Carlo Simi
Carlo Simi (7 November 1924 – 26 November 2000) was an Italian architect, production designer and costume designer, who worked frequently with Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, giving their Spaghetti Westerns a unique look. Most famous for his costume and set designs for Once Upon a Time in the West Simi also built the town of 'El Paso' in the Almería desert for Leone's second Western, For a Few Dollars More. Built around a massive bank, with vistas of the Tabernas Desert visible between buildings, the set still exists, as a tourist attraction called "Mini Hollywood".
Carlo Simi

Public domain
- Name
- Carlo Simi
- Born
- 7 November 1924
- Birthplace
- Viareggio, Tuscany
- Died
- 26 November 2000
- Place of death
- Roma, Italy
- Occupation
- Architect, production designer and costume designer
- Awards
- * Nastro d'argento alla migliore scenografia (1985)
- Nationality
- Italy · Kingdom of Italy
- Languages
- Italian
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Documentary summary
Carlo Simi (7 November 1924 – 26 November 2000) was an Italian architect, production designer and costume designer, who worked frequently with Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, giving their Spaghetti Westerns a unique look. Most famous for his costume and set designs for Once Upon a Time in the West Simi also built the town of 'El Paso' in the Almería desert for Leone's second Western, For a Few Dollars More. Built around a massive bank, with vistas of the Tabernas Desert visible between buildings, the set still exists, as a tourist attraction called "Mini Hollywood".
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wikidata · Q438256 · wikipedia · Carlo Simi
In this article
Biography
Biography
Simi played the bank manager in that film: it was his only acting role. He also designed the Sad Hill Cemetery for the last scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Simi died in Rome on 26 November 2000 at the age of 76. Some of his costumes and set designs were exhibited at the Autry National Center's Museum of the American West in Los Angeles in 2005. In 2018 he posthumously received the 'Leone in Memoriam' award by the Almería Western Film Festival for the 50 anniversary of Once Upon a Time in the West. A museum in Covarrubias, Burgos will be named after him.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Carlo Simi • Born — 7 November 1924 • Birthplace — Viareggio, Tuscany • Died — 26 November 2000 • Place of death — Roma, Italy • Occupation — Architect, production designer and costume designer • Awards — * Nastro d'argento alla migliore scenografia (1985) • David di Donatello for Best Production Design (1992)
As actor
As actor
• For a Few Dollars More (1965) - El Paso Bank Manager (uncredited)
As costume designer
As costume designer
• Two Gangsters in the Wild West (1964) • Bullets Don't Argue (1964) • Minnesota Clay (1964) • One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Lassiter (1966) • Django (1966) • Ringo and His Golden Pistol (1966) • Texas, Adios (1966) • The Big Gundown (1966) • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) • Face to Face (1967) • Day of Anger (1967) • Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) • Sabata (1969) • Revolver (1973) • Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket (1975) • Keoma (1976) • California (1977 film) (1977) • Silver Saddle (1978) • Fun is Beautiful (1980)
As production designer
As production designer
• The Shortest Day (1963) • Per il gusto di uccidere (1966) • A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975) • Bianco, rosso e Verdone (1981) • Once Upon a Time in America (1984) • They Call Me Renegade (1987) • Where the Night Begins (1991)
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Viareggio.
Birth place
Rome.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Carlo Simi”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q438256: Carlo Simi
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Frayling, Christopher. Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone. I.B. Tauris. ix. 2006. 1-84511-207-5.
- 2.Neibaur, James L. The Clint Eastwood Westerns. Rowman & Littlefield. 19. 12 March 2015. 9781442245044.
- 3.El cementerio de Sad Hill. El Diario. 19 December 2018.
- 4.CINEMA: E' MORTO CARLO SIMI, SCENOGRAFO DI LEONE. Adnkronos. 27 November 2000.
- 5.26 novembre 2000. Addio a Carlo Simi, lo scenografo di Sergio Leone. TG Funerale 24. 26 November 2019.
- 6.D. M. El Premio 'Leone in Memoriam' lo recibe la familia de Carlo Simi. Diario de Almería. Joly Digital. 13 October 2018.
- 7.J. A. G. Covarrubias albergará el museo de Sad Hill con material de rodaje de 'El bueno, el feo y el malo'. El Correo. 28 January 2024.
- 8.El mítico actor italiano que respalda la creación de un museo de cine en un pequeño pueblo de Burgos. El Correo de Burgos. 25 May 2026.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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