Franco Merli

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Age: 68, born 31 October 1956

Country of origin: Italy

Currently Residing In: Italy

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Description: Franco Merli was an Italian actor born in Sicily on October 31st, 1956. Whilst working at a fuel trade in Corleone circa 1973, 16-year-old Merli was discovered by Pier Paolo Pasolini's close friend Ninetto Davoli, who thought Merli's 'rather dark appearance' was a good fit for the role of Nur Ed Din in Pasolini's upcoming film, Arabian Nights. Franco frankly thought Ninetto was joking, but a month or so later, Pasolini came into the gas station and Franco's home to talk with his Father. Once Merli accepted this role, his parents had to sign a contract that'd allow him to participate in either pornographic or nude scenes since Fr Franco Merli was an Italian actor born in Sicily on October 31st, 1956. Whilst working at a fuel trade in Corleone circa 1973, 16-year-old Merli was discovered by Pier Paolo Pasolini's close friend Ninetto Davoli, who thought Merli's 'rather dark appearance' was a good fit for the role of Nur Ed Din in Pasolini's upcoming film, Arabian Nights. Franco frankly thought Ninetto was joking, but a month or so later, Pasolini came into the gas station and Franco's home to talk with his Father. Once Merli accepted this role, his parents had to sign a contract that'd allow him to participate in either pornographic or nude scenes since Franco was only a minor. During the filming, Franco travelled to Yemen, Persia and Eritrea, which he recounted to be a beautiful experience due to the fact he'd never left Italy.

When released in June of 1974, Arabian Nights was an international success. Though he never sought to have high expectations for the film industry nor did he believe in it, that film gave Merli relative fame. In his anecdotes, Franco remembers watching half of the film at the cinema with his friends, who'd laugh whenever they saw him nude on screen. This prompted Merli to never watch it again, stating that one time was enough!

For his second role in 1975's La collegiale, Franco dyed his eyebrows and hair blonde to portray the hateful, unsympathetic Stefano. Merli was then hired by Pasolini to portray one of the 9 male victims in Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom, which is perhaps his most infamous role. Initially seen with Sergio Fascetti, the two are first to reveal themselves to a group of four fascists, who subsequently subject them to 120 days of physical, mental and sexual torture along with 6 fellow boys and 8 females. About an hour and 25 minutes into the film, Franco is chosen for having the most beautiful rear, and his reward was to be killed immediately by being shot in the head. Though it wasn't real - Franco was scared at his characters execution and really thought he was going to die.

120 Days of Sodom immortalised Franco's face and nakedness, particularly with one of the most highly publicised images of the film itself being Merli's tongue getting cut off. Another was when the victims were forced to act like dogs and it showed him on all fours, naked. These contributions didn't enhance his acting career, and from there he found it difficult to find acting roles. It also caused him great frustration in life.

However, Franco starred in two more Italian films. The penultimate was the role of a transvestite prostitute called Fernando in the 1976 drama/comedy Down and Dirty, and his final was a minor casting in 1979's Il malato immaginario. By the 1980s Franco vanished from the film industry, though he reappeared 27 years later in the Giuseppe Bertolucci documentary Pasolini Next to Us. There, you can see him in several stills by Debroah Beer and filming his torture scene. He married a woman named Elisa and worked in a delivery van for a company that places LPG installations in cars. Nowadays, Merli's employed in a bank and lives in Rome. He has two sons, grandchildren and a Pinscher called Attila. ... (more)

Tags: Italian (1), Cute (1), Actor (1), Pasolini (1), Salo (1)

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