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- Beatrice Grannò was born on 6 May 1993 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The White Lotus (2021), The Time of Indifference (2020) and Daniela Forever.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Joel Edward McHale was born in Rome, Italy, to a Canadian-born mother, Laurie (Jackson), and an American-born father, Jack McHale. His father, from Chicago, is of Irish descent, and his mother, from Vancouver, has Norwegian, Finnish, and English ancestry. Joel was raised in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Mercer Island High School. He was a history major at the University of Washington, where he was a member of the championship football team. In addition, Joel received his master's of fine arts from UW's Actor's Training Program.
Joel was a cast member on KING-TV's Almost Live! (1984). He moved to LA after graduating college and quickly landed parts in Will & Grace (1998) and Oliver Beene (2003). 2004 was a big year for Joel, as he booked roles in Spider-Man 2 (2004), The Onion Movie (2008), and Lords of Dogtown (2005). In addition, that year he began writing, producing and starring in The Soup (2004) on E! in which he counted down the most absurd, hysterical, wacky, and surreal moments in the world of reality TV and celebrities each week. Joel's quick wit and sharp comedic timing made "The Soup" a pop-culture phenomenon.
Joel starred on the hit comedy series Community (2009). He also appeared opposite Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's comedic thriller The Informant! (2009). He hosted the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards, and co-starred in Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011), opposite Jessica Alba, in which he played a spy-hunting reporter married to Alba's character, the stepmother of his children. In 2011, he also had a role in What's Your Number? (2011) with Anna Faris and The Big Year (2011) with Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson.
McHale appeared in Seth MacFarlane's Ted (2012), a live-action tale of a boy and his teddy bear. Co-starring with Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Seth MacFarlane, he played a charming but sleazy boss of Mila Kunis' character.
In 2016, Joel was cast as the main character on the sitcom The Great Indoors (2016). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons. He performs stand-up comedy around the country to sold-out audiences.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ornella Muti was born on 9 March 1955 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for Flash Gordon (1980), Oscar (1991) and The Most Beautiful Wife (1970). She was previously married to Federico Fachinetti and Alessio Orano.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Born in Rome (Italy) on March 29 1968, Sabrina Impacciatore is an Italian cinema, TV and theater actress. She went to drama school at the Actors Studio in New York and in Rome. At the age of 25 she was discovered by Gianni Boncompagni who, overwhelmed by her volcanic personality, entrusted her with a part in the iconic TV program "Non è la Rai". Chosen for her versatility and performance skills, she was the first woman to take the stage as single presenter of the yearly First May Concert. She has worked with prominent directors, switching between comedic and dramatic roles. Since 2000, she has divided her time between the small and the big screen with unforgettable performances such as "L'ultimo bacio" by Gabriele Muccino, "Concorrenza Sleale" and "Gente di Roma" by Ettore Scola, "The Passion" by Mel Gibson and many more. She also played several challenging and complex roles such as in "Venus in Fur" directed by Valter Malosti.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Isabella Rossellini, the Italian actress and model who has made her home in America since 1979 and holds dual Italian and American citizenship, was born cinema royalty when she made her debut on June 18, 1952 in Rome. She is the daughter of two legends, three-time Oscar-winning Swedish-born actress Ingrid Bergman and neo-realist master Italian director Roberto Rossellini. She was also the third wife of Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese from 1979 to 1982 and the partner of legendary director David Lynch.
She made her movie debut in Vincente Minnelli's A Matter of Time (1976), which starred her mother. She then made a couple of Italian pictures and worked as an American correspondent for Italian television network RAI before appearing in Taylor Hackford's Cold War drama White Nights (1985) in 1985. She followed that up with her most memorable role, as the abused chanteuse in Lynch's masterpiece Blue Velvet (1986), she earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She then went on to win a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Lisle, the mysterious socialite, forever in her youth in Death Becomes Her (1992). In 1997, she was nominated for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for a guest appearance on Chicago Hope (1994).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sophia Loren was born as Sofia Scicolone at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome on September 20, 1934. Her father Riccardo was married to another woman and refused to marry her mother Romilda Villani, despite the fact that she was the mother of his two children (Sophia and her younger sister Maria Scicolone). Growing up in the slums of Pozzuoli during the second World War without any support from her father, she experienced great sadness in her childhood. Her life took an unexpected turn for the best when, at age 14, she entered into a beauty contest and placed as one of the finalists. It was here that Sophia caught the attention of film producer Carlo Ponti, some 22 years her senior, whom she later married. Perhaps he was the father figure she never experienced as a child. Under his guidance, Sophia was put under contract and appeared as an extra in ten films beginning with Le sei mogli di Barbablù (1950), before working her way up to supporting roles. In these early films, she was credited as "Sofia Lazzaro" because people joked her beauty could raise Lazzarus from the dead.
By her late teens, Sophia was playing lead roles in many Italian features such as La favorita (1952) and Aida (1953). In 1957, she embarked on a successful acting career in the United States, starring in Boy on a Dolphin (1957), Legend of the Lost (1957), and The Pride and the Passion (1957) that year. She had a short-lived but much-publicized fling with co-star Cary Grant, who was nearly 31 years her senior. She was only 22 while he was 53, and she rejected a marriage proposal from him. They were paired together a second time in the family-friendly romantic comedy Houseboat (1958). While under contract to Paramount, Sophia starred in Desire Under the Elms (1958), The Key (1958), The Black Orchid (1958), It Started in Naples (1960), Heller in Pink Tights (1960), A Breath of Scandal (1960), and The Millionairess (1960) before returning to Italy to star in Two Women (1960). The film was a period piece about a woman living in war-torn Italy who is raped while trying to protect her young daughter. Originally cast as the more glamorous child, Sophia fought against type and was re-cast as the mother, displaying a lack of vanity and proving herself as a genuine actress. This performance received international acclaim and was honored with an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Sophia remained a bona fide international movie star throughout the sixties and seventies, making films on both sides of the Atlantic, and starring opposite such leading men as Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, and Charlton Heston. Her English-language films included El Cid (1961), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Arabesque (1966), Man of La Mancha (1972), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). She gained wider respect with her Italian films, especially Marriage Italian Style (1964) and A Special Day (1977), both of which co-starred Marcello Mastroianni. During these years she received a second Oscar nomination and won five Golden Globe Awards.
