Vincenzo Nicoli (born 27 July 1958) is a British actor who appears in film, television and theatre. He is best known for roles in blockbuster films, such as Alan Jude in the 1992

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

film '' Alien³'' (1992), Enrico Biscaglia in the romantic drama film '' In Love and War'' (1996), Tony Genova in the 2016 short film ''

The Naughty List ''The Naughty List'' is a 2016 Black comedy short film written and directed by Paul Campion, about two American mobsters who come face to face with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, and discover what it really takes to get on his Naughty or Nice li ...

'' (2016) and ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

'' as Sandro. He is also known for his role as Papa Pete in the CBBC children's programme '' Hank Zipzer'' (2014–2016) and as the voices of Lorenzo and Beppe in ''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' (2019–present). Along with actress Flaminia Cinque, he has appeared in ''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or ...

'', ''The Knot'', ''Brothers of Italy'' and ''Mama Cannelloni''.

Early life

Nicoli was born in Worcester on 27 July 1958 to Italian parents originally from the region of Apulia. He graduationed from a three-year acting course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Career

He made his acting career when he appeared in the musical '' Bashville'' and as a minor character in ''

Accidental Death of an Anarchist ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' ( it, Morte accidentale di un anarchico) is a play by Italian playwright Dario Fo that premiered in 1970. Considered a classic of 20th-century theater, it has been performed across the world in more than for ...

''. His television appearances include ''

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'', ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is ...

'', '' Dempsey and Makepeace'', ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" bookend segments filmed in Wilmington, Nort ...

'', ''

'', '' Mr. Selfridge'', '' EastEnders'' and '' Foyle's War''. Nicoli appeared as Antinous in the 1997 miniseries ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' for two episodes of the miniseries. From 2014 to 2016, he played Papa Pete in the comedy programme '' Hank Zipzer'' with American actor and creator of the series Henry Winkler, who plays Mr. Rock, the music teacher of the title character. He played a crime boss in the

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

superhero film ''

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'', featuring Christian Bale,

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Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy ...

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and Morgan Freeman. He has appeared in films such as '' Captain Phillips'' (featuring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

, Barkhad Abdi and

Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Acad ...

), ''

'', '' Alien³'' (with

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

), '' Buster'', '' In Love and War'' (featuring Sandra Bullock and

Chris O'Donnell Christopher Eugene O'Donnell (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He played Charlie Sims in '' Scent of a Woman'', Chris Reece in ''School Ties'', D'Artagnan in ''The Three Musketeers'', Jack Foley in the drama film '' ...

) and ''

''. Nicoli played the role of Jono in the 2014 critically acclaimed short film ''The Double Deal'', where

Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...

produced and starred in after which Holden receives four awards. In 2019, he joined the voice cast of ''

'' as the voices of Lorenzo and Beppe in the UK & US versions, respectively. In 2020, Nicoli appeared as the mobster known as Vincenzo Murgida in the ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...

'' episode, "The Folly of Jephthah", which aired on 10 January 2020. Nicoli's character Vincenzo Murgida is considered the most notorious Italian mobster who wants Hercule Flambeau ( John Light) to choose his fate.

Personal life

Nicoli is married to actress Heather Bleasdale. He has a daughter, Ella Nicoli-Horne, from a previous relationship who studies at

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The univer ...

. He speaks English and Italian. He upholds his British-Italian citizenship.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

Radio

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoli, Vincenzo 1958 births English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors English male voice actors English people of Italian descent People of Apulian descent 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Actors from Worcester, England Living people