Franco Merli

Acting

Biography

Franco Merli was an Italian actor born in Rome, Italy, on the 31st of October, 1956. Much of his earlier life is unknown, but whilst working as a petrol station attendant at 16, he was discovered by the Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. He was cast in Pasolini's Arabian Nights as Nur Ed Din. Later, Merli would go on to play one of the male victims in Pasolini's last film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. He became the face of the film, his image being one of the most famous images from Salò. After Pasolini's death, Merli struggled to find further work in the industry as his usual roles were unconventional, and thanks to him being the "image" of the controversial Salò, so he stopped acting. He died on the 17th of May in 2025 after a long period of illness.