Wave Wire Services
HOLLYWOOD — A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Feb. 12 honoring Franco Nero for a more than six-decade acting career in which he has appeared in more than 200 films.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor Franco Nero whose remarkable body of work and lasting influence on international cinema make him a truly deserving recipient of this honor,” said Hollywood Walk of Fame Producer Ana Martinez. “His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame celebrates a career that has inspired audiences across generations and around the world.”
Nero was joined in speaking at the ceremony in front of the Montalban Theatre on Vine Street by Julian Schnabel and Tiziana Rocco, artistic director of the Filming Italy Los Angeles festival.
Schnabel directed Nero in the 2025 drama, “In the Hand of Dante.” Nero received a lifetime achievement award at the festival that night at the DGA Theatre.
Nero said the honor “makes me understand the importance of dreams.”
“To dream is one of the most beautiful things in life, and it is free,” he said. “Sixty years ago when I came here to Los Angeles for the first time to work on a fantastic musical called ‘Camelot,’ I remember walking here wondering if one day my name will also appear. Well, that day has arrived, and finally from today, Franco Nero can be trampled on by a lot of people without getting hurt.”
Born Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero on Nov. 23, 1941 in Parma, Italy and raised in Bedonia and Milan, Nero made his film debut with a small part in the 1962 Italian drama “Pelle viva” (“Scorched Skin”).
Nero had his first lead role in the 1966 Spaghetti Western “Django,” as a dismissed Union soldier turned gunslinger. He would reprise the role in its 1987 sequel, “Django Strikes Again.” He also had a cameo role in Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist Western, “Django Unchained.”
In his first American film, “The Bible,” Nero portrayed Able. He portrayed Lancelot in the 1967 musical “Camelot,” but Gene Merlino provided Lancelot’s singing voice.
Nero has been directed by John Huston (“The Bible”); Rainer Werner Fassbinder (“Querelle”); Luis Buñuel (“Tristana”); Franco Zeffirelli (“Young Toscanini”); Elio Petri (“A Quiet Place in the Country”); and Giuliano Montaldo (“The Fifth Day of Peace”).
In addition to Westerns, he excelled in historical epics, political dramas, thrillers and romantic films, consistently bringing depth, charisma and intensity to his roles.
Beyond acting, Nero also worked as a director, screenwriter and producer, further demonstrating his commitment to cinema as an art form. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and lifetime achievement honors from major film festivals and cultural institutions worldwide.
Nero’s other films include “Force 10 from Navarone” and “Die Hard 2.”
