Benito Pacifico reached veteran standing the slow way, as an Italian actor with a career measured in decades rather than seasons. If one title has to stand in for the rest, it is 'Banana Joe'. 'Hitch Hike' is a second title with real reach. Steady employment, rather than one breakout, gives the career its shape.
Benito Pacifico
Actor
69 years (Mar 28, 1939 – Nov 11, 2008)Roma, Italy
Benito Pacifico reached veteran standing the slow way, as an Italian actor with a career measured in decades rather than seasons. If one title has to stand in for the rest, it is 'Banana Joe'. 'Hitch Hike' is a second title with real reach. Steady employment, rather than one breakout, gives the career its shape.
Round-faced, high-hairlined stuntman who started as a bit part actor in Italian Westerns. He was immediately noticed for his athletic ability and given large supporting roles and even a few starring roles in some low-budget Westerns, often opposite Gordon Mitchell. Even with the demise of the Spaghetti Western genre, Pacifico stayed on and made the transition from star to character actor and stunt coordinator. Bouncing around between all the major Italian studios, Pacifico is best known in his small roles as a "thug" or "henchman" in countless Italian crime and action films, usually alongside Giovanni Cianfriglia and Nello Pazzafini, who both made similar prolific stunt / character actor careers.