From the eighties onward, Sophia's appearances on the big screen came few and far between. She preferred to spend the majority of her time raising sons Carlo Ponti Jr. (b. 1968) and Edoardo Ponti (b. 1973). Her only acting credits during the decade were five television films, beginning with Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980), a biopic in which she portrayed herself and her mother. She ventured into other areas of business and became the first actress to launch her own fragrance and design of eyewear. In 1982 she voluntarily spent nineteen days in jail for tax evasion.
In 1991 Sophia received an Honorary Academy Award for her body of work, and was declared "one of world cinema's greatest treasures." That same year, she experienced a terrible loss when her mother died of cancer. Her return to mainstream films in Ready to Wear (1994) was well-received, although the film as a whole was not. She followed this up with her biggest U.S. hit in years, the comedy Grumpier Old Men (1995), in which she played a sexy divorcée who seduces Walter Matthau. Over the next decade Sophia had plum roles in a few independent films like Soleil (1997), Between Strangers (2002) (directed by Edoardo), and Lives of the Saints (2004). Still beautiful at 72, she posed scantily-clad for the 2007 Pirelli Calendar. Sadly, that same year she mourned the death of her 94-year-old spouse, Carlo Ponti. In 2009, after far too much time away from film, she appeared in the musical Nine (2009) opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. These days Sophia is based in Switzerland but frequently travels to the states to spend time with her sons and their families (Eduardo is married to actress Sasha Alexander). Sophia Loren remains one of the most beloved and recognizable figures in the international film world.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Asia Argento was born in Rome, Italy, into a family of actors and filmmakers, both occupations which she has herself pursued. She made her debut when she was only nine years old in Sergio Citti's Sogni e bisogni (1985). In 1988 she had the leading role in Cristina Comencini's first film, Zoo (1988), and was part of the cast of The Church (1989), directed by Michele Soavi. The following year she played Nanni Moretti's daughter in Red Wood Pigeon (1989) (also directed by Moretti).
It was with Close Friends (1992), written and directed by Michele Placido, that Asia's career really took off and she was able to move on from playing very young girls to more mature, complex roles. The movie was well-received at the Cannes International Film Festival. In Trauma (1993), she worked for the first time with her father, famed Italian horror director Dario Argento (her mother is one of Argento's favorite actresses, Daria Nicolodi, playing an anorexic girl in search of her parents' killer. The Phantom of the Opera (1998) is the third film she has made with her father, the others being Trauma (1993) (filmed in the US) and The Stendhal Syndrome (1996).
Asia's absorbed, intense style of acting was well-used in Giuseppe Piccioni's Condannato a nozze (1993). In 1993 she co-starred in Carlo Verdone's Perdiamoci di vista (1994) in which she played Arianna, a physically disabled girl--an intricate, difficult role that won her the David di Donatello for best actress (1993-1994). She also had a featured role in the international cast of Queen Margot (1994), directed by Patrice Chéreau. In 1995 she worked with Michel Piccoli in Peter Del Monte's Traveling Companion (1996), which again won her a David di Donatello and a Grolla d'oro.
In 1994 Asia turned her hand to directing and turned out two short films: "Prospettive" (an episode of the film DeGeneration (1994)) and "A ritroso". In 1996 she directed a documentary on her father and, in 1998, one on cult director Abel Ferrara, Abel/Asia (1998), which won an award at the Rome Film Festival. In 1999 Asia made her feature-directing debut with Scarlet Diva (2000), in which she was the leading actress and author of the screenplay. The film was released in May 2000 in Italy and the rest of the world. It won an award at the Williamsburg Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York. In 2001, after directing a number of music videos, she gave birth to her first daughter, Anna Lou. In 2002 she starred in The Red Siren (2002) by Olivier Megaton with Jean-Marc Barr and the action thriller xXx (2002), directed by Rob Cohen, with Vin Diesel.
Asia is also the author of a number of short stories published in many prestigious magazines such as "Dynamo," "L'Espresso," "Sette," and "Village," Her first novel, "I Love You, Kirk," was published in Italy by Frassinelli Editrice in October 1999 and in France by Florent Massot in 2001.- Actor
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Award-winning actor, writer and director, Danny Huston is known for his versatility and dramatic screen presence. Most recognized for his roles in films like Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men and Alejandro Inarritu's 21 Grams, Huston has worked with some of the finest film directors of his generation.
Huston got his start directing Mr. North with Robert Mitchum, Anthony Edwards and his sister Anjelica Huston. He went on to give his breakthrough acting performance in the independent film Ivansxtc for which he was nominated for Best Male Performance at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards. Since then his film acting work has included: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins, Wrath of the Titans with Liam Neeson, The Constant Gardener with Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, John Sayles Silver City, The Libertador with Edgar Ramirez, The Congress with Harvey Keitel, John Hillcoat's The Proposition with Guy Pearce, Birth opposite Nicole Kidman, 30 Days of Night with Josh Hartnett, Peter Berg's The Kingdom, and many more.
In 2013, his critically acclaimed role of Ben the butcher in Magic City (STARZ), earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. His other television acting work includes the hit television series Masters Of Sex (Showtime), a recurring role in the hugely popular American Horror Story (FX), and performances in You Don't Know Jack (HBO)with Al Pacino and John Adams (HBO/Playtone).
Additional credits include, Paranoid for Netflix and ITV Studios, Marc Forster's All I See Is You, Frankenstein directed by Bernard Rose, Pressure, directed by Ron Scalpello; and Tim Burton's Big Eyes. Huston also directed himself in The Last Photograph which screened at The Edinburgh Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival.
In 2017, Huston portrayed Robert Evans in the stage adaptation of The Kid Stays in the Picture directed by Simon McBurney, for The Royal Court Theatre in London. Huston also recently appeared in the global box office hit Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins.
He could recently be seen in the Netflix feature IO opposite Anthony Mackie, as well as the feature Stan and Ollie, which was directed by Jon Baird for BBC films.
Huston will next be seen in Angel Has Fallen alongside Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler, which will be released in theaters on August 23rd, 2019, as well as the IM Global feature Richard Says Goodbye with Johnny Depp for writer/director Wayne Roberts. Huston continues to star as "Dan Jenkins" on the Taylor Sheridan and Paramount TV series Yellowstone, which is now airing its second season. It is the number one Summer series of 2019. Huston can be see in a season long-arc on the critically acclaimed series Succession for HBO.
