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- 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).
- 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).- 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
- 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).- 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.- 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
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).- 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
- 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
De Generazione (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.- 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.- 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
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Adriano Giannini is the son of actor Giancarlo Giannini and of director Livia Giampalmo. From 1989 and 1998 he worked as a camera assistant in some of the most well known Italian and American productions.
Adriano made his cinema debut in 2000 as lead actor in "Alla rivoluzione sulla due cavalli," directed by Maurizio Sciarra (Pardo d'Oro in Locarno Festival 2001). Adriano received the "Biraghi" award for best actor, and the 'revelation of the year' award at Taormina Film Festival, 2002. That same yeaar, Adriano also starred with Giovanna Mezzogiorno in the movie "State zitti per favore" by Livia Giampalmo. In 2001, Adriano worked with Madonna in the English film "Swept Away " by Guy Ritchie. From then on his career has alternated between film and television projects in Italy and abroad.
Adriano is also known for being a talented dubbing artist, havign dubbed the voices of actors such as Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix, Jude Law, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Matthew Mc Conaughey. So far, this has won him two Nastri d'Argento awards. His directing debut came with the short film "Il Gioco", which he also produced and adapted, based on the short story by Andrea Camilleri. Adriano was in competition at the Venice Film Festival with Silvio Soldini's films "Il colore nascosto delle cose", "Lacci" by Daniele Lucchetti, and "Vivere" by Francesca Archibugi. In 2021, Adriano was among the protagonists of "Tre Piani," which screened at the Cannes film festival and was directed by Nanni Moretti, and the Amazon TV series "Bang Bang Baby," directed by Michele Alhaique.- 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.- 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.- 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.
- 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).- 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
Ti piace 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.- 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).- 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. - 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.- 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).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón was born on 5 November 1968 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Machinist (2004), Parallel Mothers (2021) and A Walk in the Clouds (1995). She has been married to Papin Luccadane since September 2002. They have two children.- 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.- 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.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Raoul Bova was born in a Roman white collar family, his father was an
employee and his mother a housewife. He has two sisters who he is close
to. His passion in his youth was swimming and he became a champion at
16. He performed his military duty in the "Bersaglieri" and he studied
at the ISEF but didn't finish in order to begin an acting career. His
first role was in "Una storia italiana", a TV movie, and his debut in
cinema was in "Piccolo grande amore" by Carlo Vanzina. He quickly
became a star in Italy. But tired of being always considered a sex
symbol unable to play deep roles, he started shooting movies a little
more complex like "Rewind" where he plays a terrorist, "I cavalieri che
fecero l'impresa" where he plays the role of a medieval man whose soul
is possessed by the devil, or "La frontiera" where he plays an Austrian
officer, or Saint Frances in "Francesco". And finally a great
Italian-Turkish director, Ferzan Özpetek, gave him the role of Lorenzo
in "Facing Windows", his most complicated and introverted character
that he portrayed with application and passion, becoming a respected
young actor rather than a sex symbol. In private life Bova is a happy
husband and father, very close to his wife and their children
Alessandro Leon and Francesco.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
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), Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas (2009) and The Three Stooges (2012). He was previously married to Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes and Tully Jensen.- 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. - 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
- 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).- Director
- Writer
- 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.- 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.- 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.- 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
- 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).- 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).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Marco Giallini was born on 4 April 1963 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for Perfect Strangers (2016), Rocco Schiavone (2016) and A.C.A.B. - All Cops Are Bastards (2012). He was previously married to Loredana Giallini .- 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 Tutta la vita davanti (2008). She has been married to Paolo Virzì since 17 January 2009. They have two children.- 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).- 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).
- 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".- Writer
- Director
- Producer
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.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- 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".- 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.- 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 The Eight Mountains (2022). He is married to Alissa Jung.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jeffery Self was born on 19 February 1987 in Rome, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Search Party (2016), The Horror of Dolores Roach (2023) and Spoiler Alert (2022). He has been married to Augustus Prew since 14 January 2018.- Chiara Mastalli was born on 2 August 1984 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for Rome (2005), Il maresciallo Rocca (1996) and Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002).
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Anna Magnani was born in Rome, Italy (not in Egypt, as some biographies claim), on March 7, 1908. She was the child of Marina Magnani and an unknown father often said to be from Alexandria, Egypt, but whom Anna herself claimed was from the Calabria region of Italy although she never knew his name. Raised in poverty by her maternal grandmother in Rome after her mother left her, Anna worked her way through Rome's Academy of Dramatic Art by singing in cabarets and night-clubs, then began touring the countryside with small repertory companies.
