDb with no role given. I couldn't see Emilio, but there is a similar-looking unidentified actor who he may have been mistaken for.
- Un poliziotto scomodo (1978) This looks like another case where he has been misidentified for brother Roberto
- Non sparate sui bambini (Squadra antisequestro) (1978) Emilio reportedly should have a credit in this one for "Collaborazione alla regia", but the English language/Greek subbed copy I saw only had minimal credits. If anyone has an Italian copy please check.
- Sangraal, la spada di fuoco (1982) Listed on IMDb as playing Nantuk's warrior, but while there are a number of roles that could fit this description, none of them vaguely resembles Emilio.
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