West Buchanan

Born in October 1934 Buchanan made his first listed appearance late at the age of 31 in the 1975 film CIA 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 CIA Secret Story was largely insignificant and although he played a named character in Edward Dmytryks bigbudget 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 Avatis Bordella Dino Risis Telefoni bianchi before he secured his first major role in Mino Guerrinis 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 Richardsons engineer and right hand man as he battles a giant malevolent robot Its 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 Wertmullers A Night Full of Rain 78 Pier Carpis gothic horror film Ring of Darkness in which he played the husband of the protagonist Anne Heywood Nino Manfredis Nudo di donna and the Giorgio Bontempis 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 Hesss slasher movie To All a Goodnight 80 and well down the credits in Walter Hills epic western The Long Riders A handful of small roles followed in low budget films before he made his bow in Rex Picketts obscure 1988 production From Hollywood to Deadwood Buchanan died aged 61 in 1995