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Gianni Garko (born Giovanni Garcovich July 15, 1935 in Zadar (then part of Italy) and often billed as John Garko) is an Italian actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns. He is perhaps best known for his lead role as Sartana, starting with the first official film If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death and starring in three sequels as this character. Garko moved from Zadar to Trieste, and later Rome to attend University and Drama School. His first prominent film role was a small but important part in the Oscar nominated Kapò (1959). He continued to play parts in... MORE

Gianni Garko (born Giovanni Garcovich July 15, 1935 in Zadar (then part of Italy) and often billed as John Garko) is an Italian actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns. He is perhaps best known for his lead role as Sartana, starting with the first official film If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death and starring in three sequels as this character. Garko moved from Zadar to Trieste, and later Rome to attend University and Drama School. His first prominent film role was a small but important part in the Oscar nominated Kapò (1959). He continued to play parts in several Italian productions including a sword and sandal epic with Steve Reeves. His big break came when he had role in Il Compagno Don Camillo (1965). Garko became an instant breakout star in Europe in 1966 in the successful Spaghetti Western starring alongside Anthony Steffen in Blood at Sundown. In this movie, he played an antagonist named Sartana. He would later play an unrelated protagonist named Sartana in the famous Sartana series of films. Other notable westerns he starred in were $10,000 Blood Money (1967) as an unofficial Django, Veangeance is Mine/$100,000 for a Massacre (1967), They Call LESS