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Giovanni Lombardo Radice

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Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Born(1954-09-23)23 September 1954
Rome, Italy
Died27 April 2023(2023-04-27) (aged 68)
Rome, Italy
NationalityItalian
Other namesJohn Morghen
OccupationActor
Years active1980–2023
Parent(s)Lucio Lombardo-Radice (father)
Adele Maria Jemolo (mother)
Relatives

Giovanni Lombardo Radice (23 September 1954 – 27 April 2023) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and theatre director.[1] He was best known to film audiences for his roles in horror films, several of which became cult classics.[2] He was sometimes credited under the stage name John Morghen.[3]

Early life

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Radice was born in Rome in September 1954, into a prominent local family. His father, Lucio, was a mathematician and a leading member of the Communist Party. His paternal grandfather was the pedagogist Giuseppe Lombardo Radice. His uncle, Pietro Ingrao, was a prominent politician, journalist, and World War II partisan. He was the first Communist to become President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, a position he held from 1976 to 1979.

Radice studied to become a ballet dancer, but his career was sidelined by a back injury in his teenage years.[4] After brief stint as a physical therapist, he decided to become an actor.

Career

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After classical training, he started a Shakespearean company called The Swan Company (named after The Swan) at the age of 19. He was a successful stage actor for several years, but by his account was "a terrible administrator" and struggled financially.[4] After a chance meeting with Ruggero Deodato's mother-in-law, he became acquainted with the director, and after a successful audition was cast in his 1980 horror film The House on the Edge of the Park.

Throughout the 1980s, Radice appeared in many Italian cult films such as Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), City of the Living Dead (1980), Stage Fright (1987) and The Church (1989).

Radice is best known for his villainous roles in Italian horror films, and notably for the spectacular and gruesome death scenes his characters semi-regularly fall victim to.[5][6] In several interviews, he reportedly stated that he wished he had never portrayed Mike Logan in Cannibal Ferox, criticizing the movie for being both fascist and racist and abusive towards animals. After his family criticized him for using his family name to create incredibly violent films, Radice adopted the stage name John Morghen, taking the anglicized form of his first name (Giovanni becomes John) and using his maternal grandmother's maiden name as his last name (Morghen).[3]

Radice’s last public appearance was at the 2023 Romford Horror Film Festival alongside Silvia Collatina.[7]

Personal life

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Lombardo Radice was married to actress Alessandra Panelli (b. 1957) from 1989 until his death. They had one child. Lombardo Radice was trilingual, fluent in English and French as well as his native Italian.

The writer Marco Lombardo Radice [it] was his elder brother.[8] Radice often posted texts criticizing social injustice, capitalism and corruption in Italy.

He wrote about having a cocaine addiction when younger.

Death

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Lombardo Radice died on 27 April 2023, at the age of 68,[9] the same day as his Cannibal Apocalypse co-star Ramiro Oliveros.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 Cannibal Apocalypse (a.k.a. Apocalypse Domani) Charlie Bukowski
1980 City of the Living Dead (a.k.a. The Gates of Hell) Bob
1980 The House on the Edge of the Park Ricky
1981 Cannibal Ferox (a.k.a. Make Them Die Slowly) Mike Logan
1982 Cannibal Love
1984 Deadly Impact Al
1985 Big Deal After 20 Years Il giovane elegante
1986 The American Bride
1987 Stage Fright (1987, a.k.a. Deliria) Brett
1987 Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Brett
1987 Phantom of Death (1988, a.k.a. Un delitto poco comune) Father Giuliano
1988 La parola segreta
1989 The Church (a.k.a. La Chiesa) Reverend
1991 The Devil's Daughter (a.k.a. La Setta) Martin Romero
1992 Body Puzzle Morangi
1992 Ricky & Barabba Gestore dell'albergo Relais
2000 Padre Pio: Between Heaven and Earth Pope Leo XII TV Movie
2001 Honolulu Baby Amministratore Delegato
2002 The Soul Keeper Zorin
2002 Gangs of New York Mr. Legree
2006 The Omen Father Spiletto
2007 The Hideout Vincent Natali
2009 House of Flesh Mannequins Mr. Roeg
2010 A Day of Violence Hopper
2011 The Reverend Almighty
2012 The Infliction Lieutenant Lorenzo
2013 Long Live Freedom
2015 The Three Sisters Arthur Lehman
2015 Violent Shit: The Movie Professor Vassago [10]
2016 Moderation Johnny - the Italian Actor
2017 Una gita a Roma Victor
2018 Lycanimator Narrator
2018 Rabbia furiosa Ranieri
2019 Beyond Fury Ivan Lenzivitch
2019 Everybloody's End Steiner
2021 Baphomet Henrik Brandr
2023 The Well Lisa's father (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "TEATRO: PORCI CON LE ALI, 20 ANNI DOPO SULLA SCENA". www1.adnkronos.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Giovanni Lombardo Radice: nel suo genere, un mostro". la Repubblica (in Italian). 28 November 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Giovanni Lombardo Radice Official Site". Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b CrypticRock (19 December 2016). "Interview – Giovanni Lombardo Radice". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. ^ Ernest Mathijs, Jamie Sexton (30 March 2012). Cult Cinema. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. ISBN 978-1444396430.
  6. ^ Ernest Mathijs, Xavier Mendik (2004). Alternative Europe: Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945. Wallflower Press, 2004. pp. 9–10/ 106–124. ISBN 1903364930.
  7. ^ Hawken, Spencer (27 April 2023). "Giovanni Lombardo Radice Dies at 68". Phoenix FM. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  8. ^ "LOMBARDO RADICE, Marco". Treccani. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  9. ^ "È morto a 68 anni l'attore e sceneggiatore Giovanni Lombardo Radice". Sky TG24. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Violent Shit: The Movie". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
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