Renato Montalbano is a C.S.C. actor who graduated from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1956. He worked steadily in small roles through until the early 90’s and from the mid-70’s onwards worked pretty much exclusively in television.
He was born on May 17th 1931 in Catania, Italy. As far as is known he is still living at the time of writing. Before deciding to take up acting he had been studying medicine at university. (These unconfirmed biographical details are repeated by many sites across the internet).
Like fellow C.S.C. alumnus Renato Terra Caizzi, Montalbano’s early filmography is a big muddle, with him being credited in many films where he does not appear and uncredited in just as many where he does. Hopefully we can play our part in sorting it out. His distinctive "widows peak" hairline is an obvious aid to identification (at least until he went bald in the 70's!).
I have started his filmography only with roles found by myself, so there are plenty more to be added, particularly television roles from later in his career.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Amaramente (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Ci sposeremo a Capri (uncredited) .... Army lieutenant
- Maruzzella (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Totò, Peppino e i fuorilegge (credited) .... Nightclub customer
- Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina (uncredited) .... Party guest at Remo's
1957 - Arrivano i dollari! (uncredited) .... One of Ernesto's friends
- I colpevoli (credited) .... Party guest
- I misteri di Parigi (credited) .... Murphy
- Il diavolo nero (credit only)
- Il ricatto di un padre (credited) .... Engineer
- La verde età (poster credit) .... Carabinieri Marshal
1958 - Afrodite, dea dell'amore (uncredited) .... Christian
- È arrivata la parigina (credited) .... Credit only
- L'uomo di paglia (uncredited) .... Rita's fiance
- La rivolta dei gladiatori (credited) .... Fabrizio
- La zia d'America va a sciare (credited) .... Young man in hotel nightclub
- Le dritte (credited) .... The purse thief
- Via col para...vento (poster credit) .... role?
1959 - Erode il grande (credited) .... Man on the cross
- Fuente ovejuna (TV movie) (credited) .... Manrico
- Il padrone delle ferriere (credit only)
- L'isola del tesoro (TV mini series) - episodes 2 & 3 (credited) .... Rolf
- La nipote Sabella (credited) .... Doctor
1960 - A noi piace freddo…! (credited) .... Radiologist
- Tu che ne dici? (credited) .... Nightclub manager
- Un amore a Roma (credited) .... Party guest
1961 - Cronache del '22 - segment "Giorno di paga" (credited) .... Luigi, a Fascist
- I Giacobini (TV mini-series, episode 1) (credited) .... Abate Sieyes
- L'ammutinamento (credited?) .... Griffin
- Psycosissimo (credited) .... Doctor
- Vanina Vanini (uncredited) .... Man telling the story at the ball
- Viva l'Italia (credited) .... Captain Annibale Lapini
1962 - L'arciere delle mille e una notte (credit only - as Renato Montalban)
- La cuccagna (credited) .... Party guest
- Mamma Roma (credit only)
- Più rosa che giallo (TV series) - episode 3: "Sangue sui Campi Elisi" (credited) .... Duval
- Sfida nella città dell'oro (poster credit as R. Montalbano) .... Role?
- Una tragedia americana (TV mini series) - episode 1 (credited) .... Assistant concierge
1963 - Gli invincibili sette (credited) .... Advisor to Rabirio (uncertain identification)
- La bella di Lodi (credit only)
- La corruzione (credit only)
- Le verdi bandiere di Allah (credit only)
- Ritorna il tenente Sheridan (TV series) - episode 3: "Un testimone per uccidere" (credited on Radiocorriere TV) .... role?
