The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sergio Leone

The trio

• Clint Eastwood as 'Blondie' (the Man with No Name): The Good, a taciturn, confident bounty-hunter who to find buried gold teams up with Tuco and Angel Eyes temporarily. Blondie and Tuco have an ambivalent partnership. Tuco knows the name of the cemetery where the gold is hidden, but Blondie knows the name of the grave where it is buried, forcing them to work together to find the treasure. Despite this greedy quest, Blondie's pity for the dying soldiers in the chaotic carnage of the war is evident. "I've never seen so many men wasted so badly," he remarks. He also comforts a dying soldier by laying his coat over him and letting him smoke his cigar. Rawhide had ended its run as a series in 1966, and at that point, neither A Fistful of Dollars nor For a Few Dollars More had been released in the United States. When Leone offered Clint Eastwood a role in his next movie, it was the only big film offer he had, but Eastwood still needed to be convinced to do it. Leone and his wife travelled to California to persuade him. Two days later, he agreed to make the film upon being paid $250,000[13] and getting 10% of the profits from the North American markets—a deal with which Leone was not happy.[14] In the original Italian script for the film, he is named "Joe" (his nickname in A Fistful of Dollars), but is referred to as Blondie in the Italian and English dialogue.[10]

• Eli Wallach as Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez (known as "The Rat" according to Blondie): The Ugly, a fast-talking, comically oafish yet also cunning, cagey, resilient, and resourceful Mexican bandit who is wanted by the authorities for a long list of crimes. The director originally considered Gian Maria Volonté (who portrayed the villains in both the preceding films) for the role of Tuco, but felt that the role required someone with "natural comic talent". In the end, Leone chose Eli Wallach, based on his role in How the West Was Won (1962), in particular, his performance in "The Railroads" scene.[15] In Los Angeles, Leone met Wallach, who was skeptical about playing this type of character again, but after Leone screened the opening credit sequence from For a Few Dollars More, Wallach said: "When do you want me?"[16] The two men got along famously, sharing the same bizarre sense of humor. Leone allowed Wallach to make changes to his character in terms of his outfit and recurring gestures. Both Eastwood and Van Cleef realized that the character of Tuco was close to Leone's heart, and the director and Wallach became good friends. They communicated in French, which Wallach spoke badly and Leone spoke well. Van Cleef observed, "Tuco is the only one of the trio the audience gets to know all about. We meet his brother and find out where he came from and why he became a bandit. But Clint and Lee's characters remain mysteries."[17] In the theatrical trailer, Angel Eyes is referred to as The Ugly and Tuco, The Bad.[18] This is due to a translation error; the original Italian title translates to "The Good [one], the Ugly [one], the Bad [one]".

• Lee Van Cleef as 'Angel Eyes': The Bad, a ruthless, confident, borderline-sadistic mercenary who takes pleasure in killing and always finishes a job for which he is paid, usually tracking and assassination. Originally, Leone wanted Enrico Maria Salerno (who had dubbed Eastwood's voice for the Italian versions of the Dollars Trilogy films)[19] or Charles Bronson to play Angel Eyes, but the latter was already committed to playing in The Dirty Dozen (1967). Leone thought about working with Lee Van Cleef again: "I said to myself that Van Cleef had first played a romantic character in For a Few Dollars More. The idea of getting him to play a character who was the opposite of that began to appeal to me."[20] In the original working script, Angel Eyes was named "Banjo", but is referred to as "Sentenza" (meaning "Sentence" or "Judgement") in the Italian version. Eastwood came up with the name Angel Eyes on the set, for his gaunt appearance and expert marksmanship.[10]

Supporting cast

• Al Mulock as Elam, a one-armed bounty-hunter[21]
• Aldo Giuffrè as alcoholic Union Captain Clinton[22]
• Aldo Sambrell as a member of Angel Eyes' gang[23]
• Benito Stefanelli as a member of Angel Eyes' gang[23]
• Antonio Casale as Jackson / Bill Carson
• Livio Lorenzon as Baker
• Enzo Petito as The Gun Shop Owner
• John Bartha as Sheriff
• José Terrón as Thomas "Shorty" Larson
• Lorenzo Robledo as Clem
• Luigi Pistilli as Father Pablo Ramírez[23]
• Mario Brega as Corporal Wallace[23]
• Antonio Molino Rojo as Captain Harper
• Rada Rassimov as Maria
• Jesús Guzmán as Pardue the Hotel Owner
• Ricardo Palacios as Barista a Socorro
• Antonio Casas as Stevens
• Antoñito Ruiz as Stevens's youngest son
• Román Ariznavarreta as Bounty-Hunter
• Sergio Mendizábal as Blonde Bounty-Hunter[24]