A classic beauty with dark hair and olive skin, the late sultry Italian born Nicoletta Machiavelli made a name for herself in the popular spaghetti westerns of the sixties usually playing Native Americans or Mexicans. With her wind blown long mane of hair, dust on her clothes, and stunning vistas of Spain’s Almeria desert behind her, Nicoletta was visually perfect for the genre. She also spoke English fluently, which was a great asset since she was cast opposite many American actors. The Hills Run Red was her first, but the movie most remembered in the U.S. was Navajo Joe starring Burt Reynolds as the title character out for revenge with Nicoletta as a helpful Indian. It never received much of a release in America, but became infamous from all the bad-mouthing Reynolds has given it over the years. More spaghetti westerns followed including Hate Thy Neighbor; A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die; and Garter Colt. Nicoletta proved talented and versatile enough to work in other genres including very popular mid-sixties spy spoofs such as Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die and Matchless.
Read my interview with Nicoletta in my upcoming BearManor Media book Talking Sixties Drive-in Movies.