In addition, Huston starred in and directed the feature The Last Photograph (2017), which was on September 6, 2019.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Giacomo Gianniotti was born in Rome, Italy. He immigrated with his family at a young age and grew up in Toronto Canada. Giacomo splits his time in the year between Toronto, Rome, and LA, working in stage, film, and television. He is a bilingual actor working both in English and Italian. He graduated from Humber College's Theatre Program and has also completed an actor's residency at Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre, in Toronto. He is an actor, producer and director, looking for noteworthy stories about the curiosities of our existence.
His first experience in film was a small role in a Giulio Base's feature film featuring Shelley Winters and Vittorio Gassman, shot in "Cinecitta" in Rome.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Margherita Buy was born on 15 January 1962 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and writer, known for Mia madre (2015), The Ignorant Fairies (2001) and Days and Clouds (2007). She was previously married to Sergio Rubini.- Simone Baldasseroni aka Biondo is an Italian actor and singer born in Rome on 19/12/1998. is known to the public for the movie "Fabbricante Di Lacrime" ( The Tearsmith), the certified gold album 'Dejavu' and the participation in various films such as "E' per Il Tuo Bene" , "Crazy for Football" , "Siamo Solo Piatti Spaiati". Simone Baldasseroni has collaborated with various luxury brands such as Fendi, Cartier, Dior, Prada, Bulgari, Paco Rabanne and others
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
- Director
Sergio Leone was virtually born into the cinema - he was the son of Roberto Roberti (A.K.A. Vincenzo Leone), one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and actress Bice Valerian. Leone entered films in his late teens, working as an assistant director to both Italian directors and U.S. directors working in Italy (usually making Biblical and Roman epics, much in vogue at the time). Towards the end of the 1950s he started writing screenplays, and began directing after taking over The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) in mid-shoot after its original director fell ill. His first solo feature, The Colossus of Rhodes (1961), was a routine Roman epic, but his second feature, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a shameless remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961), caused a revolution. It was the first Spaghetti Western, and shot T.V. cowboy Clint Eastwood to stardom (Leone wanted Henry Fonda or Charles Bronson but couldn't afford them). The two sequels, For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), were shot on much higher budgets and were even more successful, though his masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), in which Leone finally worked with Fonda and Bronson, was mutilated by Paramount Pictures and flopped at the U.S. box office. He directed Duck, You Sucker! (1971) reluctantly (as producer he hired Peter Bogdanovich to direct but he left before shooting began), and turned down offers to direct The Godfather (1972) in favor of his dream project, which became Once Upon a Time in America (1984). He died in 1989 after preparing an even more expensive Soviet co-production on the World War II siege of Leningrad.- Simonetta Stefanelli was born on 30 November 1954 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Godfather (1972), Young Lucrezia (1974) and The Godfather Saga (1977). She was previously married to Michele Placido.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Jason Connery has appeared in over 30 films, television movies and series, combined, since his breakthrough role as "Robin Hood" in the UK television series Robin Hood (1984) in 1985.
The son of Sean Connery and Diane Cilento, Connery grew up in London and Scotland. He attended boarding school at Somerset, where he received a half-scholarship for swimming and held the under-16 freestyle record for the south of England. Connery's interest in acting developed while studying at the Gordonstoun School for Boys in the north of Scotland. He started the Inter-House Players Group - wherein two houses combine to put on one play each term. Connery also took on directing duties and directed fellow classmate Prince Edward (aka Prince Edward) in "Hotel Paradiso". Connery was accepted to The Bristol Old Vic Drama School and, one year later, to Perth Repertory Company in Scotland. For six months, he did weekly repertory work, acted, and worked as the assistant stage manager in an effort to earn his Equity card. He worked hard, rehearsing one play by day and performing another by night, learning as much as he could along the way.
His big break came in 1985 when he took over the role of "Robin Hood" in the popular UK television series "Robin of Sherwood" (1984). The role launched him to stardom in England and he remains a cult favorite with the show's passionate fans. He has since had starring roles in feature films including Return of the Thief of Baghdad (1999), Private Moments (2005), Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001), Requiem (2001), Shanghai Noon (2000), Bullet to Beijing (1995), Urban Ghost Story (1998) and Macbeth (1997). He has also starred in television movies (Merlin (1998) and Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990)) and series (Smallville (2001), Liberty's Kids (2002) and Shoebox Zoo (2004)).
In 1996, he married actress Mia Sara and they have one son, Dashiell Connery. The couple divorced in 2002. He is most proud of his role as father to Dashiell Quinn Connery, whom he refers to as "the most wonderful person I know". Connery now resides in Los Angeles and spends every bit of free time with his son. Connery feels that, as an actor, he continues to grow because every job is a new and exciting challenge. He credits his mother and father, who inspire him in many ways, for his drive and his ability to survive and persevere in an unpredictable business. He is also inspired by live theatre - an inspirational journey unique to performance, in one moment, with one audience - that will never be duplicated. Most importantly, it is his son who inspires him to be a loving, nurturing human being and to hold close what is dear in life. Through affiliations with Coventry University's new filmmaking facility and the "Independent Filmmakers Group", he is working to educate and support the next generation of filmmakers. He recently wrapped Shoebox Zoo (2004) in the UK after two seasons and has completed three films in America - Hoboken Hollow (2006), The Far Side of Jericho (2006) and Night Skies (2007). After achieving success as an actor for two decades, Connery is working behind the cameras with his recently formed production company, "Unconditional Entertainment". The company, headed by Connery and Ricki Maslar, currently has several projects in development for film and television. "Unconditional" has announced Connery's directorial debut with the film Pandemic (2009).- Actress
- Producer
Luciana Paluzzi's an Italian actress, best known for playing SPECTRE assassin ,Fiona Volpe, in the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball.
In the film, Thunderball she had auditioned for the part of the lead Bond girl, Dominetta "Domino" Petacchi, but producers cast Claudine Auger, changing the Domino character from an Italian to a Frenchwoman and renaming her Dominique Derval.
Paluzzi's first film was an uncredited walk-on part in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Allison Miller was born in Rome, Italy, to American parents, Margo and John Winn Miller. She grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, where her father worked as a journalist.
