Adolfo Celi

Adolfo Celi
Celi in La mala ordina (1972).
Born	(1922-07-27)27 July 1922 Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Italy
Died	19 February 1986(1986-02-19) (aged 63) Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Cause of death	Heart attack
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1946–1985
Spouse(s)	Tônia Carrero (1951–1962) (divorced) Marília Branco (1963–?) (divorced) Veronica Lazăr (1966–1986) (his death) 2 children

Adolfo Celi (Italian pronunciation: [aˈdɔlfo ˈtʃɛːli; aˈdolfo]; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian cinema and famed for many roles, he is best remembered internationally for his portrayal of Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Celi later spoofed his Thunderball role in the film OK Connery (aka Operation Double 007) opposite Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery.

Celi became a film actor in post-war Italy. He left the Italian film industry when he emigrated to Brazil where he co-founded the Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia along with the Brazilian stage greats Paulo Autran and Tônia Carrero in São Paulo He was successful as a stage actor in Argentina and Brazil. He directed three films in South America in the 1950s, including the Brazilian hit Tico-Tico no Fubá in 1952.

Celi began a new popular career when he played the villain in Philippe de Broca's That Man from Rio, selected by de Broca on location in Rio de Janeiro. The popularity of the film led him to be cast as camp commandant Battaglia opposite Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard's Allied POWs in the 1965 Second World War escape drama Von Ryan's Express. This led him to his most well known role as Largo in Thunderball. He is also known to international audiences as Ralph Valmont, one of the villains in the Mario Bava action thriller Danger: Diabolik and the celebrated Fernando Di Leo's poliziottesco film Hired to Kill (La mala ordina, 1972) as Don Vito Tressoldi.