Mario Brega (25 March 1923 – 23 July 1994) was an Italian character actor. His heavy build meant that he regularly portrayed a thug in his films, particularly earlier in his career in westerns. Later in his career, however, he featured in numerous Italian comedy films. Brega stood at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and well over 250 pounds (110 kg) at his heaviest but after the 1960s slimmed down significantly. Brega was born in Rome. He was a butcher before he drifted into acting, where his heavy physique ensured him a plethora of character roles. Debuting with director Dino Risi, he then played some minor roles in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western movies: A Fistful of Dollars, as Chico; For a Few Dollars More, as Niño; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as Corporal Wallace; and also as a gangster in Once Upon a Time in America. He appeared in many other Spaghetti Westerns, including Death Rides a Horse, The Great Silence, and My Name is Nobody. Later in his career he had comical roles with director Carlo Verdone, such as in Un sacco bello and Talcum Powder. He died of heart attack in Rome in 1994. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mario Brega, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Mario Brega was a prominent Italian character actor celebrated for his imposing physical stature and memorable tough-guy roles in genre cinema.
He is best known for his notable supporting roles in Sergio Leone westerns such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and comedies directed by Carlo Verdone.
He frequently collaborated with master Italian directors including Sergio Leone, Dino Risi, and Carlo Verdone. Full filmography on Mood.
