Best Italian Actors

One of Italy's most captivating and talented cinematic comedy stars, Italian veteran Alberto Sordi was known for satirizing his country's social mores in pungent black comedies, farcical tales and grim drama. He, along with peers Vittorio Gassman, Ugo Tognazzi and Nino Manfredi, arguably represent the finest of post-war Italian cinema history. Born in Rome on June 15, 1920 in the Trastevere district, Sordi grew up in a musical family, his father being a tuba player for the Rome Opera House. A choir boy at the Sistine Chapel, he later trained for the theater in Milan but returned to Rome to work in radio and musical halls in comedy shows. In the late 30s he found his way into film as an extra. His first important role was in The Three Pilots (1942), a fascist war picture, but he wouldn't hit international stardom until a decade later when he starred in Federico Fellini's early films The White Sheik (1952) and I Vitelloni (1953). The titles of some of his most prolific characters were as simple as their titles: The Seducer, The Bachelor, The Husband, The Widower, The Traffic Cop, and The Moralist. Most of his protagonists amusingly, but not always pleasantly, stereotyped the worst attributes of Italian men and society, yet many of his films are unparalleled in quality and considered masterpieces. Sordi went on to star, direct and co-write more than 150 films. Never married and rather an introvert, he enjoyed a quiet, reclusive personal life. On his 80th birthday, he was made Mayor of Rome for the day. In 2002, after 190 films, he announced his retirement, and died of a heart attack the following year at age 82.

Vittorio Gassman studied theatre in his youth and was quite a good basketball player. He debuted on stage in 1943 and soon felt home in all classical theatre works. Since 1946 he also worked at the movies and his first big role there was the criminal in Bitter Rice (1949). This fixed him to his main parts: The ambiguous gentleman inflicting pain and pleasure at the same time. He also participated in the Italian comedies and in American movies but the latter with only minor success. As a homage to his passion for the theatre he directed a cinema version of the play Kean: Genius or Scoundrel (1957).

Nino Manfredi was born on 22 March 1921 in Castro dei Volsci, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Between Miracles (1971), Bread and Chocolate (1974) and Café Express (1980). He was married to Erminia Ferrari Manfredi. He died on 4 June 2004 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

'Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio' was a descendant of the 'Comneno di Bizanzio' and also one of the most popular Italian film stars in history. His genre was undoubtedly the comedy where he achieved world fame. From 1917 he was an actor of the companies of the "comedia dell'arte" and also poet in Neapolitan dialect. In 1939 he started his career at the movies and as "Gaspare" in I due orfanelli (1947) he had his big breakthrough.

Romolo Valli was born on 7 February 1925 in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for The Leopard (1963), Duck, You Sucker! (1971) and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970). He died on 1 February 1980 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

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 Fellini's Roma (1972). She died in her native Rome from pancreatic cancer the following year at age sixty-five.

Beloved, hugely popular Italian comic character actor/writer/director, in music halls and variety shows for much of his early career. Fabrizi entered films in 1942 and often wrote and directed his vehicles, winning international acclaim in the Roberto Rossellini's neorealist drama Rome, Open City (1945), in which he played a priest who bravely defies the fascist regime. Heavy in heart and girth, he performed primarily in Neopolitan films for over four decades. Such notable post-war films include To Live in Peace (1946), Professor My Son (1946), Flesh Will Surrender (1947), Escape Into Dreams (1948), Immigrants (1949), Cops and Robbers (1951), Five Paupers in an Automobile 1952), Of Life and Love (1954) and The Teacher and the Miracle (1957), all co-written by Fabrizi. A master of the double take, he adapted equally well to comedy and drama, but did not earn much recognition in America. He devoted much of his time in later years to the culinary arts, writing several cookbooks and related poetry. He died of a heart ailment in his 85th year.

Born in Milan in 1933, Gian Maria Volontè studied in Rome at the National Dramatic Arts Academy, where he obtained his degree in 1957. He began working in theatre and television, where he was soon noticed as one of the most promising actors of his generation. After several supporting appearances in film, he reached notoriety with the character of Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (1964). This success was doubled in Leone's next film, For a Few Dollars More (1965). The following ten years would be the most intense of Volontè career. L'armata Brancaleone (1966) (directed by Mario Monicelli) was the most successful Italian movie of the year, We Still Kill the Old Way (1967) (directed by Elio Petri) won the Grand Prix du Scenario at the Cannes Film Festival, and Volontè won his first Nastro d'Argento (Silver Ribbon - the most prestigious acting award in Italy) in 1970 for Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) (also directed by Petri), making him an international star. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and two Italian Golden Globes, including one for his performance. In 1972, he starred in two Italian movies as the protagonist: Petri's The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971) and Francesco Rosi's The Mattei Affair (1972), both of which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, where he also won a Special Mention. In his life, Volontè won a huge number of other prizes and honours, becoming one of the most celebrated Italian actors of the seventies, and challenging Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni as the most popular Italian actor. He died in Greece in 1994.

