Bonadonna, Elio

[PeplumParadise]

Elio Bonadonna in Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (1962).

Elio Bonadonna was a stuntman and actor who was active in Italian films from at least the start of the 1960's until the late 1980's.

He was the brother of stuntman Giovanni Bonadonna and the brothers often appeared in films together. On his Westerns all'Italiana blog, Tom Betts mentions that Elio was a former boxer and that he owned and operated a gym in Rome where he trained stuntmen - the latter is corroborated by Luca Zanna, an Italian who runs his own gladiator school in the US, and who in a 2004 interview talks about meeting Elio at his gym and being trained by him. He also mentions Elio in a 2001 interview in which he describes him as a "famed fight choreographer for numerous 1950s-'60s sword-and-sandal epics".
Tom Betts also says that Elio died in May 2003, date unknown, and while he doesn't mention a source, Tom's posts are well researched and should be reliable.

He was apparently also a champion of Greco-Roman wrestling during the late 1950's and early 1960's, though there's little information available on this except for some mentions on this website as well as this one.

Additionally, Elio appeared in a few fotoromanzi for publishers Lancio and Condor in the 1960's and 1970's, but unlike his brother Giovanni, who was a regular face in these fotoromanzi, Elio appears to only have made a few sporadic appearances, quite likely as a favor to his brother.

I have found a number of early roles for Elio in peplums and eurospies, but his 60's filmography is still fairly sparse, so I'm certain there must be more roles to be found. It certainly seems a little odd that he currently has no 60's credits in westerns. From the 70's he maintained a beard, giving him a similar look to Emilio Messina (with whom he has been mistaken on occasion).

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Filmography

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1960

1. Esther and the King (uncredited) .... Soldier wrestling with King Ahasuerus
2. La regina delle Amazzoni (uncredited) .... Prisoner of the Amazons
   
   1961
3. Barabba (uncredited) .... Gladiator
4. Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide (uncredited) .... Tavern brawler
5. Rosmunda e Alboino (credited) .... Guard
   
   1962
6. Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (uncredited) .... Gladiator for sale
7. Sodoma e Gomorra (uncredited) .... Sodomite guard at the branding
   
   1963
8. Maciste, l'eroe più grande del mondo (uncredited) .... Soldier on the ship
   
   1964
9. Gli invincibili dieci gladiatori (uncredited) .... Prison camp guard
10. I magnifici brutos del West (uncredited) .... One of Tom's men
11. Maciste gladiatore di Sparta (uncredited) .... Fighter with Maciste
12. Queste pazze pazze donne (uncredited) .... Thug in disco brawl
13. The Visit (uncredited) .... Villager
14. Una spada per l'impero (uncredited) .... Gladiator
    
    1965
15. Due mafiosi contro Goldginger (uncredited) .... Guard
16. La decima victima (uncredited) .... Man at the practice range
17. La magnifica sfida (uncredited) .... Tavern brawler
    
    1966
18. A.D.3 operazione squalo bianco (uncredited) .... Fighter in the bar
19. Agente 3S3, massacro al sole (uncredited) .... Henchman
20. Duello nel mondo (uncredited) .... Nightclub bouncer
    
    1967
21. Tutto Totò (TV series) - episode 6: "Totò ciak" (uncredited) .... One of Lupo's men
    
    1968
22. Niente rose per OSS 117 (uncredited) .... Yusuf
    
    1970
23. L'oro dei bravados (uncredited) .... Fighter in the tunnel
    
    1972
24. Ettore lo fusto (credited) .... Member of gay biker gang
    
    1973
25. Ming, ragazzi! (uncredited) .... Football player
    
    1974
26. Carambola (uncredited) .... Clydeson henchman
    
    1975
27. La polizia interviene: ordine di uccidere! (uncredited) .... Judo trainee in the gym
28. Noi non siamo angeli (credited) .... Shark henchman
    
    1976
29. Il conto è chiuso (credited) .... Rico henchman
30. Squadra antifurto (uncredited) .... Gorniani henchman
    
    1977
31. La via della droga (uncredited) .... Henchman
32. Mr. Mean (uncredited) .... Hitman
    
    1979
33. Il giocattolo (uncredited) .... Judo practitioner
    
    1982
34. La gorilla (credited) .... Judo student
35. Monsignor (credited) .... 1st killer
    
    1983
36. Hercules (uncredited) .... Challenger of Hercules
    
    1984
37. The last days of Pompeii (TV mini-series, episode 3) (uncredited) .... Gladiator
    
    1987
38. Sicilian Connection (credited) .... Mafia assassin
    
    1988
39. Big Man (TV series, episode 1: Polizza droga) (credited) .... Thug

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More Elio!

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There are a few more movies where Elio is credited by online sources that I have been unable to find, so if anybody has images of him in the films below you know what to do.

• Il torcinaso (1975) IMDb
• Il commissario Verrazzano (1978) It looks like it's probably Elio in my images for Pino Mattei playing some role in the pool hall, but really needs a better image to clarify

[PeplumParadise]

Esther and the King (1960) as Soldier wrestling with King Ahasuerus.

This is currently Elio's earliest known role.

[PeplumParadise]

Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide (1961) as Tavern brawler

[PeplumParadise]

Rosmunda e Alboino (1961) credited, Guard of King Cunimond, later a prisoner.

This is Elio's earliest known credit, though the role doesn't really warrant it

Images upgraded, role amended

[PeplumParadise]

Sodoma e Gomorra (1962) as Sodomite guard at the branding

[PeplumParadise]

Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (1962) as Gladiator for sale

[PeplumParadise]

Maciste, l'eroe più grande del mondo (1963) as Soldier on the ship, in the centre at the back

[PeplumParadise]

Una spada per l'impero (1964) as Gladiator

[PeplumParadise]

Maciste, gladiatore di Sparta (1964) as Fighter with Maciste

[PeplumParadise]

Due mafiosi contro Goldginger (1965) as Guard

Images upgraded