John Louis Loffredo, known by the pen name Joshua Sinclair, is an American writer, actor, filmmaker and physician.
Early life John Louis Loffredo was born in New York City. He initially planned to be a missionary, and began writing screenplays at the age of 14.
Film career In the early 1970s, he moved to Rome, and made his film acting debut in Vittorio De Sica's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. He appeared in various films, notably several collaborations with Enzo G. Castellari and Roberto Rossellini. He was sometimes credited under the Italianized stage names Gianni Loffredo and Gianluigi Loffredo.
Later in the decade, he moved to Austria.
In 1978, he wrote and produced the film Just a Gigolo, starring David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich. He contributed to the screenplay for Enzo G. Castellari's Spaghetti Western Keoma (1976), Casanova & Co. (1977), and Judgment in Berlin (1988); and wrote The Golden Lady (1979).
In 1985, Sinclair published the historical novel Shaka Zulu, based on the life of the 19th-century Zulu King. The following year, the novel was adapted into a SABC miniseries of the same name in 1986. In 2001, he wrote and directed a sequel telefilm, Shaka Zulu: The Citadel.
In 2018, he wrote and directed the film A Rose in Winter, a biopic of Edith Stein (Saint Teresa of the Cross).
Medicine In the 1980s, Sinclair left acting to pursue a career in medicine. He graduated from the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University, as an M.D. with a specialization in tropical medicine. As a member of Médecins Sans Frontières, he worked at Grant Medical College in India (where he worked with Mother Teresa) and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1970 The Garden of the Finzi-Continis 1971 La lunga spiaggia fredda Thomas 1971 Lady Frankenstein John 1971 A Season in Hell Young Rimbaud 1972 The Assassination of Trotsky Sam 1972 Winged Devils 1973 I Kiss the Hand Stefano Ferrante Actor 1973 Non ho tempo 1975 Il messia Guardia Romana Uncredited 1976 The Big Racket Rudy 1976 Keoma Sam Shannon Actor, writer 1977 The Heroin Busters Gianni 1977 Hitch-Hike Oaks 1977 Casanova & Co. Writer 1978 The Inglorious Bastards The Sergeant 1978 Ring Don Farracone 1978 Just a Gigolo Writer, Co-Executive Producer 1979 The Golden Lady Writer 1980 The Last Shark Mayor William Wells Actor 1982 1990: The Bronx Warriors Ice Actor 1986 Shaka Zulu Television series, based on Sinclair's own novel, Writer 1987 Hangmen Phillipe Fosterlan 1988 Judgment in Berlin Alan Sherman Actor, writer, producer 2001 Shaka Zulu - Last Great Warrior Director 2007 Jump! Director 2018 A Rose in Winter Director, writer
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