Romantic leading man Stefano Dionisi began his career in his native Italy, appearing with Valerie Perrine in the TV-movie "Rose" (1986), followed by a starring turn in episode five of the immensely popular Mafia drama series "La Piova/The Octopus" in 1987. While his feature debut came opposite Nastassja Kinski in "Il Segretto/The Secret" (1990), the picture that really launched him to international prominence was Gerard Corbiau's Oscar-nominated "Farinelli" (1994), which cast him as 18th Century castrato singing sensation Carlo Broschi. Charming and compellingly handsome, Dionisi came across as a modern, narcissistic "superstar", and the actor's preparation for the role included several months' study with Belgian music coach Daniel Lipnick to master the lip-synching for the digitally-fused voices of counter-tenor Derek Lee Ragin and soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska that approximated the famous castrato's beautiful tenor.
"Farinelli" proved he was not afraid of controversial roles and led to his first English-language part as Pharaoh in the TNT miniseries "Moses" (1995), starring Ben Kingsley. After acting with Marcello Mastroianni in "Pereira Declares" (also 1995; released in the USA in 1998), Dionisi bleached his hair blond to play Valeria Marini's gay brother in "Bambola" (1996) and lost weight and sported a buzz cut to play an Auschwitz survivor and friend to Primo Levi (John Turturro) for Francesco Rosi's "The Truce/La Truega" (1997). He reteamed with Antonio Tibaldi, who had previously directed him in "Running Against/Correre Contro" (1996), for "Claudine's Return" (1998), starring Christina Applegate as a bohemian laundress trying to escape her painful childhood memories. Dionisi then did some globe-trotting, appearing in Mike Figgis' British-made "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" and the German movie "Gloomy Sunday" (both 1999) and the French biopic "Les Enfants du siecle/Children of the Century" (lensed 1999), supporting Juliette Binoche as pioneering feminist writer George Sand.
- Born:
October 1, 1966 in Rome, Italy
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Job Titles:
Actor, Restaurant deliveryman, Waiter
Family
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Son: Milo Dionisi. born on March 18, 1998; mother, Annie Stewart
Significant Others
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Companion: Annie Stewart. worked as location manager for several of Mike Figgis films and produced the director s The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1999)
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Companion: Lisa. lived with her for six months during his stay in NYC during the mid-1980s
Milestones
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1986 Acted with Valerie Perrine in the TV-movie Rose , directed by Tomasso Sherman
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1987 Starred in episode five of the immensely popular Mafia drama series La Piova/The Octopus
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1990 Feature debut in Il Segretto/The Secret , co-starring Nastassja Kinski
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1994 Starred as Carlo Broschi, castrato singing superstar of the 18th century in Farinelli ; role launched him to international prominence
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1995 Acted with Marcello Mastroianni in Pereira Declares
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1995 Played Pharoah in TNT miniseries Joseph , starring Ben Kingsley
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1996 Dyed his hair platinum blond to play the gay brother of Bambola (Valeria Marini), a beautiful, maddening woman over whom various men fight and die
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1996 Played Pablo in Antonio Tibaldi s Running Against
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1997 Altered his appearance with a buzz cut and by losing weight to play Auschwitz survivor Daniele, friend to Primo Levi (John Turturro), in La Treuga/The Truce
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1998 Acted opposite Valeria Golino in Shooting the Moon/L Albero delle pere/The Pear Tree ; also acted with Golino in TV miniseries La Vita che verra/The Life to Come
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1998 Co-starred opposite Christina Applegate in Tibaldi s Claudine s Return , playing a hotel handyman who drifts into her life
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1998 Signed the Telefood Appeal Against World Hunger and did a promotional spot for them
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1999 Played pianist and composer Andras in German movie Gloomy Sunday
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1999 Portrayed Lucca in Mike Figgis The Loss of Sexual Imnnocence
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Acted the part of Italian doctor Pagello in Les Enfants du siecle (wrapped 1999), Diane Kurys biopic of feminist writer George Sand starring Juliette Binoche
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Moved to NYC to work for a year and learn English; was a waiter in a restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for awhile; also delivered orders for a Greek restaurant near Madison Square Garden