Elena Fabrizi was born on 17 June 1915 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for Bianco, rosso e Verdone (1981), Acqua e sapone (1983) and Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958). She died on 9 August 1993 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

Vinicio Marchioni was born on 10 August 1975 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor and director, known for There's Still Tomorrow (2023), Un altro ferragosto (2024) and Thank You Guys (2023). He has been married to Milena Mancini since 24 September 2011. They have two children.

Marco Giallini was born on 4 April 1963 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for Perfect Strangers (2016), Rocco Schiavone: Ice Cold Murders (2016) and A.C.A.B. - All Cops Are Bastards (2012). He was previously married to Loredana Giallini .

Sergio Castellitto was born in Rome in 1953. After graduating from the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art in 1978, he began his theatrical career in Italian public theater with "Shakespeare's Measure for Measure" at the Teatro di Roma and with roles in other plays such as "La Madre by Brecht", "Merchant of Venice", and "Candelaio" by Giordano Bruno. At the Teatro di Genova he starred in the roles of Tuzenbach in "Chekhov's Three Sisters" and "Jean in Strindberg's Miss Julie", both under the direction of Otomar Krejka. In the coming years, he also starred in such theatrical productions as "L'infelicità senza desideri" and "Piccoli equivoci" at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. He also appeared in "Barefoot in the Park" by Neil Simon. During his years in the theatre, he worked alongside many famous actors, including Luigi Squarzina, Aldo Trionfo, and Enzo Muzii. Castellitto began his film career in 1983 beside Marcello Mastroianni and Michel Piccoli in "The General of the Dead Army" by Luciano Tovoli. He interpreted many films like "Sembra morto...ma è solo svenuto" directed by Felice Farina, "Piccoli equivoci" by Ricky Tognazzi and "Stasera a casa di Alice" by Carlo Verdone. He became more famous with the films "The Great Pumpkin" by Francesca Archibugi and "The Star Maker" by Giuseppe Tornatore. In the late 1980s, Castellitto appeared in several Italian television miniseries, including "Un siciliano in Sicilia" (1987), "Cinque storie inquietanti" (1987), "Piazza Navona" (1988), "Cinéma" (1988), and "Come stanno bene insieme" (1989). He also appeared in the miniseries "Victoire, ou la douleur des femmes" (2000). Success arrived with the films "La famiglia", "L'ultimo bacio", "Caterina in the Big City", "My Mother's Smile", "Mostly Martha", and especially with "Don't Move", written by his wife Margaret Mazzantini. Other films that he interpreted include "Il regista di matrimoni" by Marco Bellocchio and La stella che non c'è by Gianni Amelio. In France Castellitto played the male lead opposite Jeanne Balibar in Jacques Rivette's Va savoir (2001). His most recent accomplishment as actor has been in his role as "Padre Pio: Miracle Man", arguably the defining role of his career. The first film that he directed is "Libero Burro", followed by "Don't Move". He played the role of the antagonist, King Miraz, in the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". His most recent film as director was "Twice Born", which played at the Toronto Film Festival (2012), where it was not well received by much of the English speaking press. Most recently, Castellitto appeared in the television series "In Treatment" in the role of Giovanni. Castellitto is married to Margaret Mazzantini with four children.

Actor, comedian, and TV host who debuted in 1986 in the theater. In 1994, he got a degree from Genoa's Theater School and he performed in several plays such Richard III, Hamlet, and Ivanov. With his partner in comedy Paolo Kessisoglu, whom he met at an audition, they first appeared on TV in "Ciro, il figlio di Target", and many other shows after: "MTV trip", "Mai dire Gol", "Le Iene Show", "Camera Cafè", "Super Ciro", "La Strana Coppia", "Scherzi a parte", "Colorado". He hosted the 2011 and 2012 Festival di Sanremo. Between 1999 and 2021, he appeared on the big screen in "E allora mambo!", "Tandem", "E se domain", "Asterix alle Olimpiadi", "Immaturi", "Un fidanzato per mia moglie", "Un figlio di nome Erasmus". Luca Bizzarri has also dubbed some animated projects such as: "Le follie dell'Imperatore/ The Emperor's New Groove", "La foresta magica/ El bosque animado", "Sitting ducks". From 2017 to 2021 he hosted the show "Quelli che il calcio" with Paolo Kessisoglu and Mia Ceran, and in 2020, with Mondadori he published his first book "Disturbo della pubblica quiete". In November 2021, he appeared on the big screen in "Per tutta la vita" directed by Paolo Costella. He and Paolo Kessisoglu currently provide satiric commentary on the show "DiMartedì" hosted by Giovanni Floris, and he's on the podcast "Non hanno un amico", produced by Chora Media.

