Giovanni Lombardo Radice

Giovanni Lombardo Radice (23 September 1954 – 27 April 2023) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and theatre director.[1] He was best known to film audiences for his roles in horror films, several of which became cult classics.[2] He was sometimes credited under the stage name John Morghen.[3]

Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Born(1954-09-23)23 September 1954
Rome, Italy
Died27 April 2023(2023-04-27) (aged 68)
Rome, Italy
NationalityItalian
Other namesJohn Morghen
OccupationActor
Years active1980–2023
Parent(s)Lucio Lombardo-Radice (father)
Adele Maria Jemolo (mother)
Relatives

Early life

Radice was born in Rome in September 1954, into a prominent local family. His father, Lucio, was a mathematician and a leading member of the Communist Party. His paternal grandfather was the pedagogist Giuseppe Lombardo Radice. His uncle, Pietro Ingrao, was a prominent politician, journalist, and World War II partisan. He was the first Communist to become President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, a position he held from 1976 to 1979.

Radice studied to become a ballet dancer, but his career was sidelined by a back injury in his teenage years.[4] After brief stint as a physical therapist, he decided to become an actor.

Career

After classical training, he started a Shakespearean company called The Swan Company (named after The Swan) at the age of 19. He was a successful stage actor for several years, but by his account was "a terrible administrator" and struggled financially.[4] After a chance meeting with Ruggero Deodato's mother-in-law, he became acquainted with the director, and after a successful audition was cast in his 1980 horror film The House on the Edge of the Park.

Throughout the 1980s, Radice appeared in many Italian cult films such as Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), City of the Living Dead (1980), Stage Fright (1987) and The Church (1989).

Radice is best known for his villainous roles in Italian horror films, and notably for the spectacular and gruesome death scenes his characters semi-regularly fall victim to.[5][6] In several interviews, he reportedly stated that he wished he had never portrayed Mike Logan in Cannibal Ferox, criticizing the movie for being both fascist and racist and abusive towards animals. After his family cirticized him for using his family name to create incredibly violent films, Radice adopted the stage name John Morghen, taking the anglicized form of his first name (Giovanni becomes John) and using his maternal grandmother's maiden name as his last name (Morghen).[3]

Radice’s last public appearance was at the 2023 Romford Horror Film Festival alongside Silvia Collatina.[7]

Personal life

Lombardo Radice was married to actress Alessandra Panelli (b. 1957) from 1989 until his death. They had one child. Lombardo Radice was trilingual, fluent in English and French as well as his native Italian.

The writer Marco Lombardo Radice was his elder brother.[8] Radice often posted texts criticizing social injustice, capitalism and corruption in Italy.

He wrote about having a cocaine addiction when younger.

Death

Lombardo Radice died on 27 April 2023, at the age of 68,[9] the same day as his Cannibal Apocalypse co-star Ramiro Oliveros.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1980Cannibal Apocalypse (a.k.a. Apocalypse Domani)Charlie Bukowski
1980City of the Living Dead (a.k.a. The Gates of Hell)Bob
1980The House on the Edge of the ParkRicky
1981Cannibal Ferox (a.k.a. Make Them Die Slowly)Mike Logan
1982Cannibal Love
1984Deadly ImpactAl
1985Big Deal After 20 YearsIl giovane elegante
1986The American Bride
1987Stage Fright (1987, a.k.a. Deliria)Brett
1987Eleven Days, Eleven NightsBrett
1987Phantom of Death (1988, a.k.a. Un delitto poco comune)Father Giuliano
1988La parola segreta
1989The Church (a.k.a. La Chiesa)Reverend
1991The Devil's Daughter (a.k.a. La Setta)Martin Romero
1992Body PuzzleMorangi
1992Ricky & BarabbaGestore dell'albergo Relais
2000Padre Pio: Between Heaven and EarthPope Leo XIITV Movie
2001Honolulu BabyAmministratore Delegato
2002The Soul KeeperZorin
2002Gangs of New YorkMr. Legree
2006The OmenFather Spiletto
2007The HideoutVincent Natali
2009House of Flesh MannequinsMr. Roeg
2010A Day of ViolenceHopper
2011The ReverendAlmighty
2012The InflictionLieutenant Lorenzo
2013Long Live Freedom
2015The Three SistersArthur Lehman
2015Violent Shit: The MovieProfessor Vassago[10]
2016ModerationJohnny - the Italian Actor
2017Una gita a RomaVictor
2018LycanimatorNarrator
2018Rabbia furiosaRanieri
2019Beyond FuryIvan Lenzivitch
2019Everybloody's EndSteiner
2021BaphometHenrik Brandr(final film role)

References
  1. "TEATRO: PORCI CON LE ALI, 20 ANNI DOPO SULLA SCENA". www1.adnkronos.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  2. "Giovanni Lombardo Radice: nel suo genere, un mostro". la Repubblica (in Italian). 28 November 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. "Giovanni Lombardo Radice Official Site". Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  4. CrypticRock (19 December 2016). "Interview – Giovanni Lombardo Radice". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. Ernest Mathijs, Jamie Sexton (30 March 2012). Cult Cinema. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. ISBN 978-1444396430.
  6. Ernest Mathijs, Xavier Mendik (2004). Alternative Europe: Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945. Wallflower Press, 2004. pp. 9–10/ 106–124. ISBN 1903364930.
  7. Hawken, Spencer (27 April 2023). "Giovanni Lombardo Radice Dies at 68". Phoenix FM. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  8. "LOMBARDO RADICE, Marco". Treccani. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  9. "È morto a 68 anni l'attore e sceneggiatore Giovanni Lombardo Radice". Sky TG24. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  10. "Violent Shit: The Movie". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 19 July 2019.


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