The family eventually settled in Tallahassee, Florida, where she studied dance, piano, acting and singing while still at high school before briefly attending the University of Florida at Gainesville. She dropped out and moved to Los Angeles to start a career in acting.
She appeared in one episode of General Hospital (1963) in 2006 and followed that with several more TV and movie appearances before landing a role in the critically acclaimed Kings (2009).- Actress
- Composer
Italian actress/singer/songwriter Violante Placido was born in Rome. She made her on-screen debut in Quattro bravi ragazzi (1993) alongside her father Michele Placido. In 1996 she starred in Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band (1996) which became quite successful in Italy. Her first major role was in Sergio Rubini's L'anima gemella (2002) (Soul Mate). In 2006 she released her debut album Don't Be Shy... under the pseudonym Viola. In 2009 she appeared in the Hindi movie Barah Aana (2009). In 2010 she made her Hollywood debut starring alongside George Clooney in Anton Corbijn's thriller The American (2010).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940, in Rome, Italy, the first-born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento and Brazilian fashion model Elda Luxardo. Argento recalls getting his ideas for filmmaking from his close-knit family from Italian folk tales told by his parents and other family members, including an aunt who told him frighting bedtime stories. Argento based most of his thriller movies on childhood trauma, yet his own--according to him--was a normal one. Along with tales spun by his aunt, Argento was impressed by stories from The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Edgar Allan Poe. Argento started his career writing for various film journal magazines while still in his teens attending a Catholic high school. After graduation, instead of going to college, Argento took a job as a columnist for the Rome daily newspaper "Paese Sera". Inspired by the movies, he later found work as a screenwriter and wrote several screenplays for a number of films, but the most important were his western collaborations, which included Cemetery Without Crosses (1969) and the Sergio Leone masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). After its release Argento wrote and directed his first movie, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), which starred Tony Musante and and British actress Suzy Kendall. It's a loose adoption on Fredric Brown's novel "The Screaming Mimi", which was made for his father's film company. Argento wanted to direct the movie himself because he did not want any other director messing up the production and his screenplay.
After "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" became an international hit, Argento followed up with two more thrillers, The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), starring 'Karl Madlen' (qv" and 'James Fransiscus', and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) ("Four Flies On Black Velvet"), both backed by his father Salvatore. Argento then directed the TV drama Testimone oculare (1973) and the historical TV drama The Five Days (1973). He then went back to directing so-called "giallo" thrillers, starting with Deep Red (1975), a violent mystery-thriller starring David Hemmings that inspired a number of international directors in the thriller-horror genre. His next work was Suspiria (1977), a surreal horror film about a witch's coven that was inspired by the Gothic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson, which he also wrote in collaboration with his girlfriend, screenwriter/actress Daria Nicolodi, who acted in "Profondo Rosso" ("Deep Red") and most of Argento's films from then to the late 1980s. Argento advanced the unfinished trilogy with Inferno (1980), before returning to the "giallo" genre with the gory Tenebrae (1982), and then with the haunting Phenomena (1985).
The lukewarm reviews for his films, however, caused Argento to slip away from directing to producing and co-writing two Lamberto Bava horror flicks, Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986). Argento returned to directing with the "giallo" thriller Opera (1987), which according to him was "a very unpleasant experience", and no wonder: a rash of technical problems delayed production, the lead actress Vanessa Redgrave dropped out before filming was to begin, Argento's father Salvatore died during filming and his long-term girlfriend Daria broke off their relationship. After the commercial box-office failure of "Opera", Argento temporarily settled in the US, where he collaborated with director George A. Romero on the two-part horror-thriller Two Evil Eyes (1990) (he had previously collaborated with Romero on the horror action thriller Dawn of the Dead (1978)). While still living in America, Argento appeared in small roles in several films and directed another violent mystery thriller, Trauma (1993), which starred his youngest daughter Asia Argento from his long-term relationship with Nicolodi.
Argento returned to Italy in 1995, where he made a comeback in the horror genre with The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) and then with another version of "The Phantom of the Opera", The Phantom of the Opera (1998), both of which starred Asia. Most recently, Argento directed a number of "giallo" mystery thrillers such as Sleepless (2001), The Card Player (2003) and Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005), as well as two gory, supernatural-themed episodes of the USA TV cable anthology series Masters of Horror (2005).
Having always wanted to make a third chapter to his "Three Mothers" horror films, Argento finally completed the trilogy in 2007 with the release of Mother of Tears (2007), which starred Asia Argento as a young woman trying to identify and stop the last surviving evil witch from taking over the world. In addition to his Gothic and violent style of storytelling, "La terza madre" has many references to two of his previous films, "Suspiria" (1997) and "Inferno" (1980), which is a must for fans of the trilogy.
His movies may be regarded by some critics and opponents as cheap and overly violent, but second or third viewings show him to be a talented writer/director with a penchant for original ideas and creative directing.- Daniela Bianchi is an Italian actress, best known for her role of Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love (1963). She Finished 1st Runner Up in Miss Universe 1960 Competition, enough to get the attentions of Bond movie producers who chose her over 200 female prospects for the role of Tatiana Romanova.
Bianchi made a number of French and Italian movies after From Russia with Love (1963), the last being The Last Chance (1968). One of her later films was Operation Kid Brother (1967), which was a James Bond spoof filmed in English (though Bianchi was again dubbed) and starring Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery.
In 2012, Bianchi appeared in a small role in the documentary film We're Nothing Like James Bond. - Actor
- Stunts
Alessandro Borghi was born on 19 September 1986 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for Suburra (2015), The Eight Mountains (2022) and The First King (2019).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Jasmine Trinca was born on 24 April 1981 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and director, known for The Gunman (2015), The Son's Room (2001) and Fortunata (2017).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Claudia Gerini was born in Rome, where she did classical studies and dance training. Her acting career began when an advertising agency cast her in several commercials.
Claudia Gerini has had a long movie career in Italy and abroad, working with actors and directors like Sergio Castellito, Giuseppe Tornatore, Mel Gibson, acting both in comedic and dramatic roles. Her first star-making role was in "Viaggi di nozze" with comedian Carlo Verdone, with whom she will still works from time to time.
