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John Kitzmiller

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This article is about the actor. For the American football player, see Johnny Kitzmiller.
John Kitzmiller
Kitzmiller in 1954
Born(1913-12-04)December 4, 1913
Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 23, 1965(1965-02-23) (aged 51)
Rome, Italy
Alma materUniversity of Michigan Chem. Eng.
Years active1947–1965
SpouseDusica Bejic (1964–1965) (his death)[1]

John Kitzmiller (December 4, 1913 – February 23, 1965) was an American actor who worked in his native land, as well as Italy and the United Kingdom. Kitzmiller achieved his greatest fame as a popular and versatile actor in Europe, making an estimated 40 European films.[2] He was the first Black actor to win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor in 1957 for his role in the Yugoslav (Slovenia) film Valley of Peace. He is best-known for his role as Quarrel in the first EON-produced James Bond movie, Dr. No.

Early life

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John Kitzmiller was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, the younger of two children born to John B. and Mary E. Kitzmiller. In high school Kitzmiller was a member of the Chemistry Club, and he later attended the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1937.[2]

He was commissioned in the US Army reaching the rank of captain in the Corps of Engineers. He was stationed in Italy in 1943, serving with the 92nd Infantry Division during the Italian campaign of World War II.[3] Both of his parents died during his military service, events which likely influenced his decision to become one of the few black soldiers to remain in Italy after the war.[2]

Acting career

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Kitzmiller was discovered in 1946 by Luigi Zampa and Carlo Ponti while playing poker at an officers' club.[4] This chance meeting led to his first acting role, in Zampa and Ponti's film To Live in Peace in 1947. Kitzmiller frequently worked in Italian neorealist films. He made Italy his permanent residence and ultimately starred in more than fifty European films, often portraying characters fighting racism.

He played the leading role of "Jerry" in the film Senza pietà (Without Pity), from a screenplay by Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattuada and Tullio Pinelli. He received awards commemorating both his role as an actor and as a soldier. In 1957, he was the first black actor to win a best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in the Yugoslavian (Slovenian) film Valley of Peace. Kitzmiller is most famous for his role as Quarrel in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No.

Death

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Kitzmiller died in Rome of a liver ailment at the age of 51.[5]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "John Kitzmiller (1913-1965) •". 27 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Fikes, Robert. "Kitzmiller, John (1913–1965)". Blackpast.org. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  3. ^ "John Kitzmiller, Who Became Italian Star, Dies At 51". Jet. March 11, 1965. Retrieved May 6, 2017 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Ehrman, Richard (May 20, 1957). "Former American Army Officer Wins Best Actor at Cannes Festival". St. Petersburg Times. No. 23.
  5. ^ "American actor dies in Rome". Afro-American. No. 19. February 27, 1965. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
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