West German Kolibri postcard by Friedrich W. Sander-Verlag, Minden/Westf., no. 2768. Photo: Parnass / Constantin Film. Tony Kendall in Kommissar X - In den Klauen des goldenen Drachen/Agent Joe Walker: Operation Far East (Gianfranco Parolini, 1966).
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 599.
A popular and prolific action team
Tony Kendall was born Luciano Stella in 1936 in Rome, Italy. He started his career in the show business as a model for Italian Fumetti, comics done in photographs.
Luciano made his film debut using his birth name in the comedy Femmine tre volte/Female Three Times (Steno, 1957-1959) starring Sylva Koscina. He changed his name to Tony Kendall after Vittorio De Sica's suggestion. At the time, many Italian actors whose films were shown in countries outside Italy took an English-sounding stage name.
From 1963 on, Kendall starred in genres like Giallo, Spaghetti Western and Horror. Mario Bava directed him in the Gothic Horror romance La frusta e il corpo/The Whip and the Body (Mario Bava, 1963) opposite Daliah Lavi and Christopher Lee.
He played the Indian Chief Black Eagle in the EuroWestern Die Flußpiraten Vom Mississippi/The Pirates of Mississippi (Jurgen Roland, 1963) with Brad Harris. The film belongs to an abundant group of German Westerns or co-productions, realised in the wake of the success of Karl May's Winnetou and Old Surehand¨ series. The films were usually shot in Spain or Yugoslavia and habitually starred faded American stars and European actors. Kendall also was the dashing hero opposite Cameron Mitchell in Brenno il nemico di Roma/Battle of the Valiant (Giacomo Gentilomo, 1963), an example of the Peplum, the sword and sandal craze of films popular in the early 1960s.
The following year, he starred in a pirate adventure, L'uomo mascherato contro i pirati/The Masked Man Against the Pirates (Vertunnio De Angelis, 1964) with George Hilton. He returned as Commanche Chief Black Eagle in Die schwarzen Adler von Santa Fe/Black Eagle of Santa Fe (Alberto Cardone (as Albert Cardiff), Ernst Hofbauer (as Ernest Goodman), 1965), again opposite Brad Harris. Kendall and Harris predated Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as a popular and prolific action team.
Romanian collector card by Cooperativa Fotografia. Tony Kendall in Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt/Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, 1966).
West German Kolibri postcard by Friedrich W. Sander-Verlag, Minden/Westf., no. 2624. Photo: Gloria. Tony Kendall in Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt/Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, 1966).
A laid-back swinging New York City private eye
With the international success of the James Bond films and the German Jerry Cotton series, Tony Kendall became best known for his role in the Eurospy Kommissar X series where he played the laid-back swinging New York City private eye Jo Louis Walker balanced against the serious muscular New York City Police Captain Tom Rowland played by Brad Harris. Between 1965 and 1971 seven Kommissar X films were made, starting with Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt/Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, 1966) with Maria Perschy.
The popularity of the Batman TV series led to Harris and Kendall appearing in I fantastici 3 $upermen/The Three Fantastic Supermen (Gianfranco Parolini, 1967). The film was the first in a long series that had stunt work performed by a young Jackie Chan in Crash! Che botte... Strippo strappo stroppio/The Three Fantastic Supermen in the Orient (Bitto Albertini, 1973) without Kendall in the cast.
Kendall prominently appeared in other varieties of European cinema in the 1960s and 1970s. He was memorable as sly hitman Peter Zacari in the excellent crime thriller Gli intoccabili/Machine Gun McCain (Giuliano Montaldo, 1969) starring John Cassavetes and Britt Ekland. He played the infamous roving gunslinger Django in the Spaghetti Westerns Django sfida Sartana/Django Defies Sartana (Pasquale Squitieri, 1970) and Una pistola per cento croci!/Gunman of 100 Crosses (Carlo Croccolo, 1971).
He also appeared in European versions of Women in prison films, Io monaca... per tre carogne e sette peccatrici/The Big Bust Out (Ernst Ritter von Theumer, 1972), Zombie Horror, El ataque de los muertos sin ojos/Return of the Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio, 1973), and films inspired by The Godfather, Corleone (Pasquale Squitieri, 1978) with Giuliano Gemma and Claudia Cardinale.
Kendall's last film role was in the comedy Voce del verbo amore/The Voice of the Word Love (Andrea Manni, 2007). His final screen appearance was as a Nazi in the TV movie Il giorno della Shoah/The Day of the Shoah (Pasquale Squitieri, 2010) with Claudia Cardinale. In 2009. Tony Kendall died from cancer in a hospital in Trigoria, Rome. He was 73.
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 359. Tony Kendall and Emilio Carrer in Kommissar X - Drei grüne Hunde/Kiss Me Gently (Gianfranco Parolini, 1967).
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 546. Tony Kendall and Hannelore Auer in Kommissar X - Drei blaue Panther/Kill Panther Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, 1968).
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 547. Tony Kendall in Kommissar X - Drei blaue Panther/Kill Panther Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, 1968).
Sources: Woody Anders (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
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