- Born
- Died
- Menacing-looking Kiwi character actor John Karlsen had a prolific career in Italian films, where he spent much of his professional life. He arrived in Italy in the late 1950s, making his film debut with an uncredited role in the Rome-shot Mamie Van Doren vehicle Le bellissime gambe di Sabrina (1958). A member of Federico Fellini's regular company, he appeared in four of the director's projects between 1963 and 1973. He's best known to American audiences for his role as an evil 14th-century duke in L'Excellente Aventure de Bill & Ted (1989), which was partially shot in Italy. He also appeared in several other international productions shot in Italy. At some point he returned to his native New Zealand, where he passed away in 2017.- IMDb mini biography by: Troy Schulz
- Often played villainous or authoritarian characters.
- Appeared in four of Federico Fellini's films: 8½ (1963), Amarcord (1973), Histoires extraordinaires (1968), and Le Casanova de Fellini (1976).
- Ran a theatre company that operated near St. Paul's Within the Walls church in Rome.
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