John Kitzmiller (December 4, 1913 Battle Creek, Michigan, USA – February 23, 1965 Rome, Lazio, Italy) was an American actor who worked in his native land, as well as Italy and the United Kingdom. Kitzmiller achieved his greatest fame as a popular and versatile actor in Europe, making an estimated forty European films. He is known for his role in Dr. No.
Kitzmiller was discovered in 1946 by Luigi Zampa and Carlo Ponti while playing poker at an officers' club. This chance meeting led to his first acting role, in Zampa and Ponti's film To Live in Peace in 1947. Kitzmiller frequently worked in Italian neorealist films. He made Italy his permanent residence and ultimately starred in more than fifty European films, often portraying an angry black man fighting racism.
He played the leading role of "Jerry" in the film Senza pietà ("Without Pity"), from a screenplay by Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattuada and Tullio Pinelli. He received awards commemorating both his role as an actor and as a soldier. In 1957, he was the first black actor to win a best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in the Slovenian film Valley of Peace. Kitzmiller is most famous for his role as Quarrel in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No.
