Rik Battaglia (byname of Caterino Bertaglia; 18 February 1927 – 27 March 2015) was an Italian film actor.

Rik Battaglia
Battaglia in The River Girl (1954)
Born
Caterino Bertaglia

(1927-02-18)18 February 1927
Died27 March 2015(2015-03-27) (aged 88)
OccupationActor
Years active1954–1999

Career

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Battaglia appeared in a number of historical and peplum films, such as The Mighty Crusaders (1958, Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia), Hannibal (1959, Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Edgar G. Ulmer), Caesar the Conqueror (1962, Tanio Boccia), and A Queen for Caesar (1962, Piero Pierotti). He was also seen in the Hollywood adventure Raw Wind in Eden (1958, Richard Wilson). He also played in Esther and the King (1960), From a Roman Balcony (1960, by Mauro Bolognini) and in the biblical epic Sodom and Gomorrah (1962, by Robert Aldrich).

Battaglia appeared in adventure films such as Attack of the Moors (1959, Mario Costa), The Conqueror of the Orient (1960, Tanio Boccia), The Lion of St. Mark (1963, Luigi Capuano) and Sandokan the Great (1963, Umberto Lenzi), and horror films such as Nightmare Castle (1965, Mario Caiano).

He became a regular in the Karl May films, and in Spaghetti Westerns and adventure films. Some of these included Old Shatterhand (1963), The Pyramid of the Sun God (1965), Legacy of the Incas (1965), Winnetou and Old Firehand (1966), Black Jack (1968), The Valley of Death (1968), Duck, You Sucker! (1971), The Call of the Wild (1972), White Fang (1973), Challenge to White Fang (1974) and A Man Called Blade (1977). His other films included 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1971), Treasure Island (1972, as Captain Smollett), the Agatha Christie adaptation Ten Little Indians (1974), the Sergio Leone co-produced western A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975), and Vincente Minnelli's A Matter of Time (1976). Battaglia also appeared in Deported Women of the SS Special Section (1976), Sister Emanuelle (1977), Il prefetto di ferro (1977), Return of the 38 Gang (1977), Zappatore (1980) and Don Bosco (1988). His last feature film was Buck ai confini del cielo (1991) he retired from films in 1999.

Selected filmography

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