Franco Merli

Quick Facts

Full Name	Franco Merli
Occupation	Actor
Date Of Birth	Oct 31, 1956(1956-10-31)
Age	68
Birthplace	Rome
Country	Italy
Birth City	Lazio
Horoscope	Libra

Franco Merli Biography

Franco Merli is one of the most popular and richest Actor who was born on October 31, 1956 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. There isn’t much information regarding Franco Merli, who appeared in numerous Italian films during the 1970s. Merli was born October 31, 1956, in Rome, Italy. In 1973, famous Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini discovered Merli. He was 16 and working as a gas station attendant at the at the time (as Ninetto Davoli, a close friend of Pasolini and actor in many the films he made, relates). Pasolini was looking for an untrained young man to play the role of Nur Ed Din in his forthcoming feature Arabian Nights (Il fiore delle mille e una notte). The director was immediately aware it was Franco Merli, with his tiny but strong body and dark Mediterranean appearance and his enthralling smile was the ideal selection for the role Nur Ed Din. As he once put it: “(…) a boy from Corleone (in Sicily) who is the innocence of sixteen years , but the body of an 18-year-old.”

In the year 1976, Franco Merli appeared on-screen in the film as Fernando, child of Nino Manfredi. He makes his living by working as a transvestite prostitute Down and Dirty. The social satire of Italian director Ettore Scola was (but for a tiny part in the movie Il Malato immaginario) Franco Merli’s last song as actor. It is likely that he got the part as Fernando because of his connections to Pasolini as Scola was not just a close friend of Scola but also was set to compose a preface of the feature. But Pasolini was killed before the film occurred.

Franco Merli obviously had at least one uncomfortable moment during the shooting of Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, as Ezio Manni – who played the guard who falls in love with the black servant girl (Ines Pellegrini) – remembers. Perhaps surprisingly it wasn’t about nudity or the degrading things he and the other actors playing the victims had to undergo in front of the camera but occurred during the scene where Merli is chosen as having the most beautiful rear. The scene calls for Franco to be shot as a “reward” for having won the contest. Reportedly the youngster suddenly went berserk when the gun was put to his head, throwing the scene. Manni says that it took quite some time to calm Merli down again and persuade him to go through with the shot as planned.

In 1975, Pasolini hired him again to play the part as an actor in his famous Salo known as The 120 Days of Sodom. In the film Merli as well as the rest of actors of the non-professional category identified by his primary name: Franco. The director picked Merli yet again and not just because he was a “Pasolini-type” to a fault but in addition, the young actor had already demonstrated through Arabian Nights that he was completely comfortable before a camera. In some ways, Salo made Franco’s visage immortal, as some of the famous images from this film is the close-up shot of young Merli while his tongue was cut off in the final scenes of torture. Another iconic image from the scene, in which the victims are made to appear as dogs was prominently shown Franco naked on his fours, and only sporting the collar of a dog – a reality that did not enhance his fame (see below for more details).).

Franco Merli Net Worth

Franco Merli is one of the richest Actor from Italy. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Franco Merli 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Franco Merli (born 31 October 1956 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian actor most well-known for his performance in Salo or his role in the 120 Days of Sodom.

Arabian Nights appeared in 1974 and was a worldwide hit; Merli got a taste for filmmaking. After his debut, he appeared in a blond hairdo in Gianni Martucci’s comedy in 1975 called La collegiale.

In 2006 Franco Merli once again appeared on the big screen when Giuseppe Bertolucci’s documentary on Pasolini and the making of Salò, Pasolini prossimo nostro (Pasolini Next to Us) premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Merli could be seen in still photographs and behind the screen shots by set photographer Deborah Beer as well as in the shooting of his torture scene as captured by British documentarist Gideon Bachman. The film was released on DVD in Italy in May 2007.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Franco Merli height Not available right now. Franco weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Franco Merli Dating?

According to our records, Franco Merli is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Franco Merli’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Franco Merli. You may help us to build the dating records for Franco Merli!

Facts & Trivia

Franco Ranked on the list of most popular Actor. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Italy. Franco Merli celebrates birthday on October 31 of every year.