[1] He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's A Pistol for Ringo (1965), Captain Montgomery Brown/'Ringo' in Tessari's The Return of Ringo (1965), the title character in Michele Lupo's Arizona Colt (1966), Scott Mary in Tonino Valerii's Day of Anger (1967) and Michael "California" Random in Lupo's California (1977).

Born in Rome, Gemma first worked as a stuntman, then was offered real acting parts by director Duccio Tessari, starting with the film Arrivano i titani (1962).

[1] Giuliano Gemma's career survived the demise of the genre, and he remained active on Italian television.

Gemma played in a variety of movies, including art-house offerings such as Valerio Zurlini's The Desert of the Tartars[1] (Il deserto dei tartari) in 1976.

The same year, Gemma won a David di Donatello, the Italian equivalent of the Oscar, for his portrayal of Major Matiss in The Desert of Tartars.