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Franco Merli (born on October 31, 1956, Rome, Italy) is an Italian actor, who is best-known for his role in Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma. Very little is known about Franco Merli, who appeared in several Italian films throughout the 1970s. He was born on October 31, 1956 in Rome, Italy. In 1973, famous Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini discovered Merli. The 16-year-old was working as a petrol station attendant at that time (as Ninetto Davoli, a friend of Pasolini and actor in most of his films, recounts). Pasolini was searching for a young man to play the lead in his... MORE

Franco Merli (born on October 31, 1956, Rome, Italy) is an Italian actor, who is best-known for his role in Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma. Very little is known about Franco Merli, who appeared in several Italian films throughout the 1970s. He was born on October 31, 1956 in Rome, Italy. In 1973, famous Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini discovered Merli. The 16-year-old was working as a petrol station attendant at that time (as Ninetto Davoli, a friend of Pasolini and actor in most of his films, recounts). Pasolini was searching for a young man to play the lead in his upcoming feature Arabian Nights (Il fiore delle mille e una notte). The director immediately knew that Franco Merli, with his small but muscular physique, dark Mediterranean looks, and ready smile, was the perfect choice for the role of Nur Ed Din. Or, as he once said: "(...) a boy from Corleone (in Sicily) who has the innocence of his sixteen years in the physique of an eighteen-year-old." Arabian Nights was an international success and Merli got a taste for the film business. Following his debut he appeared with his hair dyed blond in La collegiale ]. In 1975 Pasolini hired him once again, for the LESS