Early life and career Montaldo was born in
Genoa in 1930. He had his first acting experiences in "mass theatre" productions conducted by the
Italian Communist Party. While he was still a young student, Montaldo was recruited by the director
Carlo Lizzani for a role in the war drama
Attention! Bandits! (1951). Following this experience he began an apprenticeship as an assistant director of Lizzani,
Elio Petri, and
Gillo Pontecorvo, as well as appearing in
Abandoned (1955). He was Pontecorvo's
second unit director for
The Battle of Algiers (1966). The director originally wanted him to play the part of Colonel Mathieu, leader of the French Army paratroopers and principal antagonist of the film. Montaldo talked him out of it, believing audiences wouldn't take the film seriously with him in the role. His cinema career continued with
Machine Gun McCain, a US-set gangster picture starring
John Cassavetes as a convicted bank robber recruited to rob a
mob-run Las Vegas casino. The film also starred
Peter Falk (in the first of several collaborations with Cassavetes),
Britt Ekland and
Gena Rowlands. It was nominated for the
Cannes Film Festival's
Palme d'Or, the first of two times Montaldo would be nominated for the honor. Montaldo then directed a thematic trilogy about the abuses of the military, judicial and religious power. The first film,
The Fifth Day of Peace (1970), was based on the
13 May 1945 German deserter execution. The second,
Sacco and Vanzetti (1971), was about the trial, conviction, and executions of two
Italian-American anarchists over false charges of murder. The film was a widespread critical success, earning Montaldo his second Palme d'Or nod, and is credited with spreading awareness of the duo's story worldwide. The soundtrack, written by
Ennio Morricone and
Joan Baez, is also well-regarded. The third film of Montaldo's trilogy was
Giordano Bruno (1973), about the
Italian philosopher and scientist who was executed by the Catholic Church for heresy. In 1971, he was a member of the jury at the
7th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1975, he was a
second unit director for the
Terence Hill-starring Spaghetti Western
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe. In 1978, he directed the thriller
Closed Circuit. Originally produced for television, the film was nominated for the
Golden Bear at the
Berlin International Film Festival. In 1982, he directed the internationally co-produced television
miniseries Marco Polo. The series, which aired on
NBC in the United States, was the first Western film or television production to be shot on-location in the
People's Republic of China, including location shooting in the
Forbidden City. The series won
Outstanding Limited Series at the
34th Primetime Emmy Awards. In 1987, he directed
Control, an ensemble drama starring
Burt Lancaster,
Ben Gazzara,
Kate Nelligan,
Ingrid Thulin and
Erland Josephson; and
The Gold Rimmed Glasses, which was nominated for the
Golden Lion at the
Venice Film Festival. In 1989, he directed
Time to Kill (1989), with
Nicolas Cage, based on
Ennio Flaiano's novel of the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
Later works and retirement Between 1999 and 2008, he was the President of
RAI's film production subsidiary
Rai Cinema. In 2008, after a nearly 20-year hiatus, he directed the
Fyodor Dostoevsky biopic
The Demons of St. Petersberg. In 2011, he directed his final film,
The Entrepreneur. He retired from directing thereafter, but continued to make acting appearances. He won the
David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2017 dramedy
Friends by Chance. == Accademia del Cinema Italiano ==