Enrico Maria Salerno (September 18, 1926 in Milan – February 28, 1994 in Rome) was an Italian theatre & film actor, also a film director. He was also the voice of Clint Eastwood in the Italian version of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy films, and the voice of Christ in The Gospel According to St. Matthew directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.

Biography

After a small collaboration with Piccolo Teatro di Milano, from 1954 to 1955 (and more years) worked in Teatro Stabile di Genova, with Fyodor Dostoevsky, Pirandello, William Shakespeare, Vittorio Alfieri and Giraudoux successful stage adaptations.

In 1960 with Ivo Garrani and Giancarlo Sbragia founded the stage company "Nuova Compagnia degli Associati". In 1963 starred in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, co-starring Sarah Ferrati, stage direction by Franco Zeffirelli. In 1966 he was the star of Byron's Manfred, in the role of an actor reciting the musical score by Schumann, conducted by Claudio Abbado, directed by Mauro Bolognini.

In 1970 he made his direction film debut with love drama box office and award winning film Anonimo Veneziano. He was directed by many great film directors, as Mario Monicelli, Roberto Rossellini, Valerio Zurlini, Florestano Vancini, Dino Risi, Dario Argento, Luigi Comencini, Luigi Magni, Antonio Pietrangeli.

Married with Fioretta Pierella, he had four children: Giovanbattista, Edoardo, Pietruccio e Nicola. He married in second marriage Laura Andreini.

Brother of film director Vittorio Salerno, had a long relationship with Valeria Valeri; with whom he had a daughter, Chiara Salerno, a famous dubbing actress.

In 1991 offers his last great theater interpretation such as the father of Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello, directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

He was an atheist. After his death, a prestigious award in support of contemporary drama was dedicated to the memory of actor.

Filmography as film director

• The Anonymous Venetian (Anonimo veneziano) (1970)
• Cari genitori (1973)
• Eutanasia di un amore (1978)
• Disperatamente Giulia mini TV series (1989)
• Il Barone mini TV series (1995)

Selective filmography as actor

• Girls Marked Danger (La Tratta delle bianche) directed by Luigi Comencini (1953)
• Violent Summer (Estate violenta) directed by Valerio Zurlini (1959)
• Siege of Syracuse (L'assedio di Siracusa) directed by Pietro Francisci (1960)
• Long Night in 1943 (La lunga notte del '43) directed by Nanni Loy (1960)
• The Angel Wore Red directed by Nunnally Johnson (1960)
• Escape by Night (Era notte a Roma) directed by Roberto Rossellini (1960)
• The Ladykiller of Rome (L'Assassino) directed by Elio Petri (1961)
• L'amore difficile (1961)
• Smog directed by Franco Rossi (1962)
• La bellezza di Ippolita (1962)
• Hercules and the Captive Women (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide) directed by Vittorio Cottafavi (1963)
• Il Fornaretto di Venezia (1963)
• Three Nights of Love (1964)
• Backfire (1964)
• La fuga (1964)
• Casanova 70 directed by Mario Monicelli (1965)
• Io la conoscevo bene directed by Antonio Pietrangeli (1965)
• Sex Quartet (1966)
• L'ombrellone directed by Dino Risi (1966)
• L'armata Brancaleone directed by Mario Monicelli (1966)
• The Oldest Profession (1967)
• The Strange Night (1967)
• Death Sentence (1968)
• Candy directed by Christian Marquand (1968)
• The Battle of El Alamein (La battaglia di El Alamein) directed by Giorgio Ferroni (1969)
• I See Naked (Vedo nudo) (1969)
• The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) directed by Dario Argento (1970)
• Noi donne siamo fatte così (1971)
• Execution Squad (1972)
• The Assassination of Trotsky directed by Joseph Losey (1972)
• Hospitals: The White Mafia directed by Luigi Zampa (1973)
• The Police Serve the Citizens? (1973)
• No, the Case Is Happily Resolved (1973)
• La polizia sta a guardare (1973)
• City Under Siege (1974)
• ...a tutte le auto della polizia (1975)
• Night Train Murders (L'ultimo treno della notte) directed by Aldo Lado (1975)
• A Sold Life (1976)
• Amori miei (1978)
• Gros-Câlin (1979)