ichael Dante, 91, appeared in nearly 200 big- and smallscreen productions. Western film buffs would recall him best from such movies as (1959), with Randolph Scott; (1964) and (1965), both with Audie Murphy; and as the title Blackfoot chief in (1975). Born Ralph Vitti (Dante picked his professional name after signing with Warner Bros.) in Stamford, Conn., in 1931, he started acting in the fourth grade and majored in drama at the University of Miami. Before moving, out of Palm Springs, Calif. Dante has since turned to writing both nonfiction and fiction, including the autobiography (2013); (2021), co-authored by wife Mary Jane Dante; and such novels and novellas as the post–Civil War (2018), the Western sequel (2017) and the redemption tale (2022), all from BearManor Media. Dante [] recently took time to speak with t about his various careers.
