Tomas Milian, an American actor born in Cuba; was trained at the Actors Studio. He appeared in a few plays on Broadway, as well as in a show by Jean Cocteau in Spoleto. Mauro Bolognini noticed him and that was the starting point of a rich cinematographic career in Italy, where he played in all manner of genres. He interpreted a mad psychopath in The Ugly Ones (1966) (aka “Bounty Killer””), a role he would then improve and diversify into an impressive gallery of neurotic and sadistic killers, first in “”spaghetti westerns”” (many directed by Sergio Corbucci), and then in violent action and police thrillers (many directed by Umberto Lenzi). His films gradually evolved into action comedies, as he played the recurrent characters of thief “”Er Monnezza”” and cop Nico Giraldi (the latter being originally based on the lead character in Serpico (1973)), two typically Roman characters who enjoyed great popularity in the ’70s and ’80s.”
Tomas Milian
Movies
Traffic
An intertwined drama about the United States’ war on drugs, seen through the eyes of a once conservative judge, now newly-appointed drug czar, his heroin-addicted daughter, two DEA agents, a jailed drug kingpin’s wife, and a Mexican cop who begins to question his boss’s motives.
Fun Facts
a man bigger than life. Then there is the other type of actor--and that's me.
I'd get bored if I'd have to be good-looking all the time. I would prefer to work in a bank.
During my first year in Italy
Quotes
[on how he would play a character] I just believed it.
[on appearing in a play in University] I saw the play's poster with my name on it, and said, "What the hell am I doing here? I'm losing time.""
People like and enjoy a superhero