Erno Crisa (born Ernesto Crisa in Tunisia) was a prolific actor despite his short life, dying at age 44 in 1968 of a cerebral hemorrhage. While appearing in films with many international stars he was also a regular cast member of the Sadistik photo novels.

    His first film was at age 20 in an unaccredited role in the French film Coup de tête, soon after France was liberated from the Nazis. He got his first credit as “Le vagabond” in the Fernandel movie Le Mystère Saint-Val and continued to make films in France until 1949 when he was third-billed (after Gina Lollobrigida and Raf Vallone) in the Italian release (Cuori senza frontiereThe White Line). The cast also included young Enzo Staiola who played the kid in Vittorio De Sica’s classic Bicycle Thief.

    Over the next few years he was featured in a variety of films, from historical dramas to musicals and war films with such actors as Marcello Mastroianni and Alberto Sordi until he finally had the lead role in Questi fantasmi (Those Phantoms) in 1954.

    That same year he co-starred with Silvana Mangano in L’Oro di Napoli (The Gold of Napoli) directed by the master De Sica, which also featured future Sadistik co-star Alberto Farnese.

In the center, Erno basks in the sun at the 1955 Venice Film Festival between the lobby card and a still from the Vittorio De Sica film starring Erno with Silvana Mangano and Sophia Loren.

    In 1955 he co-starred with Danielle Darrieux in the very first of a series of (then) scandalous movies about Lady Chatterley's Lover. In The Black Archer (L’Arciere nero, 1959), he co-starred in the historical drama with two other future Sadistik actors Luciana Paoli and Gérard Landry. Later that same year he starred in I Mafiosi with Franco Jamonte, another future regular in Sadistik .

Even before he was a regular in Sadistik, Erno was no stranger to photo novels. Between a poster and lobby card for his film The Daughter of Mata Hari, we see an Asian Criso in a photo novelized version of the film.

    1960 saw him co-starring in the classic film by René Clément, Plein soleil (Purple Noon), which was adapted from the novel by Alred Hitchcock collaborator Patricia Highsmith and was remade later under the book’s title The Talented Mr. Ripley with Matt Damon.

    The early 1960s saw Erno in many of the popular ‘sword & sandal’ epics shot in Italy, including many entries in the Maciste series. By the mid-60s, he started appearing in the Sadistik series as the local films began shifting into the spy and spaghetti western genres. Crisa was credited as Erno Grisa in an entry in the German Kommissar X series and as James Parker in the western Sugar Colt. His last film was in Angélique et le sultan with Michèle Mercier, released in 1968. There is no doubt that if not for his untimely death, Erno would have gone on to star in many international productions well known to us today!

Posters for two of Erno's historical films bookend photos from other films. The photo on the left is him decked out in Cleopatra's Daughter and the next from The Cossacks has him standing next to John Drew Barrymore, father of guess who. The poster on the right for 7 Against All has drawings swiped from Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic strip and the subtitle promises it is about the James Bond of Olden Times!

ERNO CRISA FILMOGRAPHY
courtesy imdb.com

Date of birth (location)

10 March 1924
Biserta, Tunisia

Date of death (details)

5 April 1968
Rome, Italy. (cerebral hemorrhage)

Sometimes Credited As:

Erno Grisa / James Parker

1. Angélique et le sultan (1968) .... Turkish Ambassador
   ... aka Angélique und der Sultan (West Germany)
   ... aka Angelica e il gran sultano (Italy)
   ... aka Angelique and the Sultan (USA)
2. Kommissar X - Drei gelbe Katzen (1966) (as Erno Grisa) .... Baker
   ... aka Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick (USA: video title)
   ... aka Operazione tre gatti gialli (Italy)
3. Sugar Colt (1966) (as James Parker)
4. Erik, il vichingo (1965) .... Eyolf
   ... aka Erik, el vikingo (Spain)
   ... aka Erik, the Viking
   ... aka Vengeance of the Vikings (UK)
5. Sette contro tutti (1965) .... Morakeb
   ... aka Seven Rebel Gladiators (USA)
6. "Cittadella, La" (1964) (mini) TV Series
7. Brenno il nemico di Roma (1963)
   ... aka Battle of the Spartans (UK)
   ... aka Battle of the Valiant
   ... aka Brennus, Enemy of Rome (USA)
8. Maciste, l'eroe più grande del mondo (1963) .... Morakeb
   ... aka Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (USA)
   ... aka Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero
9. Taras Bulba, il cosacco (1963)
   ... aka Plains of Battle (USA: TV title)
   ... aka The Tartars
10. Due leggi, Le (1962)
11. Giulio Cesare contro i pirati (1962) .... Sulla
    ... aka Caesar Against the Pirates (USA)
12. Lasciapassare per il morto (1962)
    ... aka Passport for a Corpse (USA)
13. Maciste contro lo sceicco (1962) .... The sheik
    ... aka Maciste Against the Sheik
    ... aka Samson Against the Sheik
14. Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (1962)
    ... aka Colossus of the Arena (USA)
15. Baccanti, Le (1961) .... Atteon
    ... aka Bacchantes, Les (France)
    ... aka Bondage Gladiator Sexy (USA)
    ... aka The Bacchantes (USA)
16. Cosacchi, I (1960) .... Casi
    ... aka Cosaques, Les (France)
    ... aka The Cossacks (USA)
17. Cartagine in fiamme (1960) .... Asdrubak
    ... aka Carthage en flammes (France)
    ... aka Carthage in Flames (USA)
18. Plein soleil (1960) .... Riccordi
    ... aka Purple Noon (UK) (USA)
    ... aka Blazing Sun (UK)
    ... aka Delitto in pieno sole (Italy)
    ... aka Full Sun (Australia: literal English title)
    ... aka Lust for Evil (USA: reissue title)
19. Sepolcro dei re, Il (1960) .... Kefren
    ... aka Cleopatra's Daughter (USA)
    ... aka Vallée des pharaons, La (France)
    