Although she had a small role in a silent film in the late 1920s, she was not known as a film actress until Doctor, Beware (1941), directed by Vittorio De Sica. Her break-through film was Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945) (A.K.A. Open City), generally regarded as the first commercially successful Italian neorealist film of the postwar years and the one that won her an international reputation. From then on, she didn't stop working in films and television, winning an Academy Award for her performance in the screen version of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo (1955), a part that was written for her by her close friend Williams. She worked with all of Italy's leading directors of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
She was renowned for her earthy, passionate, woman-of-the-soil roles. She and Rossellini were lovers for some years after Open City, until he began his infamous affair with Ingrid Bergman. She had one child, Luca, with Italian actor Massimo Serato. The boy was later stricken with polio and Magnani dedicated her life to caring for him. Her only marriage, to Italian director Goffredo Alessandrini in the mid-1930s, lasted only a short while and ended in an annulment. Her last film was Federico Fellini's Roma (1972). She died in her native Rome from pancreatic cancer the following year at age sixty-five.- 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).
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Vittorio Storaro, the award-winning cinematographer who won Oscars for
"Apocalypse Now (1979)",
"Reds (1981)" and
"The Last Emperor (1987)". He
was born on June 24, 1940 in Rome, where his father was a projectionist
at the Lux Film Studio. At the age of 11, he began studying photography
at a technical school. He enrolled at C.I.A.C (Italian Cinemagraphic
Training Centre) and subsequently continued his education at the state
cinematography school Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. When he
enrolled at the school at the age of 18, he was one of its youngest
students ever.
At the age of 20, he was employed as an assistant cameraman and was
promoted to camera operator within a year. Storaro spent several years
visiting galleries and studying the works of great painters, writers,
musicians and other artists. In 1966, he went back to work as an
assistant cameraman on
Before the Revolution (1964),
one of the first films directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci. Storaro earned
his first credit as a cinematographer in 1968 for "Giovinezza,
giovinezza". His third film was
"The Spider's Stratagem (1970)"
which began his long collaboration with Bertolucci. He also shot
"The Conformist (1970)",
"Last Tango in Paris (1972)",
"Luna (1979)", "The Sheltering Sky
(1990)_", "Little Buddha (1993),"
for Bertolucci.
He won his first Oscar for the cinematography of
"Apocalypse Now (1979)", for which
director Francis Ford Coppola gave
him free rein to design the visual look of the picture. Storaro
originally had been reluctant to take the assignment as he considered
Gordon Willis to be Coppola's
cinematographer, but Coppola wanted him, possibly because of his having
shot
"Last Tango in Paris (1972),
which had starred Marlon Brando. Brando's
performance in the film had been semi-improvised, and Coppola has
planned on a similar tack for his scenes in the jungle with Brando's
character Colonel Kurtz.
The results of their collaboration were masterful, and he later shot
the 3-D short "Captain EO (1986)", the
feature films
"One from the Heart (1981)"
and
"Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988),"
and the "Life without Zoe" segment of
"New York Stories (1989)" for
Coppola. He won his second Oscar as the director of photography on
Warren Beatty's
"Reds (1981)" and subsequently shot
"Dick Tracy (1990)" and
"Bulworth (1998)" for Beatty He won his
third Oscar as the director of photography on Bertolucci's Best Picture
Academy Award-winner
"The Last Emperor (1987)".
"All great films are a resolution of a conflict between darkness and
light," Storaro says. "There is no single right way to express
yourself. There are infinite possibilities for the use of light with
shadows and colors. The decisions you make about composition, movement
and the countless combinations of these and other variables is what
makes it an art."
According to Storaro, "Some people will tell you that technology will
make it easier for one person to make a movie alone but cinema is not
an individual art." Storaro disagrees. "It takes many people to make a
movie. You can call them collaborators or co-authors. There is a common
intelligence. The cinema never has the reality of a painting or a
photograph because you make decisions about what the audience should
see, hear and how it is presented to them. You make choices which
super-impose your own interpretations of reality."
Storaro believes that, "It is our obligation to defend the audiences'
rights to see the images and to hear the sounds the way we have
expressed ourselves as artists,".
During the 1970s, the metaphor of cinematography as 'painting with
light' took hold. Storaro, however, adds motion to the mix.
Cinematography, to the great D.P., is writing with light and motion,
the literal translation of the word cinematography, which derives from
Greek
"It describes the real meaning of what we are attempting to
accomplish," Storaro says. "We are writing stories with light and
darkness, motion and colors. It is a language with its own vocabulary
and unlimited possibilities for expressing our inner thoughts and
feelings."
As a cinematographer, he is highly innovative. He had Rosco
International fabricate a series of custom color gels for his lighting,
which he used to implement his theories about emotional response to
color. The "Storaro Selection" of color gels is available for other
cinematographers from Rosco.
He created the "Univision" film system, which is a 35mm format based on
film stock with three perforation that provides an aspect ratio of 2:1,
which Storaro feels is a good compromise between the 2.35:1 and 1.85:1
wide-screen ratios favored by most filmmakers. Storaro developed the
new technology with the intention of 2:1 becoming the universal aspect
ratio for both movies and television in the digital age. He first shot
the television mini-series "Dune" with the Univision system.
Storaro is the youngest person to receive the American Society of
Cinematographer's Lifetime Achievement Award, and only the second
recipient after Sven Nykvist not to be a
U.S. citizen.