Pietro Ceccarelli, or "Puccio" as he was often credited, was an actor and stuntman active in Italian films from the mid-50's through until the late 80's. Instantly recognisable among the ranks of gladiators and cowboys for his tall stature and shaved head.
All the usual online sources (IMDb, CIDb, Wikipedia) give his date of birth as January 26th 1934. Beyond this things get mysterious. Both Fabio Melelli and forum member J. Christoffer Slotte have said that they were informed in interviews with other stuntmen that Pietro is dead, yet there is no evidence anywhere to support this and all internet sites show him to be still living. Another common supposition is that he is the brother of actor and production manager Lanfranco Ceccarelli, but once again there is no positive confirmation of this. Adding further confusion, there is a mysterious presence of "Pietro Ceccarelli" on Facebook, who shares posts, "likes" and occasionally comments "grazie", but who posts no original content and does not reply to messages. General consensus seems to be that this is not actually Pietro and, much as I would like to think that he is silently watching my Facebook posts, I am inclined to agree.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Mio figlio Nerone (uncredited) .... Slave carrying Agrippina's carriage
1957 - La Gerusalemme liberata (uncredited) .... Palace guard
1958 - Afrodite, Dea dell'amore (uncredited) .... Soldier arresting travellers
- Camping (uncredited) .... Villager (uncertain identification)
1959 - Il terrore dei barbari (uncredited) .... Barbarian
1960 - Ester e il Re (uncredited) .... Gladiator
- Il sepolcro dei Re (credited?) .... Sutek
- Noi duri (uncredited) .... Gangster accosting Joysette in nightclub
- Revak, lo schiavo di Cartagine (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... Deliasis the Gladiator
- Teseo contro il Minotauro (uncredited) .... Prison guard
1961 - I Tartari (credited) .... Burundai's henchman
- Maciste nella terra dei Ciclopi (uncredited) .... Guard
- Solimano il conquistatore (credited as Master of Arms) .... credit only
1962 - 2 samurai per 100 geishe (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... Tai Kun, the great samurai
- Il gladiatore di Roma (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli and as Master of Arms) .... Gladiator
- Maciste all'inferno (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... role?
- Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... Astorix
- Sodoma e Gomorra (uncredited) .... The Queen's bodyguard
- Tharus figlio di Attila (credited as Master of Arms) .... credit only
- Ursus gladiatore ribelle (credited and as Master of Arms) .... Prison guard
1963 - Il segno di Zorro (credited?) .... Romero
- Ursus nella terra di fuoco (credited and as Master of Arms) .... Lero
1964 - 002 agenti segretissimi (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... Torturer
- Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia (uncredited) .... Wrestler
- Gli invincibili dieci gladiatori (uncredited) .... Matateo
- Gli schiavi più forti del mondo (credited) .... Gladiator
- I due mafiosi (uncredited) .... Thug
- I magnifici Brutos del West (uncredited) .... Jack
- Il trionfo dei dieci gladiatori (uncredited) .... Matateo
- La vendetta di Spartacus (credited) .... role?
1965 - Golia alla conquista di Bagdad (uncredited) .... Tavern keeper
- Guerre secrète (Guerra segreta) (credited?) .... Sernas' bald henchman
- Il tesoro della foresta pietrificata (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli and as Master of Arms) .... Erik
- L'avventuriero della Tortuga (uncredited) .... Indian high priest
- Sette contro tutti (credited as Peter Barclay) .... Rebel gladiator
- Un dollaro bucato (uncredited) .... Rex
1966 - Agente 3S3 massacro al sole (uncredited) .... Henchman
- Arizona Colt (uncredited) .... Rancher
- Cifrato speciale (credited?) .... Yang
- Jerry Land - Cacciatore di spie (uncredited) .... Hitman in Rome
- MMM 83 - Missione Morte Molo 83 (uncredited) .... Henchman
- Spie contro il mondo (credited?) .... Gangster
- Un fiume di dollari (credited?) .... Wolf
1967 - Ballata per un pistolero (uncredited) .... Toro
- Il bello, il brutto, il cretino (credited as Peter Jacob) .... Army strongman
- La feldmarescialla - Rita fugge... lui corre... egli scappa (uncredited) .... German officer
- L'uomo dal pugno d'oro (credited as Peter Barclay) .... Kark
- Occhio per occhio, dente per dente (credited?) .... Drago
- Requiescant (credited?) .... Tom
- Tecnica per un massacro (uncredited) .... Max
- Troppo per vivere... poco per morire (credited as Peter Barclay) .... Gang member
- Wanted Johnny Texas (uncredited) .... Man on wagon train
1968 - ... dai nemici mi guardo io! (credited) .... Zinaro
- Don Chisciotte e Sancio Panza (uncredited) .... Man leading the mob
- I due crociati (credited) .... Tazio
- I tre che sconvolsero il West (uncredited) .... Farmer
- Il momento di uccidere (uncredited) .... One of Forrester's men
- Il pistolero segnato da Dio (uncredited) .... Circus strongman
- Il più grande colpo della malavita americana (Dynamit in grùner seite) (uncredited) .... Henchman
- Joe! Cercati un posto per morire! (uncredited) .... Bandit
1969 - Fellini Satyricon (uncredited) .... Crazy shouting man
- Gli specialisti (uncredited) .... El Diablo hanchman
1970 - Brancaleone alle Crociate (uncredited) .... role?
