Maurizio Merli: Maurizio Merli. Actor: The Tough Ones. Though it can be said that he only gained fame as an actor because he bore such a heavy resemblance to Italian actor Franco Nero, Maurizio Merli was a very versatile and charismatic leading man in Italian cinema throughout the 1970's. His first appearance was in the Luchino Visconti film The Leopard (1963) as an uncredited extra. Throughout the 60's and early 70's, the...