Italian actor Remo Girone has died aged 76 after being diagnosed with bladder cancer.
The star was best known for starring as a mob boss on the classic Italian mafia TV series La Piovra and played Enzo Ferrari in the Hollywood blockbuster Ford v Ferrari.
It was reported by the newspaper La Repubblica, as per The Hollywood Reporter, that he died on Friday at his home in Monte Carlo.
With his first film credit coming in the 1974 movie The Antichrist, Girone went on to star in a string of Italian productions including Father of the Godfathers, Malamore, Breath of Life and Don’t Stop Me Now.
Outside of his home country, he also appeared as Italian Mafia boss Maso Pescatore in the 2016 American action-drama Live by Night, which starred Ben Affleck.
Two years later he also played Cesare Greco in an episode of Killing Eve, while in 2019 he starred as the founder of the Italian luxury sports car company Ferrari in Ford v Ferrari, which starred Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
His last on-screen credit came alongside Denzel Washington in 2023’s The Equalizer 3.
The actor’s best-known role as in the drama La Piovra, which he joined in its third season in 1987.
He played corrupt banker Gaetano ‘Tano’ Cariddi, who was reported to have been inspired by real-life mafioso Michele ‘The Shark’ Sindona.
Girone was a regular until 1995 but eventually had to take a six year break due to cancer treatments.
Last year he spoke about how the diagnosis had nearly ended his time on the series as he underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
‘The show’s producers wanted to terminate my contract, replacing me with another similar character,’ he told Corriere della Sera.
‘I went to complain, accompanied by my lawyer, but then my wife had a brilliant idea’
‘Since we were filming season nine, she suggested to the director that I end it early – with a beautiful scene and bring me back for season ten, after I had finished my treatments. And so it happened, the tumour was cured and Tano Cariddi returned.’
Born in Eritrea in East Africa to Italian parents in 1948, Girone studied acting at the Silvio d’Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome.
His career spanned over five decades, with his projects seeing him work between Italy and Hollywood.
In 2021, he received lifetime achievement awards from the Venice International Film Festival and Flaiano Film Festival.
He is survived by his wife, actress Victoria Zinny, whom he married in 1982, as well as his stepchildren, Veronica and Karl.
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