Sergio Sollima, an Italian film director and script writer, was born on April 17, 1921, and passed away on July 1, 2015.
In the early 1960s, Sollima began his career by directing sword and sandal movies, a genre that was extremely popular at the time.
However, as the popularity of this genre began to decline, Sollima was among the first to transition to spaghetti westerns.
His first western, The Big Gundown, starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian, was released in 1966 and received critical acclaim, despite competing with Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Sergio Corbucci's Django.
Sollima went on to direct two more westerns, Face to Face, starring Milian and Gian Maria Volonté, in 1967, and Run, Man, Run!, starring Milian, in 1968.
Although Sollima directed only three westerns, each of them is highly regarded among genre enthusiasts, even if they never reached the same level of popularity as those directed by the other Sergios, Leone and Corbucci.
In 1970, Sollima switched genres once again, directing Violent City, a violent and fast-paced Italian crime film, starring Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas, which was one of the first films of its kind.
The soundtrack for all of Sollima's westerns, including Violent City, was provided by the renowned composer Ennio Morricone.
Sollima's last well-known film is Revolver, a poliziotteschi film starring Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi.
