Alfred Thomas

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 18:54

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

1953

Canzone appassionata (uncredited) .... Pianist

1954
Un americano a Roma (uncredited) .... Bar customer

1958
Romeo Bar (TV) (credited) .... The pianist

1959
Ben-Hur (uncredited) .... Oarsman

1960
I baccanali di Tiberio (uncredited) .... Slave
Noi duri (uncredited) .... Man lighting cigarette outside nightclub
Teseo contro il minotauro (uncredited) .... Drummer

1961
La vendetta di Ursus (uncredited) .... Servant or Guard
Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi (uncredited) .... Team leader in tug-of-war

1962
Boccaccio '70 - segment: "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" (uncredited) .... American musician

1964
Tarzak contro gli uomini leopardo (poster credit)

1966
Amore all'italiana - segment "Playboy" (uncredited) .... Pianist in the hotel bar
Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (uncredited) .... Coast Guard officer
Il vostro super agente Flit (credited) .... Samuele
Sicario 77, vivo o morto (uncredited) .... Croupier at the club
Sugar Colt (uncredited) .... Sammy

1967
Dio perdona... io no! (uncredited) .... Horn player in the funeral band
Gungala, la vergine della giungla (credited) .... Agnogno
Matchless (uncredited) .... Soldier
OK Connery (uncredited) .... Attendee at plastic surgery congress
Wanted (uncredited) .... Baker houseman

1968
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (uncredited) .... Man at the airport
Due volte Giuda (uncredited) .... Sam, Barrett houseman
Il marchio di Kriminal (uncredited) .... Von Beck servant
Il pistolero segnato da Dio (uncredited) .... Clerigen houseman
Luana, la figlia della foresta vergine (credited as Al Thomas) .... Ukeke
Seduto alla sua destra (uncredited) .... Excellency
The Shoes of the Fisherman (uncredited) .... Cardinal

1969
H2S (credited) .... Man killed by Tommaso
Tarzana, sesso selvaggio (credited) .... Kamuru
Una su 13 (credited) .... Mbama

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

1971
The Statue (uncredited) .... U.N. member
Storie dell'anno Mille (TV mini series) - episode 4 (uncredited) .... Man in ropes

1972
Il West ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja (uncredited) .... Tom, Ferguson butler
Incensurato, provata disonestà, carriera assicurata, cercasi (credited) .... Bellafronte
La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? (uncredited) .... Thomas
Le notti peccaminose di Pietro l'Aretino (uncredited) .... Servant holding Nana's horse

1973
Vogliamo i colonnelli (uncredited) .... African politician

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

1976
Emanuelle in America (uncredited) .... African tribal chief
Il Casanova di Federico Fellini (uncredited) .... Servant
Il vangelo secondo Simone e Matteo (uncredited) .... Antiques dealer
Signore e signori, buonanotte (uncredited) .... Assassination victim

1977
Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (uncredited) .... Guard in the Emir's palace

1978
Piedone l'africano (uncredited) .... Airclub employee

1981
Cornetti alla crema (uncredited) .... Cardinal

1983
Questo e quello - segment "Quello... col basco rosso" (credited) .... The butler
Segni particolari: Bellissimo (credited) .... Josephine's father

1985
Casablanca, Casablanca (credited) .... Sam, the piano player

OTHER WORKS

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

EXTERNAL LINKS

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 18:57

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

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 19:02

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

Sugar Colt (1966) as Sammy

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 19:05

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

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 19:09

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

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 19:13

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

Post by **Johan Melle** » 05/08/2019, 19:20

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