West Buchanan

West Buchanan

Born: October 16, 1934
Died: November 22, 1995
Born in October 1934, Buchanan made his first listed appearance late, at the age of 31 in the 1975 film C.I.A. Secret Story, directed by the arch provocateur Giuseppe Ferrara. Before this, however, he had already been active in Italian cinema for almost half a decade – much like many anonymous American adventurers – as a stuntman and extra, sometimes using the name Buck West. His part in C.I.A. Secret Story was largely insignificant, and although he played a named character in Edward Dmytryk’s big-budget spy film The Human Factor he was just one of a number of jobbing Americans buried deep in the credits (including a very young Danny Huston, who was only thirteen at the time). More fleeting appearances followed – in Pupi Avati’s Bordella, Dino Risi’s Telefoni bianchi – before he secured his first major role in Mino Guerrini’s comedy Vinella e Don Pezzotta, based on a successful radio play and starring Giorgio Bracardi. A religious parody, the third billed Buchanan played Padre Splendid, a modernizing priest sent to Italy from the States.

Next came his best known roles, internationally at least: three appearances in the series of cheapskate Star Wars rip offs directed by Alfonso Brescia. In War of the Planets he was again third billed, playing space captain John Richardson’s engineer and right hand man as he battles a giant, malevolent robot. It’s not a good film by any means, but with his stocky build and shocking blonde hair Buchanan made an impression. He was back for Battle of the Stars, although this time round only in a cameo role as a pilot and friend of space captain John Richardson, again battling a (different) giant, malevolent robot. Finally came another guest spot in War of the Robots, this time as an associate of space captain Antonio Sabato as he battles several malevolent if not particularly giant robots.

Around this time there were other films as well. He popped up in Lina Wertmuller’s A Night Full of Rain (78), Pier Carpi’s gothic horror film Ring of Darkness, in which he played the husband of the protagonist Anne Heywood, Nino Manfredi’s Nudo di donna and the Giorgio Bontempi’s ambitious espionage thriller Spy Connection (83), which was made for TV but also released on video in a shorter theatrical version.

In the early eighties he moved back to America, where he starred in David Hess’s slasher movie To All a Goodnight (80) and well down the credits in Walter Hill’s epic western The Long Riders. A handful of small roles followed in low budget films before he made his bow in Rex Pickett’s obscure 1988 production From Hollywood to Deadwood.

Buchanan died aged 61 in 1995.

Movies for West Buchanan...

Title: Bridesman
Released: August 14, 2021
Type: TV
In the hilarious first series produced by Grindr, Jimmy Fowlie stars as Terry, the man-of-honor intent on stealing away his best friend Judith’s husband-to-be before the couple can make their vows.
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Buy & Cell
Title: Buy & Cell
Character: Muncy
Released: January 27, 1989
Type: Movie
Herbie Altman is framed for Stock fraud by his boss when the SEC starts investigating his company. Sent to prison, he helps a fellow inmate successfully invest his money. Soon all the inmates want his help. To manage all the money, he forms CON INC. and runs it from the prison under the noses of the warden and the guards. But when the IRS and SEC begin to investigate this successful company, it looks like he may be in trouble again
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Portrait of a Nude Woman
Title: Portrait of a Nude Woman
Character: Conte Bardolin
Released: November 6, 1981
Type: Movie
Sandro is a Roman adrift in Venice during Carnival. As he enters midlife, he argues with his wife of sixteen years more often than they laugh or make love. She's had enough of his moods, so they separate so he can sort out his mind. His first night away, he sees a photograph of a nude; the image resembles his wife. He searches for the model, whose name is Riri. He finds her, and she looks exactly like his wife, except that Riri is a gaily attired prostitute and Laura is a self-contained antiquarian bookseller. Are they two women, are they one, and in the masquerade of Carnival, what is real?
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I'm Getting a Yacht
Title: I'm Getting a Yacht
Character: Solo navigator
Released: December 23, 1980
Type: Movie
A dentist buys a small yacht and takes his two children on a cruise of the Mediterranean. His ex-wife stows away to keep an eye on the children and the inevitable happens.
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The Long Riders
Title: The Long Riders
Character: McCorkindale
Released: May 16, 1980
Type: Movie
The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.
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To All a Goodnight
Title: To All a Goodnight
Character: Ralph
Released: January 30, 1980
Type: Movie
A group of teenagers at a party find themselves being stalked by a maniacal killer in a Santa Claus costume.
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Ring of Darkness
Title: Ring of Darkness
Character: Peter Rhodes
Released: October 29, 1979
Type: Movie
Once a Satanist who surrendered her soul and body to the devil himself, Carlotta Rhodes begins to regret her tryst with Lucifer when her teenage daughter, Daria, starts showing the evil influence of dear old Dad. Convinced that she can stop the devil's power on earth, Carlotta calls upon an exorcist for help.
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The War of the Robots
Title: The War of the Robots
Character: Herb Julian
Released: April 26, 1978
Type: Movie
An alien civilization, which facing eminent extinction, kidnaps two famous genetic scientists from Earth. A troop of soldiers is dispatched to combat the humanoid robots and rescue the victims.
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Battle of the Stars
Title: Battle of the Stars
Character: Captain Connolly
Released: February 17, 1978
Type: Movie
An alien vessel manages to break the earth defense systems. Captain Layton is sent to investigate and find the invaders. Together with friends from the planet Ganymed he discovers the enemies in a hidden underground city on earth.
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A Night Full of Rain
Title: A Night Full of Rain
Released: January 17, 1978
Type: Movie
Lizzy, a liberated American photographer, falls for narrow-minded journalist Paolo. Then finds she can't live with him or without him.
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War of the Planets
Title: War of the Planets
Character: Richard
Released: September 23, 1977
Type: Movie
A strange signal arrives on the Earth disturbing all communications, while an UFO appears above the Antarctic sea. Captain Alex Hamilton is sent with his spaceship and crew to the space outside the Solar System to find the origin of that signal. They reach an unknown planet where a giant robot enslaved a whole population of humanoids by taking their psychic energies.
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The Big Operator
Title: The Big Operator
Character: (as John West Buchanan)
Released: November 27, 1976
Type: Movie
The aging villain Émile Morland talks his old friend Aristide into helping him with to kidnap the son of a millionaire.
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The Career of a Chambermaid
Title: The Career of a Chambermaid
Released: February 6, 1976
Type: Movie
This slight skewering of the mindset of the Fascist era when Italy’s “White Telephone” films (conservative minded sophisticated comedy-dramas revolving around the bourgeoisie) were in vogue gives Agostina Belli her best role – an ambitious Venetian girl that goes from chambermaid to prostitute to singer to film-star to mistress of ‘Il Duce’! – for which she received a special David Di Donatello award, the Italian equivalent of the Oscar.
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Vinella e Don Pezzotta
Title: Vinella e Don Pezzotta
Character: Padre Splendid
Released: January 1, 1976
Type: Movie
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The Human Factor
Title: The Human Factor
Character: Aldo
Released: November 19, 1975
Type: Movie
After his family is brutally murdered for an unknown reason, a computer engineer sets out to find those responsible.