20. Mafiosi, I (1959)
21. Caterina Sforza, la leonessa di Romagna (1959)
22. Arciere nero, L' (1959)
    ... aka The Black Archer (USA)
23. Due selvaggi a corte (1959)
24. Fille de feu, La (1958) .... Larry Gordon
    ... aka Fire in the Flesh
25. Don Juan (1956/I) .... Don Juan Tenorio
    ... aka Amor de Don Juan, El (Spain: dubbed version)
    ... aka Grande seduttore, Il (Italy)
    ... aka Pantaloons
26. Amant de lady Chatterley, L' (1955) .... Oliver Mellors
    ... aka Lady Chatterley's Lover (USA)
27. Tierra del fuego se apaga, La (1955)
28. Figlia di Mata Hari, La (1955) .... Prince Anak
    ... aka Daughter of Mata Hari
    ... aka Fille de Mata Hari, La (France)
    ... aka Mata Hari's Daughter (USA)
29. Oro di Napoli, L' (1954) .... Don Nicola, The Husband (Teresa segment)
    ... aka Every Day's a Holiday
    ... aka The Gold of Naples (USA)
30. Cañas y barro (1954)
    ... aka Palude del peccato, La (Italy)
31. Amori di mezzo secolo (1954) (scenes deleted)
32. Questi fantasmi (1954)
    ... aka These Phantoms (International: English title)
33. Violenza sul lago (1954) .... Marco Ranieri
34. Canzoni, canzoni, canzoni (1953)
    ... aka Carnival of Song
    ... aka Cavalcade of Song (USA)
35. Di qua di là del piave (1953)
36. Eroi della domenica, Gli (1953)
    ... aka Sunday Heroes (International: English title)
37. Gelosia (1953)
    ... aka Jealousy (International: English title)
38. Canzoni di mezzo secolo (1952)
    ... aka Half a Century of Song (USA)
39. Colpa di una madre, La (1952)
40. Papà ti ricordo (1952)
41. Messalina (1951) .... Timo/Timus
    ... aka Mesalina (Spain)
    ... aka Messaline (France)
    ... aka The Affairs of Messalina (USA)
42. Ultima sentenza, L' (1951) .... Roberto
43. Falsari, I (1950) .... Pietro
    ... aka The Counterfeiters (USA)
    
44. Cuori senza frontiere (1949) .... Stefano
    ... aka The White Line (USA)
45. Scandale (1948)
46. Figure de proue, La (1948) .... Le Guen
47. Gueux au paradis, Les (1946)
    ... aka Hoboes in Paradise (USA)
48. Christine se marie (1946)
49. Jugement dernier, Le (1945)
    ... aka The Last Judgment (International: English title)
50. Mystère Saint-Val, Le (1945) .... Le vagabond
    ... aka St. Val's Mystery (International: English title)
51. Coup de tête (1944) (uncredited)
    

Himself - filmography

Black and white photos of Erno from his films and one of the westerns he appeared in as James Parker. Following is text from Killing/Satanik No. 11:

    Famous film and theatrical actor, famous classical dancer, Erno Crisa has a very pronounced artistic personality, exceptional physical gifts and the perfect body of the athlete. In Sadistik he interprets, with a lot of talent, the roles of the hard-boiled classic, big time gangster that does not forgive.

    Forceful willpower, discipline, absolute and serious self-denial in his work, deep artistic sensitiveness… these are the principal and excellent qualities of Erno Crisa. The films and the comedies that gave him success and notoriety in the entire world are numerous. Nevertheless we can not detail all his interpretations. We will quote you therefore the most important ones:  PURPLE NOON by René Clément, FACE OF ANGEL of Franch Karsen (Note: This film and actress not listed on imdb.com) and JULIUS CAESAR AGAINST THE PIRATES, LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER, and for Italian television THE FOURTH DAY OF SPRING. Thanks to his physical athleticism he also made many western and historic films. In Sadistik he is known for his excellent portrayals of the hard-boiled, terrible gangsters without scruples, quick to use a gun!