Vincenzo Ricotta (born 14 October 1959), professionally known as Vincent Riotta, is a British actor.

Career

Riotta studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

. He went on to perform in various stage plays, such as Shakespeare's ''Romeo'', which was held at the Young Vic,

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

' ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', held at the Leicester Haymarket. Also, the twin roles of ''The Corsican Brothers'' at the Abbey in Dublin, and the lead role of ''Fridays at Seven'' at the Court Theatre in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

. His more notable television appearances include UK soap ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' (1990, series 6 episode 52 ''Close to Home'') for

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

, '' New Tricks'' (2013, series 10 episode ''Rock the Boat'' parts one & two) for the BBC, '' JAG'' for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

'' for

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

, and ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the J ...

'' for ABC. In 2016 Riotta appeared in British mystery series ''Endeavor.'' Riotta's film credits include the independent

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

film ''Al Capone'', for which he won the Best Actor award at the 1995 Barcelona Film Festival for his portrayal of the title character. In 2002, he played the lead role of Rico Morales in the drama ''Bella Bettien''. He also holds many cameo appearances to his name in such high-profile films as ''

Captain Corelli's Mandolin ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', released simultaneously in the United States as ''Corelli's Mandolin'', is a 1994 novel by the British writer Louis de Bernières, set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Italian and German occupation ...

'', starring

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

and

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British ...

. However, universally he is probably best recognised as one of the lead male roles in the 2003 romantic-comedy '' Under The Tuscan Sun'', starring

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 st ...

and fellow Italian actor

Raoul Bova Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''Piccolo grande amore'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include '' Under the Tusc ...

. In the film, he plays Frances Mayes' (Diane Lane) first love interest upon arriving in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

; a kind, well-reserved and married estate agent from whom she receives emotional support throughout the film. To the contrary, on the commentary of ''Under the Tuscan Sun'', director

Audrey Wells Audrey Ann Wells (''née'' Lederer; January 25, 1960 – October 4, 2018) was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. Her 1999 film ''Guinevere'' won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Early life Wells was born in San Francisco, ...

states that his character's persona was merely something he invented, as in reality he is boyishly energetic.

Personal life

Riotta was born in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to Italian immigrants. He is fluent in Sicilian. He is married to casting director Teresa Razzauti. They live in London with their daughter, Emma Riotta.

Selected filmography

* 1985 '' A.D. Anno Domini - The Trials and Triumphs of the Early Church'' (TV Mini-Series) as Saint Stephen * 1985 '' Car Trouble'' as Kevin (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1987 '' Body Contact'' as Tony Zulu (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1988 ''

Hanna's War ''Hanna's War'' is a 1988 film co-written and directed by Menahem Golan. The film is based on ''The Diaries of Hanna Senesh'' and the biographical novel ''A Great Wind Cometh'' by Yoel Palgi. It is a biopic detailing the true story of Hannah Sz ...

'' as Yoel (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1993 '' Leon the Pig Farmer'' as Elliot Cohen (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1994 ''Il Quinto giorno'' as Robert (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1994 ''La Chance'' as Nicola (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1994 ''Ready to Kill'' as Robert (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1995 ''

A Little Worm ''A Little Worm'' is a 1995 short film directed by Marc Benardout. It stars Vincent Riotta and Issy Van Randwyck. The short film was distributed theatrically by Buena Vista with the feature film ''Ed Wood'' by director Tim Burton. It was ...

'' (Short) as

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

* 1996 '' In Love and War'' as Italian Officer (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1998 '' Matter of Trust'' as Johnny (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 1998 '' Falling Sky'' as Mr. Hanes (as Vince Ricotta) * 1999 ''Ballad of the Nightingale'' as Michael Wynn-Booth (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 2000 ''The Hook-Armed Man'' (Short) as Lou (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 2000 '' Dancing at the Blue Iguana'' as Customer (as Vincent Ricotta) * 2001 ''

'' as Quartermaster (as Vincenzo Ricotta) * 2002 ''

The Good War ''"The Good War": An Oral History of World War II'' (1984) is an oral history of World War II compiled by Studs Terkel. The work received the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. ''"The Good War"'' consists of a series of interviews wi ...

