JULY 22
Biography
He was born in Rome on the 17th of June 1964. In Rome he attended the Liceo Classico and the Faculty of Law.
"Like many actors, I have a highly developed memory, but of all the exams I took in law school, I can't remember a single line. There must be a reason”.
In 1990 he graduated from the Piccolo Teatro school of Milan, directed by Giorgio Strehler. In the theatre he worked with the greatest Italian directors such as Strehler, Ronconi, Castri and Missiroli. Since 1991 he has taken part in about fifty theatre productions, some of international importance, such as Harlequin Servant of Two Masters at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano (1991-1997), A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Dusseldorf Theatre (Berlin Festival 1998), Questa sera si recita a soggetto at the Burgtheater in Vienna (2000). In 1995 he was directed by Roger Young in the TV film Moses, with Ben Kingsley. In 1999, he had a small role in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). More substantial roles await him in Il furto del tesoro (2000) by Alberto Sironi, in the series Maigret (2004), and in the TV film Don Bosco (2004). In the three series of the cult TV show Boris (2007-2009), he played the role of the legendary electrician Augusto Biascica.
"I love Biascica like a brother. He is a very fragile creature locked up in the body of an energetic big guy".
In 2007 he was directed by Roberto Faenza in I Viceré (2007) and by Davide Marengo in Notturno Bus. He played alongside Sergio Castellitto in Tris di donne e abiti nuziali (2009) by Vincenzo Terracciano. In parallel with his work as an actor in cinema and TV, he also works as a transformer. In 2000 he pretended to be Nicolas Cage to watch a football match, and from that day on his television history of disguises and incursions began. Between 2001 and 2008, he impersonated around 30 different characters, all of whom really existed, in real situations and without anyone knowing. His transformations into John Turturro at the David di Donatello in 2001 and Marilyn Manson at the Canale5 Advertising Gala are memorable. In 2008, these personal performances led to the Italian Job programme on La7, of which he was the creator, author and performer. In the wake of this programme, his collaboration with Le Iene began in 2009.
"My fakes are the most intimate part of my being an actor: I play against fear and the unpredictable, with only one take available. In the fake I look for the truth".
In 2010 he returned to the theatre with the play Dona Flor e i suoi due mariti, freely inspired by the homonymous novel by Jorge Amado, with Caterina Murino and Pietro Sermonti. In 2010 he was in Boris - the film by Ciarrapico-Torre-Vendruscolo. In 2011 he shot Diaz - don't clean up this blood by Daniele Vicari. Also in 2011, he starred in the series Distretto di Polizia on Canale 5 and the two series of Il Restauratore on Rai 1. In 2012, he alternated between the small screen (L'ultimo Papa Re directed by L. Manfredi, Benvenuti a tavola directed by Lucio Pellegrini and Il commissario directed by Graziano Diana) and the big screen (Una famiglia perfetta directed by Paolo Genovese). In 2013 we find him in the theatre with the musical The Full Monty at the Sistina Theatre and in 2014 together with Lella Costa in Nuda Proprietà by Lidia Ravera.
"Every year I have to spend at least two or three months in the theatre, like those alcoholic billionaires who go to spend the winter in spas to clean their blood".
In 2014 she starred in four films: Tutta colpa di Freud by Paolo Genovese, Smetto quando voglio by Sydney Sibilia, Un Natale stupefacente by Volfango De Biasi and Ti ricordi di me? by Rolando Ravello. On TV he starred for two seasons in the series Zio Gianni on Rai2 (2014-2015) and returned to the theatre with Nudi e crudi by Alan Bennet directed by Serena Sinigaglia alongside Maria Amelia Monti. In 2016 he was called by Giuseppe Tornatore for the role of Ottavio in the film La Corrispondenza, and also in 2016, he starred in the comedy Se mi lasci non vale alongside Vincenzo Salemme.
"I suspected Tornatore was great, but I got confirmation when he told me he chose me after seeing me in the film Natale Stupefacente".
In 2017 he returned to the role of the archaeologist Arturo Frantini in the Smetto quando voglio saga. In the same year he is one of the protagonists of Mattia Torre's La linea verticale for Rai and the series Immaturi for Canale 5. In 2018 he is in the theatre with the show Qui e Ora written and directed by Mattia Torre. In 2019 he is at the cinema with Bentornato Presidente directed by Stasi and Fontana, and with the beautiful comedy by Laura Chiossone Genitori quasi perfetti. For Netflix he is one of the protagonists in the hit series Baby. In March 2021, he played the role of maestro Leonildo on Rai1 in the film La bambina che non voleva cantare directed by Costanza Quatriglio. He is married and the father of four children.