Beloved Actor Who Made Some Of The Best Westerns In American History Dead At 84

Actor Tomas Milian, a man known for his on-screen exploits in films directed by such names as Steven Spielberg, died March 22 in his Miami home. He was 84.

Milian was reportedly found in his home at 11:00 pm local time, deceased from a stroke.

The former actor’s friend Monica Cattaneo spoke on some of Milian’s words before he passed away.

“Last week, the last time I heard from him, he asked me to bring him back to Rome because he had decided he wanted to live the last few years of his life in Rome and die in the city which he had seen for the last time when he was honored at the Rome Film Fest,” recalled Cattaneo.

Milian was born in Havana, Cuba in 1933, according to Deadline. After his father was imprisoned, Milian relocated to New York City to study under Polish-American actor Lee Strasberg.

The late actor would eventually move to Italy to participate in a number of films, though not before he had a chance to try his hand at method acting at the New York City Actor’s Studio.

Milian, whose actual name was Tomas Quintin Rodriguez Milian, first built his acting career in Italy where he became a cult name by playing various comedic characters, according to ANSA.

The Cuban-born actor leveraged his fame by appearing in several “Spaghetti Western” films such as “The Big Gundown,” “The Ugly Ones,” and “Django Kill…If You Live, Shoot!”

Before long, Milian was taking on leading roles in feature films.

His foray into these films later segued into police movies, or “poliziottesco” pics, following the waning popularity of the Western genre of films.

Such Milian-featured titles include “Free Hand for a Tough Cop.”

Some of his key roles saw him as Italian police inspector Nico Giraldi in “Nico Giraldi,” according to Variety.

Milian eventually returned to the United States, where he was subsequently taken up by such reknowned directors as Oliver Stone.

The Spaghetti Western star’s return to American soil was in turn accompanied by parts in Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” Abel Ferrera’s “Cat Chaser,” and a role in the CBS series “Frannie’s Turn.”

Milian’s career achievements culminated in his receipt of a lifetime achievement award at the Rome Film Festival.

Though his wife passed away prior to his death, the renowned actor lives on through his son, Tommaso Milian Jr.

Milian has requested that his remains be cremated rather than given a burial.

Sources: Variety, Deadline, ANSA/Photo Credit: Enerzone at the Italian Wikipedia Project/Wikimedia Commons