Italian theatre and film actor (b. Afragola 1959). In the Seventies he was among the founders of the Teatro studio of Caserta, where he immediately dedicated himself to research and experimentation. In 1986 he joined the group Falso movimento working with the director M. Martone, who in 1992 chose him as the interpreter of Morte di un matematico napoletano, followed by Rasoi (1993) and Teatro di guerra (1998). He moved on to the experiences of the Teatro dei mutamenti of A. Neiwiller and the Teatri uniti. While continuing to dedicate himself to the stage (in a repertoire from Molière to Goldoni and De Filippo) as a versatile and highly accomplished performer and as a talented director, since 2001 he has received recognition in the film industry as the protagonist in P. Sorrentino’s films L’uomo in più and, above all, in the subsequent Le scientifiche dell’amore (2004), thanks to which he was awarded the David di Donatello and the Nastro d’argento for best leading actor. He received another David (2008) and the Pasinetti Award in Venice for La ragazza del lago (2007). Among his subsequent films: Il divo (2008) by Sorrentino, and Gomorra (2008) by M. Garrone, performances for which he was awarded the European Film Award for best actor; Gorbaciof (2010) by S. Incerti; A Quiet Life (2010), the debut film by C. Cupellini; The Jewel (2011) by A. Molaioli; Sleeping Beauty (2012) by M. Bellocchio; It Was the Son (2012) by D. Ciprì; Long Live Freedom by R. Andò and The Great Beauty by P. Sorrentino, both from 2013, for the latter he was awarded the European Film Award for Best Actor and the following year the David di Donatello for Best Leading Actor; The Confessions (2016) by Andò; Let Yourself Go (2017) by F. Amato; The Girl in the Fog (2017) by D. Carrisi; in 2018, the documentary Hitler vs. Picasso and the Others by C. Poli and the film Loro by Sorrentino; 5 Is the Perfect Number (2019) by I. Tuveri; The Man in the Labyrinth (2019) by Carrisi; Here I Laugh (2020) by M. Martone; It was the hand of God (2021) by P. Sorrentino; Outside the night (2022) by M. Bellocchio; The strangeness (2022) by R. Andò; The divine comet (2022) by M. Paladino; The first day of my life (2023) by P. Genovese; The return of Casanova (2023) by G. Salvatores; Adagio (2023) by S. Sollima; Caracas (2024) by M. D’Amore; Iddu (2024) by F. Grassadonia and A. Piazza; The abbaglio (2025) by Andò. In the same years, his theatrical activity continued, with the incisive interpretations in Saturday, Sunday and Monday (2005) by E. De Filippo, Sconcerto (2010) on a text by F. Marcoaldi and Toni Servillo reads Naples (2011), a tribute to the greatest Neapolitan writers. The actor’s entire artistic career and life path have been fully retraced in the collective collection of essays Toni Servillo. Oltre l’attore, published in 2015 edited by R. De Gaetano and B. Roberti, while in 2016 T. Pericoli dedicated thirty-seven “sound portraits” to the artist collected in the text Piccolo teatro. In 2020 he received the Nastro d’argento for his career.
photo: Francesco Squeglia
