Elio Bonadonna

[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).


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. I magnifici brutos del West (uncredited) .... One of Tom's men
10. Maciste gladiatore di Sparta (uncredited) .... Fighter with Maciste
11. Una spada per l'impero (uncredited) .... Gladiator
    
    1965
12. Due mafiosi contro Goldginger (uncredited) .... Guard
13. La decima victima (uncredited) .... Man at the practice range
    
    1966
14. A.D.3 operazione squalo bianco (uncredited) .... Fighter in the bar
15. Agente 3S3, massacro al sole (uncredited) .... Henchman
    
    1967
16. Tutto Totò (TV series) - episode 6: "Totò ciak" (uncredited) .... One of Lupo's men
    
    1968
17. Niente rose per OSS 117 (uncredited) .... Yusuf
    
    1972
18. Ettore lo fusto (credited) .... Member of gay biker gang
    
    1973
19. Ming, ragazzi! (uncredited) .... Football player
    
    1974
20. Carambola (uncredited) .... Clydeson henchman
    
    1975
21. La polizia interviene: ordine di uccidere! (uncredited) .... Judo trainee in the gym
22. Noi non siamo angeli (credited) .... Shark henchman
    
    1976
23. Il conto è chiuso (credited) .... Rico henchman
24. Squadra antifurto (uncredited) .... Gorniani henchman
    
    1977
25. La via della droga (uncredited) .... Henchman
26. Mr. Mean (uncredited) .... Hitman
    
    1979
27. Il giocattolo (uncredited) .... Judo practitioner
    
    1982
28. La gorilla (credited) .... Judo student
29. Monsignor (credited) .... 1st killer
    
    1983
30. Hercules (uncredited) .... Challenger of Hercules
    
    1984
31. The last days of Pompeii (TV mini-series, episode 3) (uncredited) .... Gladiator
    
    1987
32. Sicilian Connection (credited) .... role?
    
    1988
33. Big Man (TV series, episode 1: Polizza droga) (credited) .... Thug

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
• Sicilian Connection (1987) IMDb

[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