1964 - Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? (credited) .... Postman
- I due gladiatori (credited) .... Leto's man
- I due toreri (credited) .... Policeman
- I giganti di Roma (credited) .... Senator with Pompey at the arena
- Il magnifico gladiatore (credited) .... Dacian
- Il mostro dell'opera (credit only)
- La rivolta dei pretoriani (credited) .... Solero
1965 - Fantomas minaccia il mondo (uncredited) .... Journalist
- La congiuntura (credit only)
- Le bambole - segment "Monsignor Cupido" (credited) .... Hotel employee
- Le inchieste del commissario Maigret (TV series) - episode: "Una vita in gioco" (credited) .... One of Crosby's friends
1966 - 2+5 Missione Hydra (credited?) .... Doctor
- Adulterio all'italiana (uncredited) .... Board member-Bar customer
- Duello nel mondo (uncredited) .... Mrs. McMurray's Majordomo
- I criminali della galassia (credited) .... Space detective
- I diafanoidi vengono da Marte (credit only)
- Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (credited as Riccardo Montalbano) .... One of the general's soldiers
- Il pianeta errante (credited) .... Joe
- Il terzo occhio (credited as Richard Hillock??) .... Doctor
- James Tont operazione D.U.E. (credited) .... Von Bergen
- Operazione Goldman... (credited) .... Hotel receptionist
- Testadirapa (credited) .... Prosecutor
- Uccellacci e uccellini... (credited) .... Credit only
- Un milione di dollari per sette assassini (credited) .... Ali
1967 - 10.000 dollari per un massacro (credited) .... Poker player
- Assalto al tesoro di stato (credited) .... Ben Aisham
- Vita di Cavour (TV mini series) - episode 1 (credited) .... Sauli
1968 - Il dolce corpo di Deborah (credited) .... Telephone repairman
1969 - Giocando a golf una mattina (TV mini series) - episode 5 (credited) .... Dr. Friedman
- La battaglia di El Alamein (credit only)
- Zorro marchese di Navarra (credited) .... Don Ruiz
1970 - I giorni della storia: La rivolta dei decabristi (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 2 (credited) .... General Miloradovic
- Satiricosissimo (credited) .... Prosecuting attorney
1971 - La vita di Leonardo da Vinci (TV mini series) - episodes 2 & 4 (credited) .... Sangallo
1972 - Joe Petrosino (TV mini series) - episode 1 (credited) .... Police captain
- Quel gran pezzo dell' Ubalda, tutta nuda tutta calda (credited) .... Guard
1973 - Il caso Lafarge (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 4 (credited) .... Notary Arnoux
- Il delitto Matteotti (credited) .... Mussollini counselor
1974 - Anno Uno (credited) .... Spataro
- Cartesius (TV) (credited) .... Constantin Huygens
- Una pistola nel cassetto (TV mini-series) (credited on Radiocorriere TV) .... The professor
1975 - Il Messia (credited) .... Matthew the Apostle
1976 - Dov'è Anna? (TV mini series) - episodes 1, 2 & 3 (credited) .... Marini, the accountant
- Sangue di sbirro (credited) .... Louis Toledo
1977 - Il Fausto di Marlowe (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Charles V
- Jesus of Nazareth (TV mini-series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Jairus (Episode 4 is credit only)
- Lo scandalo della banca romana (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 2 (credited) .... Bernardino Grimaldi
- Processo a Maria Tarnowska (TV mini series) - episodes 1, 2 & 3 (credited) .... Attorney Caratti
1978 - Madame Bovary (TV mini series) - episodes 3 & 6 (credited) .... Dr. Canivet
1979 - Racconti di fantascienza (TV mini series) - episode: "Un caso insoluto" (credited) .... The sergeant
1980 - Fico d'India (credited) .... Doctor from the insurance company
- Gelosia (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Giorgi
- Giacinta (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Notary
- L'enigma delle due sorelle (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Bertoloni
- L'eredità della priora (TV mini series) - episode 3 (credited) .... CC.RR. lieutenant
- La donna in bianco (TV mini series) - episode 3 (credited) .... The doctor
- Panagulis vive (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Panagoulis' defense lawyer
- Pronto emergenza (TV series) - episodes 1-12 (credited) .... Captain Moneta
- Tre operai (TV mini series) - episode 3: "Fare politica" (credited) .... Engineer
- Verso l'ora zero (TV movie) (credited) .... Superintendent Battle
1981 - Don Luigi Sturzo (TV mini series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Dr. Michele Sicca
- Il fascino dell'insolito (TV series) - season 2, episode 3: "Impostore" (credited) .... Dr. Chamberlain
- Illa: Punto di osservazione (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 2 (credited) .... Court clerk
- Quell'antico amore (TV mini series) - episodes 4 & 5 (credited) .... Magnani
1982 - Un eroe del nostro tempo (TV mini series) - episode 1 (credited) .... Confessor
1983 - La freccia nel fianco (TV mini-series, episode 2) (credited) .... The notary Alamanni
1984 - Piccolo mondo moderno (TV mini series) - episodes 2 & 3 (credited) .... Fusarin
- Quei trentasei gradini (TV mini series) - episodes 1, 2 & 6 (credited) .... The accountant
1986 - L'ombra nera del Vesuvio (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 3 (credited) .... Assistant district attorney
- La piovra 2 (TV series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Prison warden
1987 - Il generale (TV mini series) - episodes 1 & 2 (credit only)
- Secondo Ponzio Pilato (credited) .... Tiberius' right hand man
1988 - Big Man: Polizza droga (TV movie) (credited) .... Doctor
1990 - Il giudice istruttore (TV series) - episode 2: "Un caso di sequestro" (credited) .... Conference speaker
- Pronto soccorso (TV series) - season 1, episode 1 (credited) .... Doctor
Filmography to check
- Semmelweis (TV movie, 1980) (credited)
Montalbano is missing!
There always has to be one!
- Il segreto di Budda / Heisser Hafen Hongkong (1962) Credited as R. Montalbano on an Italian poster for the film, but is not listed in the on-screen credits of either the Italian nor the German version and does not appear in the film either.
- La morte viene dal pianeta Aytin (1967) listed on IMDb as playing "Control room technician". Montalbano is nowhere to be seen, presumably confused with his appearances in other Margheriti space-operas.