Art Hansl's life was marked by a series of fortunate coincidences that led him to spend the next half century in the right place at the right time.
Born and educated at Taft School in Connecticut, he later attended Washington & Lee University in Virginia, laying the groundwork for a life of adventure and excitement.
Following his service in the Marine Corps, Hansl embarked on a two-week trip to Mexico, only to find himself staying for four years, enchanted by the country's beauty and charm. This idyllic period in his life was marked by a sense of paradise, as places like Acapulco were a true haven.
The 1960s found Hansl in Italy, where he became an actor in action pictures filmed on exotic locations across Europe, behind the Iron Curtain, and in North Africa. This was a period of great excitement, as he was immersed in the glamorous world of filmmaking, capturing the last vestiges of the Dolce Vita.
In 1969, Hansl returned to Mexico, where he continued to work in the film industry, appearing in another dozen productions, including co-productions with the United States and Mexican movies. While some of these films may have been forgettable, they were memorable for the talented cast and crew who worked on them, often filming on the brink of a natural or man-made disaster.
After his filmic career began to dwindle, Hansl transitioned to writing, publishing three suspense novels that drew heavily from his experiences in the film industry. This marked a new chapter in his life, one that was just as exciting and unpredictable as his previous adventures.