- Ciakmull, l'uomo della vendetta (uncredited) .... Bounty hunter
- Il magnifico Robin Hood (uncredited) .... Attacker
- Satiricosissimo (uncredited) .... Spartacus
- Waterloo (uncredited) .... Rumigus
1971 - Acquasanta Joe (credited) .... Sergeant Butch
- Armiamoci e partite! (credited) .... Boxer in cafe
- Gli fumavano le colt... lo chiamavano Camposanto (uncredited) .... Poker player
- Posate le pistole, reverendo (credited) .... Jerimiah
- Scipione detto anche l'africano (uncredited) .... Guard
- Storie dell'anno Mille (TV series, episode 1) (credited) .... role?
- Tre donne - L'automobile (uncredited) .... Angry motorist
- Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate (uncredited) .... Masseur
1972 - Fiorina la vacca (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... One of Beolco's men
- La mala ordina (credited) .... Don Vito henchman
- Lo chiamavano Verità (credited) .... Jesse
- Mio caro assassino (uncredited) .... Canavese's bodyguard
- Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato... Parola di Spirito Santo (uncredited) .... Gerry Crow
1973 - Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (uncredited) .... Locke
- Fra' Tazio da Velletri (credited) .... Galliano
- I racconti di Viterbury - Le più allegre storie del '300 (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... Puccetto Corsini
- Il boss (credited) .... Maione
- Lo chiamavano Tresette... giocava sempre col morto (credited) .... Gunman whose hair grows
- Metti... che ti rompo il muso (credited) .... Otto
- Polvere di stelle (uncredited) .... SS soldier that screams on the ship
1974 - 4 marmittoni alle grandi manovre (uncredited) .... Drill sergeant
- Carambola (uncredited) .... Man in tug of war
- Di Tresette ce n'è uno tutti gli altri son nessuno (credited as Puccio Ceccarelli) .... King Kong Striker
- Il testimone deve tacere (uncredited) .... Thug
- La rivolta delle gladiatrici (credited as Peter Cester) .... Septimus
1975 - Colpo in canna (credited) .... Silvera henchman
- La città sconvolta: caccia spietata ai rapitori (uncredited) .... Hood
- Pasqualino Settebellezze (uncredited) .... Nazi doing experiments in concentration camp
1976 - Gli amici di Nick Hezard (uncredited) .... Man who gets robbed
- I padroni della città (credited) .... Luigi's bagman
- Il grande racket (credited) .... Lucimir
- Un amore targato Forlì (uncredited) .... Man in row for the audition
- Uomini si nasce poliziotti si muore (uncredited) .... Club bouncer
1977 - El macho (uncredited) .... Duke henchman guarding prisoner
1978 - Zio Adolfo in arte Führer (credited) .... Nazi official
1980 - Odio le bionde (uncredited) .... Gangster
1982 - Vai avanti tu che mi vien da ridere (uncredited) .... Groper on the bus
1983 - Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (credited as Peter Brighton) .... Blue mutant
- Il trono di fuoco (credited as Peter Caine) .... Tares
1984 - Dagobert (uncredited) .... Soldier
1985 - Phenomena (uncredited) .... The mad rapist
1986 - Il nome della rosa (uncredited) .... Inquisition guard
1988 - Stradivari (credited) .... Jailor
Più Pietro!
There are more titles in which Pietro reportedly appears, so if anyone has shots of him in any of the titles below, you know what to do!
- Le notti bianche (1957) Wikipedia (maybe mistaken for Lanfranco Ceccarelli)
- La resa dei conti (1966) IMDb, as Jack (checked by Rudy, maybe does not appear)
- La vergine di Samoa (1966) IMDb, as Bruno
- Agente Sigma 3 - Missione Goldwather (1967) ANICA
- Avere vent'anni (1978) IMDb, as "Elder bald head"
- Giallo napoletano (1979) ANICA, as "another man in mental hospital"
There are a further 9 titles I am aware of where Pietro may appear, but which I am unable to include for information copyright reasons
and of course we have the list of titles where Pietro is credited somewhere online but almost certainly does not appear.
- La strada (1954) - Does not appear. Most websites would have you believe that Pietro made his debut for Fellini, however the role he is credited with playing is actually none other than our own Barbarian Torturer, who could feasibly play Pietro's father, but is way too old to be 20-year old Pietro.
- Superargo contro Diabolikus (1966) Does not appear. Credited by IMDb as Henchman, searched for by Nick, Rudy and Johan. Maybe once again mistaken for the Barbarian Torturer.
- I nipoti di Zorro (1968) - Does not appear. Credited by ANICA and elsewhere as playing the hangman, but it is Veriano Ginesi in the role.
- Ritorno del gladiatore più forte del mondo (1971) - Does not appear. Listed by ANICA and elsewhere, but once again it is Ginesi in the role..
- In nome del popolo italiano (1971) - Does not appear. Listed on various websites, including ANICA, but for a 3rd time someone has mistaken him for Veriano.