In theater, Claudia Gerini appeared in the show "Angelo e Beatrice" by Francesco Apolloni. She recently returned to the stage with the one-woman show "Storie di Claudia," written and directed by Giampiero Solari, a musical which highlights all her skills: dance, singing and acting.
She has acted in some of the most interesting projects of contemporary Italian cinema, such as "La Sconosciuta" by Giuseppe Tornatore, "Non ti muovere" by Sergio Castellitto, "Una famiglia perfetta" by Paolo Genovese, "Diverso da chi" by Umberto Carteni and many others.
Claudia Gerini has two daughters (Rosa and Linda ) and never stops studying and training. In addition to Italian, she fluently speaks English, French and Spanish.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Cortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for "Cacao meravigliao", the jingle of the popular RAI TV show "Indietro tutta!" by Renzo Arbore. At 19 she began studying as an actress at the Teatro Blu in Rome (the same theatre school that Kim Rossi Stuart, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Claudia Gerini, Stefania Rocca, and Claudio Santamaria, among others, have attended). She began her career in television with the show "Macao", presented by Alba Parietti, but eventually reached nationwide popularity as a comic actress in the TV show "Mai dire Gol" by the Gialappa's Band (2000), which, in particular, showcased her skills at parodying famous people, a genre where she collected some of her most appreciated performances (the latest one being her parody of Milan's mayor Letizia Moratti in the 2010-2011 edition of the popular TV show "Zelig"). After "Mai dire Gol", Cortellesi has collaborated in several other TV Show of the "Mai dire..." franchise by Gialappa's Band. Other major performances of Cortellesi on television include the 2004 edition of the San Remo Music Festival and the leading role in the TV movie "Maria Montessori: Una vita per i bambini", a biography of Maria Montessori, for which Cortellesi received the "Maximo Award" at the Roma Fiction Fest. Her career in cinema includes several appreciates performances in comedies and comic movies, including a leading role in "Tu la conosci Claudia?", a very popular production starring the comic trio Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo. In 2008, she was nominated for the David di Donatello award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie "Piano, solo" by Riccardo Milani. In 2011 she won the David di Donatello for Best Actress for her leading role in "Escort in Love". One of her most appreciated theatrical performances was "Gli ultimi saranno gli ultimi" ("Last will be last") by Massimiliano Bruno, which has been staged 189 times from 2005 to 2007 in over 50 theatres, and for which Cortellesi has collected a number of awards. As a singer, Cortellesi has been described by Mina as "one of the best Italian voices" and has cooperated with several notable Italian musicians, including Elio e le Storie Tese, Renato Zero, Claudio Baglioni, Frankie hi-nrg mc, and Neri per Caso. Cortellesi married director Riccardo Milani on October 1, 2011. The couple have a daughter, Laura, born January 24, 2013.- Hugh was born in Rome, Italy, and adopted by actor Carroll O'Connor and his wife, Nancy. At the age of 16, Hugh was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, but conquered it with the help of chemotherapy. It was around this time that Hugh started taking drugs. He worked as a courier on the set of his father's show, Archie Bunker's Place (1979) during its last season. In 1988, he appeared in another show starring his father, In the Heat of the Night (1988). His character, "Lonnie Jamison", started as a background character, but Hugh soon became one of the show's stars, continuing to work on the show until its 1995 cancellation. (Jamison started out as a patrolman but, by the end of the series, had reached the rank of lieutenant and acting-chief of detectives). On 28 March 1992, Hugh married Angela O'Connor, a wardrobe assistant on "Heat", and the following year, she gave birth to their son, Sean Carroll O'Connor. Throughout his life, the drug problems had continued and increased. On 28 March 1995, exactly three years after his marriage to Angela, Hugh died by suicide in the home they shared.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Stefano Sollima was born on 4 May 1966 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is a director and writer, known for Without Remorse (2021), ZeroZeroZero (2019) and Gomorrah (2014).- Romana Maggiora Vergano was born in Rome on November 27, 1997. She is the daughter of two physicians and she approached acting at the age of eight. As soon as she turned 18, she joined the drama school Scuola d'Arte Cinematografica Gian Maria Volonté. During her last year at high school she obtained her first part in the TV series "Immaturi" , which had Paolo Genovese in the role of artistic supervisor. While splitting her time between acting classes and night shift baby-sitting, she has played various roles for film and TV, including the young budding revolutionary Elena in "Gli Anni Belli", Michela, a tormented barista from the outskirts of Rome in the supernatural Sky Original series "Christian" and Ludovica, the sister of the main character from Amazon's first Italian Amazon Original movie "Anni da Cane". She spent the summer of 2021 between New York and Buffalo, playing a leading role in the feature film "Cabrini" (working title), where she plays a young Italian prostitute immigrated into the United States in 1890.
- Michela De Rossi was born on 25 January 1993 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Boys Cry (2018) and While the Men Are Away (2023).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón was born on 5 November 1968 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Machinist (2004), A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and Parallel Mothers (2021). She has been married to Papin Luccadane since September 2002. They have two children.- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Soundtrack
Silvana Mangano was born on April 21, 1930 in Rome, Italy and was raised in poverty during World War II. She trained as a dancer for seven years and supported herself as a model. In 1946, at age 16, she won the Miss Rome beauty pageant and through this, she obtained role in a Maria Della Costa film. One year later, she was one of the girls in the Miss Italia contest. Lucia Bose became "The Queen", and nearby, on the stage of Stresa, were some other future stars of Italian cinema: Gina Lollobrigida, Eleonora Rossi Drago and Gianna Maria Canale.
Mangano's earlier connection with filmmaking occurred with her romantic relationship with actor Marcello Mastroianni. This led her to a film contract, though this would take some time for Mangano to ascend to international stardom with her role in Bitter Rice (1949). Thereatfer, she signed a contract with Lux Film, and later married Dino De Laurentiis, who was on the verge of becoming a known producer. Though she never scaled the heights of her contemporaries Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, Mangano remained a favorite star of the 1950s and 1970s, appearing in Anna (1951), The Gold of Naples (1954), Mambo (1954), Teorema (1968), Death in Venice (1971) and The Scopone Game (1972).
