Florestano "Mario" Brega (Rome 5 March 1923 – Rome 23 July 1994) was an Italian 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. He was also featured in many Federico Fellini films, and later in his career had comical roles with director Carlo Verdone.

Biography

Florestano Brega dit Mario débute au cinéma en 1954 avec un petit rôle dans le film Violenza sul lago de Leonardo Cortese. Il a participé aux trois films de Sergio Leone de la trilogie des Dollars.

Il meurt d'un infarctus, le 23 juillet 1994 à 71 ans.

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