Paolo Kessisoglu was born on 25 July 1969 in Genova, Italy. He is an actor, known for Camera Café (2003), ...e se domani (2005) and Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008). He was previously married to Sabina Donadel.

Francesco Pannofino was born in Pieve di Teco, in Liguria. As a teenager, he discovered his comedic talent and began to perform in theatres with small companies. At just 14 years old, he moved to Rome and got his start in radio and dubbing. He continued to pursue acting and joined Antonella Steni's company, after a stint at the Teatro Stabile in Trieste. In the 1980s he found success alongside Gigi Angelillo and Ludovica Modugno, with whom he formed a comedy trio. In the 1990s, he lent his voice to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and Denzel Washington in Philadelphia; these two films propelled him to voice actor stardom and he became the voice of George Clooney and Antonio Banderas, among others. On Italian TV, he appears in some of the most popular series, such as Carabinieri and La Squadra. In the 2000s, he played in Cristina Comencini's Liberate i pesci!, Davide Marengo's Notturno Bus, Genovese and Miniero's Questa notte è ancora nostra, Claudio Cupellini's Lezioni di Cioccolato, Fausto Brizzi's Maschi contro femmine, and Ogni maledetto Natale by Giacomo Ciarrapico, Mattia Torre and Luca Vendruscolo. He took part in the production of Sky's cult series Boris, which also made it to the cinema. He played in Cesaroni and Un medico in famiglia and plays the main character in the series Nero Wolfe. In 2013 he was in Adriano Olivetti: La forza di un sogno by Michele Soavi. On TV, he hosted the 2012 Concerto del Primo Maggio. He was also in Emigratis, Miss Italia: Gli esami and narrated for the ratings record-breaking programme Meraviglie: La penisola dei tesori. On the twentieth anniversary of the Harry Potter saga, he lent his voice to the audio book of the complete series by J. K. Rowling. In summer 2018, he performed in the Aristophanes comedy The Knights on stage at the Greek Theatre in Syracuse and toured with G. Clementi's play Bukurosh, mio nipote. He was in the cast of the films Il caso Pantani and Nati due volte. He was the voice of Animali fantastici: Dove trovarli on Audible. He graced the stage of Teatro Piccolo Eliseo with Io vendo le emozioni. He also performed in Si muore solo da vivi, on TV in Tale e Quale Show and in Fox's Romolo + Giuly: La guerra mondiale italiana. He voices Klaus in the Netflix animated film of the same name. He was the narrator for Sky Arte's project Io, Leonardo. Since 2020 he has been on tour with Mine Vaganti and participates in the programmes Moviemagic and E poi c'è Cattelan. He was in Il tempio della velocità directed by T. Cenname, as well as Quelle brave ragazze. He returned to his iconic role in Boris 4. In 2021 he performed in the following films: E. Ivone's Ostaggi, A. Ferrari's The Christmas Show, F. Albanese's Uomini da marciapiede, G. Amato's Lo sposo indeciso che non poteva (o forse non voleva) uscire dal bagno, L. Gualano's La guerra del Tiburtino III.

He met Franco Franchi in 1954, and they formed a memorable duo in over 130 films, but he showed his talent in many films of important Italian directors, Fellini, Comencini and Pasolini. His performance in Fellini's film Amarcord (1973) was memorable. His only son, Giampiero, is an appreciated actor of theatre and television.

Ferruccio Amendola was born on 22 July 1930 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. He was an actor, known for 1900 (1976), Rocky III (1982) and Caligula (1979). He was married to Rita Savagnone. He died on 3 September 2001 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

Michele Placido was born on 19 May 1946 in Ascoli Satriano, Puglia, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for La piovra (1984), Romanzo Criminale (2005) and Un eroe borghese (1995). He has been married to Federica Vincenti since 14 August 2012. They have one child. He was previously married to Simonetta Stefanelli and Ilaria Lezzi.

