Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''
Piccolo grande amore
''Pretty Princess'' ( it, Piccolo grande amore, lit, Little big love) is a 1993 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina.
Plot
Liechtenhaus (a fictional tiny European principality) is ruled by Prince Max, but the little country is ne ...
'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include ''
Under the Tuscan Sun'' (2003), ''
Alien vs. Predator
''Alien vs. Predator'' (also known as ''Aliens versus Predator'' and ''AVP'') is a science-fiction action horror
media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between, and part of, th ...
'' (2004) and ''
The Tourist'' (2010).
Life and career
Bova was born in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to a father from
Roccella Ionica
Roccella Ionica (; also known as Roccella Jonica or simply as Roccella ( Roccellese: ) is a town and ''comune'' located on the Ionian Sea in Calabria, southern Italy.
Possibly built on the site of the ancient Greek settlement of Amphissa, Roccell ...
in
Calabria
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
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, demographics1_title2 ...
and mother from
Acerra
Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.
History
Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regio ...
in
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
. At the age of 16 Bova became a local champion in the 100 meter backstroke. At the age of 21 he joined the
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
and performed his military duty in the
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, whi ...
(sharpshooters) corps. He enrolled in the ISEF, the Italian Institute of Physical Education, but dropped out to pursue a career in acting. He studied at the school of Beatrice Bracco in Rome and also studied acting with
Michael Margotta
Michael Margotta (born September 1, 1946) is an American actor.
Career
Margotta appeared in the film that was Jack Nicholson's directorial debut, ''Drive, He Said'' (1971). In the year of its release, the film caused a stir because of Margotta ap ...
.
After making Italian television debut, Bova starred as a hunky watersports instructor in the 1993 romantic comedy film ''
Pretty Princess''.
The following years, Bova played many leading roles in the Italian romantic films.
[ In 2002, he made his American film debut appearing in the crime comedy '']Avenging Angelo
''Avenging Angelo'' is a 2002 American direct-to-video action romantic comedy crime film directed by Martyn Burke and starring Sylvester Stallone, Madeleine Stowe, and Anthony Quinn. The film received mostly negative reviews.
Plot
Years ago, ...
''. The following year, Bova played Diane Lane
Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''.
The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
's love interest in the comedy-drama film '' Under the Tuscan Sun''. In 2004, he co-starred opposite Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows ''In the House'', '' Family Matters'', ''NYPD Blue ...
in the science fiction film ''Alien vs. Predator
''Alien vs. Predator'' (also known as ''Aliens versus Predator'' and ''AVP'') is a science-fiction action horror
media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between, and part of, th ...
''. His other notable American film credits include '' The Tourist'' (2010), and '' All Roads Lead to Rome'' opposite Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
.
On television, Bova had a recurring role in the ABC comedy-drama ''What About Brian
''What About Brian?'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Dana Stevens and co-produced by J. J. Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions. The series premiered on April 16, 2006, on ABC, as a mid-season replacement and concluded ...
'' from 2006 to 2007, and in 2018 starred as Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
in the British-Italian period drama ''Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
''. In 2019, he starred opposite Kate del Castillo
Kate del Castillo Negrete Trillo () is a Mexican-American actress. At the age of 19, del Castillo became known for her lead role in the telenovela '' Muchachitas'' for Televisa in 1991. Afterwards, she continued her career in film and televisio ...
in the Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...
/Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
crime drama series '' La Reina del Sur''.
Personal life
In March 2000, he married Chiara Giordano. In 2013, Bova and Giordano separated. That same year he started dating actress Rocío Muñoz Morales
Rocío Muñoz Morales (Madrid, June 10, 1988) is a Spanish actress, presenter, and model who has spent most of her career in Italy. She began her career as a dancer and went on to appear in film and in the theatre. In 2018 she returned to Spain ...
, after the two met on the film set of ''Immaturi – Il viaggio'' (2012). They had their first child in December 2015, the same month their film '' All Roads Lead to Rome'' was released.[
On 15 October 2010, Raoul Bova was nominated ]Goodwill Ambassador
Goodwill ambassador is a post-nominal honorific title, a professional occupation and/or authoritative designation that is assigned to a person who advocates for a specific cause or global issue on the basis of their notability such as a public ...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
of the United Nations (FAO).
Raoul Bova is Roman Catholic.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Raoul Bova as a Style Icon
FAO Goodwill Ambassador website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bova, Raoul
1971 births
People of Campanian descent
Italian male television actors
Italian male film actors
Italian male models
Living people
Male actors from Rome
People of Calabrian descent
20th-century Italian male actors
21st-century Italian male actors
FAO Goodwill ambassadors
Italian Roman Catholics