Actor Raoul Bova has enjoyed enormous success and popularity in his native Italy. His debut film, “Una Story Italiana” (1992), was both critically acclaimed and a hit at the box office. But to American audiences, the handsome and talented actor has remained a virtual unknown. With his American film debut, “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003), directed by Audrey Wells and co-starring Oscar nominee Diane Lane, Bova attempted to achieved the same success he has enjoyed in his homeland.
Born in Rome on August 14, 1971, Raoul grew up to become a trained athlete and a national swimming champion. At 16, Bova won the Italian swimming championship for the 100 meter backstroke. However, Bova had greater aspirations and put his competitive nature to use in pursuit of an acting career. After “Una Story Italiana”, Bova appeared in “Comincio Tutto per Caso” (“It All Happened by Chance, 1993), co-starring Italian film star, Margherita Buy. The film was another success for Bova at the box office and with the critics.
Bova secured his star credentials with his next two projects, “Piccolo Grande Amore” (“Pretty Princess”, 1993) and the mafia drama series, “La Piovra”, a popular show that Bova joined in its seventh season. This led to subsequent TV movies and a miniseries based on the show. Bova moved on to several more feature films, including “Il Sindaco” (“The Mayor”, 1996), co-starring Anthony Quinn and Susannah York, about the final days of a neighborhood godfather, and “La Lupa” (“The She-Wolf”, 1996), with Donatello nominee Monica Guerritore.
Bova then got the chance to work with Italy’s most famous star export, Sophia Loren, in “Francesca e Nunziata” (2001). Filmed in Naples, the film, directed by Lina Wertmuller (“Love and Anarchy”, “Seven Beauties”), competed at the Montreal World Film Festival. Next for Bova was “La Finestra di Fronte” (2003), which won a total of five Donatello’s (the Italian equivalent to the Oscar); it was also Italy’s top-grossing film in 2003. After showing at the 2003 Toronto International Festival, Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American distribution rights.
To top his career in Italy, Bova won the President’s Award for Best Actor for his role in “La Finestra di Fronte”. And with the American made “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Bova finally got his chance to expose himself to an American audience, and with that, the hope of attracting a large legion of new fans.