Luciana Paoli  Rosario Borelli  Erna Scheurer  Renato Baldini  Rico Boido  Gabriella Giorgelli  Erno Crisa   Mary Arden  Giovanni De Benedettis  Dario Michaelis  Liliana Chiara  George Hilton


You can't become a Diabolikal Super-Kriminal without amassing an army of enemies! While Sadistik has faced off against other heinous criminals, killer Commies and other adversaries, his most consistent foe has been the police! And among the many Police Inspectors he has faced around the world, the most stalwart was Inspector Mercier, portrayed by actor Dario Michaelis. He first appeared in the original series in Killing/Satanik No. 8 (December 1966).


Posters and a DVD cover from some films featuring Dario Michaelis.

Michaelis was born in Argentina on March 29, 1927 and made his way to Italy where he made his first film appearance at age 22. By 1952 he was top-billed and was to  co-star in movies with such actors as Maria Montez, Erich von Stroheim, Charles Boyer, Curd Jürgens, Terence Hill, Ernest Borgnine, Guy Madison, Carroll Baker, Fred Ward, Joseph Cotten and directors such as Albert Band, Umberto Lenzi, Roberto Rosselini and Mario Bava.


Dario, in requisite trenchcoat in Mario Bava's I Vampiri along with the Italian and American release posters.

He may be most well-known to American audiences from his role in the 1956 I Vampiri (aka Devil's Commandment, Lust of the Vampire and The Vampires). The movie is notable because it was the first Italian horror film since they were banned in the silent era and directed without credit by cinematographer Mario Bava. Soon the genre and Bava would make their bloody mark on Italian cinema.


A variety of posters for the film known in the U.S. as The Day the Sky Exploded featuring Michaelis.

Like most actors in 1960s Italy, Dario performed in sword & sandal epics, 007 spy spoofs, spaghetti westerns, sci-fi and horror.


Spies, Spaghetti and Sand: More posters from the films of Dario Michaelis covering James Bond rips, westerns and sword and sandal epics with Rock Stevens (aka Peter Lupus).

By 1966, Dario had signed up to appearing as Inspector Mercier in the Italian Killing photo novels, keeping him busy and off the screen until 1969 when the series ended. He made his debut in Killing/Satanik No. 8 and chased the King of Crime for the rest of the series. An article about the history of the Super-Kriminal's various police adversaries appears in the upcoming Sadistik 3: Death Diamonds.

DARIO MICHAELIS FILMOGRAPHY

courtesy imdb.com
  1. Età di Cosimo de Medici, L' (1973) (TV) .... Carlo Marsuppini
    ... aka The Age of Cosimo de Medici (International: English title)
    ... aka The Age of the Medici (USA)
  2. Caso Mattei, Il (1972) .... Carabinieri official
    ... aka The Mattei Affair
  3. Strangolatore di Vienna, Lo (1971)
    ... aka Meat Is Meat
    ... aka The Mad Butcher
    ... aka The Mad Butcher of Vienna
    ... aka The Strangler of Vienna
    ... aka The Vienna Strangler
    ... aka Würger kommt auf leisen Socken, Der (West Germany)
  4. Così dolce... così perversa (1969) .... Police commissioner
    ... aka Si douces, si perverses (France)
    ... aka So Sweet... So Perverse
  5. Uomini dal passo pesante, Gli (1966) .... Bert Cordeen
    ... aka Showdown
    ... aka The Tramplers (USA)
  6. Gladiatore che sfidò l'impero, Il (1965)
    ... aka Challenge of the Gladiator (USA)
  7. Agente S 03: Operazione Atlantide (1965)
    ... aka Agente 003: Operación Atlántida (Spain)
    ... aka Operation Atlantis (USA)
  8. Agente 077 missione Bloody Mary (1965)
    ... aka Agent 077 - Mission Bloody Mary
    ... aka Agente 077
    ... aka Misión Bloody Mary
    ... aka Mission Bloody Mary
    ... aka Muerte espera en Atenas, La (Spain)
    ... aka Operación Loto Azul (Spain)
    ... aka Operation lotus bleu (France)
  9. Desafío en Río Bravo (1965)
    ... aka Duel à Rio Bravo (France)
    ... aka Duel at Rio Bravo
    ... aka Gunmen of Rio Grande (USA)
    ... aka Jennie Lee ha una nuova pistola (Italy)
    ... aka Sfida a Rio Bravo (Italy)
  10. Golia alla conquista di Bagdad (1964) .... Safawidi
    ... aka Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus (USA)
  11. Briganti italiani, I (1962) .... Teniente di Cavalleria
    ... aka Guérilleros, Les (France)
    ... aka Seduction of the South (UK)
    ... aka The Italian Brigands (USA: TV title)
  12. Strada dei giganti, La (1960) .... Caporale Gerard
    ... aka Road of the Giants (USA: dubbed version)
    ... aka Valley of the Doomed (USA: TV title)
  13. Padrone delle ferriere, Il (1959) .... Gaston de Bligny
    ... aka Felipe Derblay (Spain)
  14. Morte viene dallo spazio, La (1958) .... Peter Leduq
    ... aka Danger vient de l'espace, Le (France)
    ... aka Death Comes from Space (USA)
    ... aka Death from Outer Space
    ... aka The Day the Sky Exploded (USA)
  15. Ultima violenza, L' (1957) .... Andrea Morelli
  16. Londra chiama Polo Nord (1956) .... John
    ... aka London Calling North Pole (International: English title: literal title)
    ... aka The House of Intrigue (USA)
  17. Vampiri, I (1956) .... Pierre Lantin
    ... aka Evil's Commandment
    ... aka Lust of the Vampire (USA)
    ... aka The Devil's Commandment (USA)
    ... aka The Vampires
  18. Nana (1955) .... Fauchery
  19. Cinque dell'adamello, I (1954)
  20. Ritrovarsi all'alba (1954) .... André
  21. Alerte au sud (1953) .... Le balafré
    ... aka Alarm in Morocco (UK)
    ... aka Alert in the South (USA: literal English title)
    ... aka Allarme a sud (Italy)
  22. Carica eroica (1952) .... Captain Valli
    ... aka Heroic Charge (International: English title)
  23. Figli non si vendono, I (1952)
  24. Schatten über Neapel (1951)
  25. Amore e sangue (1951)
    ... aka City of Violence
    ... aka Napoli, tempi passati (Italy: subtitle)

  26. Come scopersi l'America (1949)