Kim Rossi Stuart was born on October 31th, 1969 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He began acting at the age of 5 along with his father Giacomo Rossi Stuart in The Murri Affair (1974). Kim's mother, Klara Müller, is an ex-top model. Kim has 3 sisters, 2 of them actresses like him: Loretta Rossi Stuart and Valentina Rossi Stuart, the latter also stunt-woman. Ombretta is the third sister.

Kim left his parent's home at 14 (1983) and also left school to study theater and in 1986 began acting regularly, especially on TV productions, like Fantaghirò (1991) and for the cinema with a small role in The Name of the Rose (1986). However it was with Karate Warrior (1987) and Poliziotti (1995) that Kim reached popularity. After this commercial movie he began to act only in quality movies, like Senza pelle (1994) where his role, a man with psychological problems, was appreciated by critics. Then he acted with the legendary director Michelangelo Antonioni in Beyond the Clouds (1995), and in an international TV fiction The Red and the Black (1997).

In the last years he came back to act in the theater with "Re Lear", a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and with the most important Italian actors like Turi Ferro in the opera "Le visiteur", a comedy by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, from which it is derived Il visitatore (1997), still interpreted by Kim and Turi.

On November 26th, 2011, at the age of 42, Kim became a father: the actress Ilaria Spada, his girlfriend from just a few months before, gave birth to their son, a child called Ettore. They have announced their intention to marry in summer 2015.

Roberto Benigni was born on 27 October 1952 in Manciano La Misericordia, Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Life Is Beautiful (1997), The Tiger and the Snow (2005) and Down by Law (1986). He has been married to Nicoletta Braschi since 26 December 1991.

Antonella Attili was born on 3 April 1963 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and production manager, known for Cinema Paradiso (1988), Prima del tramonto (1999) and Il grande giorno (2022).

Enrico Lo Verso was born on 18 January 1964 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. He is an actor, known for The Way We Laughed (1998), Hudson Hawk (1991) and Captain Alatriste: The Spanish Musketeer (2006). He has been married to Elena Montagna since 29 July 1989. They have one child.

Stefano Dionisi was born on 1 October 1966 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for Joseph (1995), Verso sud (1992) and Antonio Vivaldi, un prince à Venise (2006).

Flavio Insinna was born on 3rd July, 1965 in Rome. He attended Italian Liceo Classico (high school) in the capital and then pursued his acting career at Gigi Proietti's Laboratorio, where he had the chance to learn with the very actor who had drawn him towards the fine art of theatre. At fifteen, in effect, Flavio had had the chance to see one of Proietti performances in Rome, remaining forcibly struck by his power of fascination. Therefore, when Flavio was accepted into Proietti's school, he had the chance to learn how to prepare thoroughly in order to embody a character. He still thinks his teacher gave him the right go and the most important thing he remembers about Proietti is that he never wanted his students to repeat exactly what he had done but to find into their very souls what they felt about their characters. Flavio's experiences are varied. He started with a series ("Uno di Noi") and then went on juggling between theatre and TV and cinema. He starred for example in "Figli di Annibale" in 1997. After this big breakthrough, though, he was offered the role of Captain Flavio Anceschi in "Don Matteo". The series, produced by "Lux Vide", has now reached its fourth season and Flavio is still shooting its last instalments at the moment. "Lux Vide" also produced Maria Goretti, on the life of Saint Maria Goretti, a movie in which Flavio played the part of the priest, Don Basilio. However, he is on a short tour with his theatre show "La Banda", ("The Band"), which he co-produced.

He was born in Milan in 1955. His mother, Rosa, was from Como (a city in Northern Italy), and his father, Matteo, was from Puglia (the "heel" of the Italian peninsula). He grew up in a suburbia quarter of Milan. His mother worked as a wardrobe maid at the "Derby", a well-known theater where lots of the most popular Italian comedians performed. Diego's uncle owned the place, which Diego visited since when he was a child. He was first employed as a light technician, then he began to perform as the "terruncello", the guy who lives in the North of Italy but still retains his Southerner accent. He began his career as a comedian at the end of the 70es, but he really succeeded in the 80es with blockbuster Italian comedies. His first dramatic role was in 1985 with Pupi Avati's movie "Regalo di Natale", which acknowledged him as a truly gifted actor. In 1985 he met Gabriele Salvatores, who directed him in many important movies (e.g. the Academy Award winner Mediterraneo). His filmography witnesses his versatile acting. Recently he starred in the Italian Tv serial "Il giudice Mastrangelo", where he has the role of a judge from Milan who returns to his native Puglia to solve mysteries and crimes. His entire career seems to pay tribute to his Northern and Southern origins.