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

1958

1. Romeo Bar (TV) (credited) .... The pianist
   
   1960
2. I baccanali di Tiberio (uncredited) .... Slave
3. Teseo contro il minotauro (uncredited) .... Drummer
   
   1961
4. La vendetta di Ursus (uncredited) .... Servant or Guard
5. Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi (uncredited) .... Team leader in tug-of-war
   
   1962
6. Boccaccio '70 - segment: "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" (uncredited) .... American musician
   
   1966
7. Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (uncredited) .... Coast Guard officer
8. Il vostro super agente Flit (credited) .... Samuele
9. Sugar Colt (uncredited) .... Sammy
   
   1967
10. Dio perdona... io no! (uncredited) .... Horn player in the funeral band
11. Gungala, la vergine della giungla (credited) .... Agnogno
12. Wanted (uncredited) .... Baker houseman
    
    1968
13. Due volte Giuda (uncredited) .... Sam, Barrett houseman
14. Il marchio di Kriminal (uncredited) .... Von Beck servant
15. Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine (credited as Al Thomas) .... Ukeke
16. Seduto alla sua destra (uncredited) .... Excellency
17. The Shoes of the Fisherman (uncredited) .... Cardinal
    
    1969
18. Tarzana, sesso selvaggio (credited) .... Kamuru
19. Una su 13 (credited) .... Mbama
    
    1970
20. F.B.I. - Francesco Bertolazzi Investigatore (TV series) - episode 1: "Sparita il giorno delle nozze" (credited) .... Mahamud
    
    1971
21. The Statue (uncredited) .... U.N. member
22. Storie dell'anno Mille (TV mini series) - episode 4 (uncredited) .... Man in ropes
    
    1972
23. Il West ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja (uncredited) .... Tom, Ferguson butler
24. Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi (credited) .... Bellafronte
25. La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? (uncredited) .... Thomas
    
    1973
26. Vogliamo i colonnelli (uncredited) .... African politician
    
    1974
27. Moses the Lawgiver (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Death rite performer
    
    1976
28. Emanuelle in America (uncredited) .... African tribal chief
29. Il Casanova di Federico Fellini (uncredited) .... Servant
30. Il vangelo secondo Simone e Matteo (uncredited) .... Antiques dealer
    
    1977
31. Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (uncredited) .... Guard in the Emir's palace
    
    1978
32. Piedone l'africano (uncredited) .... Airclub employee
    
    1981
33. Cornetti alla crema (uncredited) .... Cardinal
    
    1983
34. Questo e quello - segment "Quello... col basco rosso" (credited) .... The butler
35. Segni particolari: Bellissimo (credited) .... Josephine's father
    
    1985
36. Casablanca, Casablanca (credited) .... Sam, the piano player

OTHER WORKS

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

FILMOGRAPHY TO BE VERIFIED

• H2S (1969) (credited)

[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]

The 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