Sergio Corbucci

Sergio Corbucci (6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer who became one of the most prolific creators of the Spaghetti Western genre during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Rome, he initially studied economics and wrote film criticism for the newspaper Stars and Stripes after World War II before turning to cinema, making his directorial debut with Salvate mia figlia in 1951. His early career was marked by melodramas, crime stories and sword‑and‑sandals such as Goliath and the Vampires (1961), but the turning point came with his first solo Western, Minnesota Clay (1964), and the breakthrough cult hit Django (1966) starring Franco Nero, which set a new standard for on‑screen violence. Corbucci followed this success with a string of dark, brutal Westerns—including The Great Silence (1968), The Mercenary (1968) and Compañeros (1970)—that portrayed anti‑heroic protagonists and high body‑count action, cementing his reputation as the “other Sergio” alongside Sergio Leone.

Beyond the Western frontier, Corbucci cultivated a parallel career in comedy, frequently collaborating with popular Italian comedians such as Totò, Franco and Ciccio, and later Adriano Celentano, delivering box‑office hits across Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer on Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981) and directed the cult‑favorite Super Fuzz (1980). His final film, the action‑drama Women in Arms (1991), was released posthumously after his death from a heart attack in Rome on 1 December 1990. Though contemporary critics often dismissed his work as exploitation, Corbucci’s films have attained a lasting cult status, influencing modern directors and even inspiring a 2022 metal intro titled “Sergio Corbucci is Dead”.