'' as Italian POW * 2002 ''

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

'' as Chief Guard * 2002 ''Bella Bettien'' as Rico Morales * 2003 '' Under the Tuscan Sun'' as Martini * 2003 ''

Belly of the Beast ''Belly of the Beast'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Hong Kong film director Ching Siu-tung in his American directorial debut, and starring Steven Seagal, who also produced. The film co-stars Byron Mann, Monica Lo and Tom Wu. Se ...

'' as Fitch McQuad * 2004 '' Nema problema'' as Anselmo Lorenzi * 2004 ''Nel mio amore'' as Jacques * 2004 '' Unstoppable'' as Detective Jay Miller * 2005 ''

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...

'' as Benny * 2006 '' The Listening'' as Vaughan * 2007 '' Nuclear Secrets'' (TV Mini-Series) as Brugioni * 2007 '' The Moon and the Stars'' as Tumiati * 2007 ''

Il Capo dei Capi ''Il Capo dei Capi'' (''The Boss of the Bosses'') is a six-part Italian miniseries which debuted on Canale 5 between October and November 2007. It tells the story of Salvatore Riina, alias ''Totò u Curtu'' (Totò the Short), a mafioso boss f ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) as

Tommaso Buscetta Tommaso Buscetta (; 13 July 1928 – 2 April 2000) was an Italian mobster and a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He became one of the first of its members to turn informant and explain the inner workings of the organization. Buscetta participated i ...

* 2008 ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan Nolan, Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and t ...

'' as Cop At 250 52nd St. * 2008 '' Einstein'' (TV Movie) as The

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

Operator * 2009 ''Butterfly zone - Il senso della farfalla'' as Uomo (aldilà) * 2009 ''

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'' as Luigi * 2009-2012 ''

Squadra antimafia – Palermo oggi ''Squadra antimafia – Palermo oggi'' is an Italian police procedural television series that broadcast on Canale 5 from 2009 to 2016. Synopsis In the first four seasons, set in Palermo, the story of the struggle have told between the state ...

'' (TV Series) as Mickey Robson * 2011 ''

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) as Giorgio de Angelis * 2011 ''Hustle Series'' 7 (TV Series) as Carle Bachini * 2012 ''

Goltzius and the Pelican Company ''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'' is a 2012 historical film by writer-director Peter Greenaway. Plot The film is based on the life of Hendrik Goltzius, a late 16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints. He seduces the Margrave ...

'' as Ricardo del Monte * 2013 '' Rush'' as Lauda's Mechanic * 2013 '' Third Person'' as Gerry * 2013-2014 ''

Da Vinci's Demons ''Da Vinci's Demons'' is a historical fantasy drama series that presents a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life. The series was conceived by David S. Goyer and stars Tom Riley in the title role. It was developed and produced in ...

'' (TV Series) as

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...

, Duke of Urbino * 2014 ''Romeo and Juliet'' (TV Series) as Capulet * 2014 ''Tender Eyes'' as Henry * 2016 ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' as Death Mask Guard * 2016 '' In guerra per amore'' as USA Army Major James Maone * 2016 ''

Natale a Londra – Dio salvi la regina ''Natale a Londra – Dio salvi la regina'' () is a 2016 Italian comedy film directed by Volfango De Biasi. Cast See also * List of Christmas films Many Christmas stories have been adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been ...

'' as Mike "The Hammer" * 2017 ''Black Butterfly'' as Lieutenant Carcano * 2017 ''

The Chinese Widow ''The Chinese Widow'' (), also known as ''In Harm's Way'' and ''The Hidden Soldier'', is a 2017 Chinese war drama film directed by Danish director Bille August, starring Liu Yifei and Emile Hirsch. The film premiered at the 2017 Shanghai Interna ...

'' as James Doolittle * 2017 ''An American Exorcism'' as Father Ryan Stone * 2017 '' 55 Steps'' as James Adams * 2018 ''

Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. T ...

'' as Dan Shomron * 2019 '' Dolce Fine Giornata'' as Lodovici * 2019 '' The Two Popes'' as Driver * 2019 ''Entro Mezzanotte'' as Prison Guard * 2020 '' Divorzio a Las Vegas'' as Judge Pistons * 2022 '' Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' as Luigi Crocco

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riotta, Vincent 1960 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English people of Italian descent Male actors from Hertfordshire People from Hertford