Alfred Thomas

[Johan Melle]

Alfred Thomas in a publicity shot from the early 1960s

pic from Cinecittashop.it

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

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1953

1. Canzone appassionata (uncredited) .... Pianist
   
   1954
2. Un americano a Roma (uncredited) .... Bar customer
   
   1958
3. Romeo Bar (TV) (credited) .... The pianist
   
   1959
4. Ben-Hur (uncredited) .... Oarsman
   
   1960
5. I baccanali di Tiberio (uncredited) .... Slave
6. Noi duri (uncredited) .... Man lighting cigarette outside nightclub
7. Teseo contro il minotauro (uncredited) .... Drummer
   
   1961
8. La vendetta di Ursus (uncredited) .... Servant or Guard
9. Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi (uncredited) .... Team leader in tug-of-war
   
   1962
10. Boccaccio '70 - segment: "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" (uncredited) .... American musician
11. I moschettieri del mare (uncredited) .... Servant on the ship
    
    1963
12. Io Semiramide (uncredited) .... Masseur
    
    1964
13. Tarzak contro gli uomini leopardo (credited as Al Thomas) .... Native chief
    
    1966
14. Amore all'italiana - segment "Playboy" (uncredited) .... Pianist in the hotel bar
15. Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (uncredited) .... Coast Guard officer
16. Il vostro super agente Flit (credited) .... Samuele
17. Sicario 77, vivo o morto (uncredited) .... Croupier at the club
18. Sugar Colt (uncredited) .... Sammy
    
    1967
19. Bersaglio mobile (uncredited) .... Nightclub customer
20. Dio perdona... io no! (uncredited) .... Horn player in the funeral band
21. Gungala, la vergine della giungla (credited) .... Agnogno
22. Matchless (uncredited) .... Soldier
23. OK Connery (uncredited) .... Attendee at plastic surgery congress
24. Wanted (uncredited) .... Baker houseman
    
    1968
25. Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (uncredited) .... Man at the airport
26. Due volte Giuda (uncredited) .... Sam, Barrett houseman
27. Il marchio di Kriminal (uncredited) .... Von Beck servant
28. Il pistolero segnato da Dio (uncredited) .... Clerigen houseman
29. Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine (credited as Al Thomas) .... Ukeke
30. Seduto alla sua destra (uncredited) .... Excellency
31. The Shoes of the Fisherman (uncredited) .... Cardinal
    
    1969
32. H2S (credited) .... Man killed by Tommaso
33. Tarzana, sesso selvaggio (credited) .... Kamuru
34. Una su 13 (credited) .... Mbama
    
    1970
35. F.B.I. - Francesco Bertolazzi Investigatore (TV series) - episode 1: "Sparita il giorno delle nozze" (credited) .... Mahamud
    
    1971
36. The Statue (uncredited) .... U.N. member
37. Storie dell'anno Mille (TV mini series) - episode 4 (uncredited) .... Man in ropes
    
    1972
38. Il West ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja (uncredited) .... Tom, Ferguson butler
39. Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi (credited) .... Bellafronte
40. La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? (uncredited) .... Thomas
41. Le notti peccaminose di Pietro l'Aretino (uncredited) .... Servant holding Nana's horse
    
    1973
42. Vogliamo i colonnelli (uncredited) .... African politician
    
    1974
43. Moses the Lawgiver (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Death rite performer
    
    1976
44. Emanuelle in America (uncredited) .... African tribal chief
45. Il Casanova di Federico Fellini (uncredited) .... Servant
46. Il vangelo secondo Simone e Matteo (uncredited) .... Antiques dealer
47. Signore e signori, buonanotte (uncredited) .... Assassination victim
    
    1977
48. Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (uncredited) .... Guard in the Emir's palace
    
    1978
49. Piedone l'africano (uncredited) .... Airclub employee
    
    1981
50. Cornetti alla crema (uncredited) .... Cardinal
    
    1983
51. Questo e quello - segment "Quello... col basco rosso" (credited) .... The butler
52. Segni particolari: Bellissimo (credited) .... Josephine's father
    
    1985
53. Casablanca, Casablanca (credited) .... Sam, the piano player

OTHER WORKS

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• Il mattatore (1959) (TV variety show) - episode 3 (credited) .... One-legged man in Harlem

[Johan Melle]

The earliest role found for Alfred so far in the TV production Romeo Bar (1958) as The pianist

And the two earliest cinema roles are both in peplums:

I baccanali di Tiberio (1960) as Slave

Teseo contro il minotauro (1960) as Drummer

[Johan Melle]

Boccaccio '70 (1962), in the Fellini segment "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" as an American musician

Sugar Colt (1966) as Sammy

[Johan Melle]

Credited but pretty small role in Il vostro super agente Flit (1966) as Samuele

Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (1966) as Coast Guard officer

[Johan Melle]

Gungala, la vergine della giungla (1967) as Agnogno

It's the first of many similar jungle adventures he appeared in during the late 1960s


Short but very important role in Seduto alla sua destra (1968) as Excellency

[Johan Melle]

Very memorable performance in the jungle adventure Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine (1968) as the villainous Ukeke. He receives a very prominent third billing (as Al Thomas) and this is probably the largest role he played in a film

[Johan Melle]

Il marchio di Kriminal (1968) as Von Beck servant

And of course in the jungle adventure Tarzana, sesso selvaggio (1969) as Kamuru. A very small and thoroughly inconsequential role, but nevertheless credited

[Johan Melle]

Two more credited roles:

Una su 13 (1969) as Mbama

TV series F.B.I. - Francesco Bertolazzi Investigatore - episode 1: "Sparita il giorno delle nozze" (1970) as Mahamud

[Johan Melle]

The Statue (1971) as U.N. member

And another one of Alfred's more prominent roles in Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi (1972) as Bellafronte

[Johan Melle]

Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973) as African politician

Moses the Lawgiver (1974) (TV mini series) as Death rite performer