Married to film producer Dino De Laurentiis from 1949, the couple had four children: Veronica, Raffaella, Francesca and Federico. Veronica's daughter Giada is the host of "Everyday Italian" and "Giada at Home" on the Food Network. Raffaella co-produced with her father on Mangano's penultimate film, the science fiction epic Dune (1984). In 1983, she separated from De Laurentiis and abandoned her career to live in Paris and Madrid, where she made tapestries. Following surgery on December 4, 1989 that left her in a coma, Silvana Mangano died at age 59 of lung cancer in Madrid, Spain during the early morning hours of December 16, 1989.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Pierfrancesco Favino was born on 24 August 1969 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor and producer, known for World War Z (2013), Rush (2013) and Angels & Demons (2009).- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Joel Marsh Garland was born on 6 April 1975 in Rome, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) and The Bounty Hunter (2010).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Antonio Sabato Jr. was born on 29 February 1972 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor and producer, known for The Big Hit (1998), The Three Stooges (2012) and Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas (2009). He was previously married to Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes and Tully Jensen.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Monica Vitti was born on 3 November 1931 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress and writer, known for L'Avventura (1960), Red Desert (1964) and L'Eclisse (1962). She was married to Roberto Russo. She died on 2 February 2022 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Eugenio Mastrandrea was born on 9 December 1993 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for The Equalizer 3 (2023), A.C.A.B. - All Cops Are Bastards (2012) and Cercando Itaca.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
A classmate of director Sergio Leone with whom he would form one of the great director/composer partnerships (right up there with Eisenstein & Prokofiev, Hitchcock & Herrmann, Fellini & Rota), Ennio Morricone studied at Rome's Santa Cecilia Conservatory, where he specialized in trumpet. His first film scores were relatively undistinguished, but he was hired by Leone for A Fistful of Dollars (1964) on the strength of some of his song arrangements. His score for that film, with its sparse arrangements, unorthodox instrumentation (bells, electric guitars, harmonicas, the distinctive twang of the jew's harp) and memorable tunes, revolutionized the way music would be used in Westerns, and it is hard to think of a post-Morricone Western score that doesn't in some way reflect his influence. Although his name will always be synonymous with the spaghetti Western, Morricone has also contributed to a huge range of other film genres: comedies, dramas, thrillers, horror films, romances, art movies, exploitation movies - making him one of the film world's most versatile artists. He has written nearly 400 film scores, so a brief summary is impossible, but his most memorable work includes the Leone films, Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers (1966) , Roland Joffé's The Mission (1986), Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) and Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso (1988), plus a rare example of sung opening credits for Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966).- Actor
- Producer
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Engaged on the big and small screen, he has always dedicated his energies to social commitment. The role played in Capitano Ultimo is the one he is most attached to. He supported Sergio De Caprio in the creation of a non-profit foundation and the Casa Famiglia Capitano Ultimo, in the Parco della Mistica, on the south-eastern outskirts of Rome, with the aim of defeating the culture of ethnic, religious, social or physical diversity by welcoming underprivileged minors who are given education and training that allows them to undertake honest work. He works alongside the Io Ci Sono association for the reconstruction of multifunctional centers in the areas of central Italy hit by the earthquake in 2016. In 2010, during the World Food Day ceremony, he was appointed FAO Good Will Ambassador. In 2005 he decided to research and produce stories in which he could express himself freely on an acting, creative and productive level, creating his own Film Production Company. The intent is to give space to projects with social value, which can, through cinema and television, spread messages that lead to reflection. He produces Sbirri, a docu-film on the world of police and drugs, which has enjoyed considerable success with audiences and critics both at the cinema and on TV. He presents the short film 15 Seconds in Brussels, against the death penalty, sponsored by the European Parliament, the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education. He co-produces Io, l'altro which talks about racism and preconceptions and how the way of seeing others has changed after September 11th. With MediaFriends he produced two social shorts: Graffiti and Amore nero, the latter shot as a manifesto against violence against women, starring Michelle Hunziker and the directorial debut of Raoul himself. The short receives an official commendation from the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. He works with some of the most influential names in the national and international film industry. In collaboration with Mediaset he produces successful television series such as Fuoco Amico Task Force 45, Come un Delfino with the music of Ennio Morricone and Come un Delfino-La serie. His debut as an actor took place in Una storia italiana directed by Stefano Reali, since then he has acted alongside Anthony Quinn, Sophia Loren, Giancarlo Giannini, Michele Placido, F. Murray Abraham, Sylvester Stallone, Carole Bouquet, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie and many others. Protagonist of some of the most successful television series, such as the most recent Buongiorno mamma and Don Matteo (he recently finished filming its second season), and the recently aired I Fantastici 5, where the theme of youth disability is addressed, while we will soon see him on the big screen in the film Greta e le favole vere.- Rini Bell was born on 21 March 1981 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for Bring It On (2000), Ghost World (2001) and Road Trip (2000).
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The master filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, as one of the creators of neo-realism, is one of the most influential directors of all time. His neo-realist films influenced France's nouvelle vague movement in the 1950s and '60s that changed the face of international cinema. He also influenced American directors, including Martin Scorsese.
He was born into the world of film, making his debut in Rome on May 8, 1906, the son of Elettra (Bellan), a housewife, and Angiolo Giuseppe "Beppino" Rossellini, the man who opened Italy's first cinema. He was immersed in cinema from the beginning, growing up watching movies in his father's movie-house from the time that film was first quickening as an art form. Italy was one of the places were movie-making matured, and Italian film had a huge influence on D.W. Griffith and other international directors. Between the two world wars, Hollywood would soon dictate what constituted a "well-made" film, but Rossellini would be one of the Italian directors who once again put Italy at the forefront of international cinema after the Second World War.
His training in cinema was thorough and extensive and he became expert in many facets of film-making. (His brother Renzo Rossellini, also was involved in the industry, scoring films.) He did his apprenticeship as an assistant to Italian filmmakers, then got the chance to make his first film, a documentary, "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune", in 1937. Due to his close ties to Benito Mussolini's second son, the critic and film producer Vittorio Mussolini, he flourished in fascist Italy's cinema. Once Il Duce was deposed, Rossellini produced his first classic film, the anti-fascist Rome, Open City (1945) ("Rome, Open City") in 1945, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes. Two other neo-realist classics soon followed, Paisan (1946) ("Paisan") and Germany Year Zero (1948) ("Germany in the Year Zero"). "Rome, Open City" screenwriters Sergio Amidei and Federico Fellini were nominated for a Best Writing, Screenplay Oscar in 1947, while Rossellini himself, along with Amidei, Fellini and two others were nominated for a screen-writing Oscar in 1950 for "Paisan".
"I do not want to make beautiful films, I want to make useful films," he said. Rossellini claimed, "I try to capture reality, nothing else." This led him to often cast non-professional actors, then tailor his scripts to their idiosyncrasies and life-stories to heighten the sense of realism.
With other practitioners of neo-realism, Vittorio De Sica and Luchino Visconti, film was changed forever. American director Elia Kazan credits neo-realism with his own evolution as a filmmaker, away from Hollywood's idea of the well-made film to the gritty realism of On the Waterfront (1954).
Rossellini had a celebrated, adulterous affair with Ingrid Bergman that was an international scandal. They became lovers on the set of Stromboli (1950) while both were married to other people and Bergman became pregnant. After they shed their spouses and married, producing three children, history repeated itself when Rossellini cheated on her with the Indian screenwriter Sonali Senroy DasGupta while he was in India at the request of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to help revitalize that country's film industry. It touched off another international scandal, and Nehru ousted him from the country. Rossellini later divorced Bergman to marry Das Gupta, legitimizing their child that had been born out-of-wedlock.
Rossellini continued to make films until nearly his death. His last film The Messiah (1975) ("The Messiah"), a story of The Passion of Christ, was released in 1975.
Roberto Rossellini died of a heart attack in Rome on June 3, 1977. He was 71 years old.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Giulio Berruti was born on 27 September 1984 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor and producer, known for Walking on Sunshine (2014), Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021) and Monte Carlo (2011).- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Lucio Fulci, born in Rome in 1927, remains as controversial in death as he was in life. A gifted craftsman with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of dark humor, Fulci achieved some measure of notoriety for his gore epics of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but respect was long in coming.
Abandoning his early career as a med student, Fulci entered the film industry as a screenwriter and assistant director, working alongside such directors as Steno and Riccardo Freda. Granted his debut feature in 1959, with a seldom seen comedy called I ladri (1959) (The Thieves), Fulci quickly established himself as a prolific craftsman adept at musicals, comedies and westerns.
In 1968, Fulci made his first mystery thriller, One on Top of the Other (1969), and its success was sufficient to garner the backing for his pet project The Conspiracy of Torture (1969). Based on a true story, the film details the trial of a young woman accused of murdering her sexually abusive father amid fear and superstition in 16th Century Italy. A scathing commentary on church and state, the film was the first to give voice to its director's passionate hatred of the Catholic Church. Predictably, the film was misunderstood, and Fulci's career was thrown into jeopardy. Deciding it would be best to leave his political feelings on the back burner, Fulci pressed on with a series of slickly commercial ventures.
In 1971 and 1972, Fulci re-established himself in the thriller arena, directing two excellent giallos: the haunting A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) and the disturbing Don't Torture a Duckling (1972). The former, with its vivid hallucinations involving murderous hippies and vivisected canines, and the latter, with its psychotic religious zealots and brutal child killings, were -- to say the least -- controversial. In particular, Don't Torture a Duckling (1972), despite a huge box-office success, painted too graphic a portrait of perverted Catholicism, and Fulci's career was derailed... some would say, permanently. Blacklisted (albeit briefly) and despised in his homeland, Fulci at least found work in television and with the adventure genre with two financially successful Jack London 'White Fang' adventure movies in 1973 and 1974 which were Zanna Bianca, and Il ritorno di Zanna Bianca. Also during the mid and late 1970s, Fulci also directed two 'Spaghetti Westerns'; The Four of the Apocalypse... (1975) and Silver Saddle (1978), (Silver Saddle) and another 'giallo'; The Psychic (1977), as well as a few sex-comedies which include the political spoof The Eroticist (1972) (aka: The Eroticist), and the vampire spoof Dracula in the Provinces (1975) (aka: Young Dracula), and the violent Mafia crime-drama Contraband (1980).
In 1979, Fulci's film making career hit another high point with him breaking into the international market with Zombie (1979), an in-name-only sequel to George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978), which had been released in Italy as 'Zombi'. With its flamboyant imagery, graphic gore and moody atmospherics, the film established Fulci as a gore director par excellence. It was a role he accepted, but with some reservations.
Over the next three years, Fulci plied his trade with finesse and flair, rivaling even the popularity of his "opponent" Dario Argento, with such sanguine classics as City of the Living Dead (1980) and The Beyond (1981). Frequently derided as sheer sensationalism, these films, as well as the reviled The New York Ripper (1982) are actually intelligently crafted, with sound commentaries on everything from American life to religion. High on vivid imagery and pure cinematic style, Fulci's films from this period of the early 1980s represent some of his most popular work in America and abroad, even if they do pale in comparison to his 1972 masterpiece and personal favorite Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) (an impossible act to follow, as it happens).
In the mid-1980s, at the peak of his most prolific period, Fulci became beset with personal problems and worsening health. Much of his work from the mid-1980s onward is disappointing, to say the least, but flashes of his brilliance can be seen in works like Murder-Rock: Dancing Death (1984) and The Devil's Honey (1986). A Cat in the Brain (1990), one of Fulci's last works, remains one of his most original. Though strapped by budgetary restraints and marred by mediocre photography, the film is wickedly subversive and comical. With Fulci playing the lead role (as more or less himself, no less -- a harried horror director who fears that his obsession with sex and violence is a sign of mental disease), Fulci also proves to be an endearing and competent actor (he also has cameos in many of his films, frequently as a detective or doctor figure).
By the 1990s, Fulci went on a hiatus with film making for further health and personal reasons as the Italian cinema market went into a further decline. While in pre-production for the Dario Argento-produced The Wax Mask (1997), Lucio Fulci passed away at his home on March 13, 1996 at the age of 68. A serious diabetic most of his adult life, he inexplicably forgot to take his insulin before retiring to bed; some consider his death a suicide, others consider it an accident, but his many fans all consider it to be a tragedy. Whether one considers him to be a hack or a genius, there's no denying that he was unique.- Due to his strong passion for acting, he attends an acting course at OMNES ARTES school, under the artistic guidance of Guido Governale and Veruska Rossi, and he enters the theatrical company "Piccoli per Caso". With this company he begins his career at 14 years old with the production of "Pinocchio" at the Ghione's theatre in Rome, in which Lorenzo plays the main role of Pinocchio, starring with Pino Ammendola and Giorgio Albertazzi. While he's still very young, he gets casted as a main role in the movie "Una famiglia perfetta" (2012) directed by Paolo Genovese, "Outing - fidanzati per sbaglio" (2013), and "Compromessi Sposi" (2019) directed by Francesco Micchichè. Among the many productions he worked in, he played a main role in "Una pallottola sul cuore 3" directed by Luca Manfredi and in "Questo è il mio paese" directed by Michele Soavi, broadcasted on Rai1. He also starred as a main character in the well-known Netflix series "BABY" (2018) directed by Andrea De Sica, "Sotto il sole di Riccione" (2020) directed by Yonuts and "Sotto il sole d'Amalfi". More recently he is known for his role in "Weekend" (2020) and "Morriso"n (2020) directed by Federico Zampaglione, for which he won the Nastro D'argento award. In 2021 he enters the main cast of the series PRISMA, directed by Ludovico Bessegato, produced by Amzon Studios and Cross Productions.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
A native of Rome,Victor Alfieri was raised an only child by his mother grandparents and aunt spending summers working in his grandfather's restaurant. Using his natural gift for writing, the self-described 'class clown' created his own sketch comedy act to entertain his classmates.
At the age of 15, Alfieri lost his grandfather, his uncle _"Jerry Ross (VI)"_ became Alfieri's father figure introducing him to the world of boxing and entertainment. Alfieri followed his uncle's footsteps and soon graced the covers of several Italian magazines, known as fotoromanzi.
In 1991 a tragic mishap cut his career short, when during a brutal encounter with three muggers his face was scarred by more than 56 stitches. During the same year, Alfieri joined the Italian Police Force until 1994 when he quit and determined to start a career in Hollywood, Alfieri packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles to the disbelief of his relatives back in Italy.
With striking good looks, a versatile gift for comedy and drama, and a sexy accent, Italian born Victor Alfieri quickly landed work as an actor, with various television spots and two contracts roles on daytime t.v.Days of Our Lives (1965)and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987).
Since leaving daytime, Victor has been making a name for himself both here in the States and abroad. Victor drew international attention for playing the handsome sensitive gigolo in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003) opposite Helen Mirren and Anne Bancroft.
Internationally, Victor completed two very high profile European productions back-to-back Victor played the lead role of Darius, the gladiator, in Pompei, ieri, oggi, domani (2007) an epic love story produced by DeAngelis Productions. Prior to that, he starred in the very popular mini-series entitled Elisa di Rivombrosa (2003), a classic period piece based on the literary masterpiece 'Pamela' written by Samuel Richardson. Alfieri plays a sword wielding assassin named Zanni La Morte.
Victor will next be seen in a supporting role in THINKFilms, My Sexiest Year (2007), a coming-of-age dramedy set in the 70s starring Frankie Muniz and Harvey Keitel. The film is set for a release in 2008. Victor portrays "Fabrizio Contini", a playboy who competes with Muniz for the affections of Amber Valletta.
I-See-You.com (2006) will also see Alfieri starring opposite Rosanna Arquette and Beau Bridges.
In 2007 Alfieri opened his own production company, producing and directing his first short film "J.E.S." a horror/suspense/mystery that was shot in an ancient village outside Rome.
In 2008 Victor will also be seen in his first lead in an American production My Father's will" (2009), a love story shot in New York City. The film also stars Ione Skye, Ron silver and Talia Shire and later on, he co-starred in Angels & Demons".- Director
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- Producer
Matteo Garrone was born in Rome in 1968. He is the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone, and a photographer. In 1996 he won the Sacher d'Oro, an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short film Silhouette (1996), that became one of the three episodes of his first feature film Land in Between (1996). He won Best Director at the European Film Awards and at the David di Donatello Awards for Gomorrah (2008). His film Reality (2012) competed in competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix. His latest film Tale of Tales (2015) was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Luca Marinelli was born on 22 October 1984 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for The Old Guard (2020), They Call Me Jeeg Robot (2015) and Martin Eden (2019). He is married to Alissa Jung.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Yvonne Sciò was born on 25 July 1969 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and director, known for The Pink Panther (2006), Redline (1997) and Rose Red (2002). She has been married to Stefano Dammicco since 12 November 2005. They have one child.- Producer
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- Writer
Livia Giuggioli met her husband, Colin Firth, in Colombia where they were both working on the mini-series "Nostromo".
Along with her brother Nicola Giuggioli and Ivo Coulson, the Firths founded Eco-Age, a shop and consultancy in Chiswick that promotes ecologically-friendly products. She also writes an online "green fashion" column for Vogue magazine and promotes many causes on her Twitter account, along with posting photos that sometimes include her husband.
Her other brother, Alessandro Giuggioli, is an actor and appeared with her husband in "Summer in Genoa".- Rosalinda Celentano was born on 15 July 1968 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Passion of the Christ (2004), Paz! (2002) and Probably Love (2001).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Perhaps best known for his portrayal of underground drug king Rhah in Oliver Stone's Academy Award-winning Platoon (1986), Francesco Quinn is one of the film industry's most versatile young actors. Intent on following in the footsteps of his father, Oscar winner Anthony Quinn, who had appeared in more than 200 pictures, Francesco has already racked up some impressive film credits, setting him well on his way. He was the lead guest star in an episode of JAG (1995) which won the show a 29 share (the highest rating in its history) and had a lead role in TNT's Rough Riders (1997).- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Micaela Ramazzotti was born on 17 January 1979 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and director, known for Like Crazy (2016), The First Beautiful Thing (2010) and Felicità (2023). She has been married to Paolo Virzì since 17 January 2009. They have two children.- Actress
- Writer
Born in Rome, Italy. After completing her undergraduate studies in 1965, she moved to United States. Became a member of the Actor's Studio in 1969. Began her movie career and worked with Al Pacino and Arthur Penn. In 1985 she founded the "Duse Studio" with Giuseppe Perruccio. Currently works on movies, writing and directing. Still teaches at the "Duse Studio".