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 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 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 ...

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

. 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 st ...

'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 ''

''. His other notable American film credits include '' The Tourist'' (2010), and '' All Roads Lead to Rome'' opposite Sarah Jessica Parker. On television, Bova had a recurring role in the ABC comedy-drama ''

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'' from 2006 to 2007, and in 2018 starred as Pope Sixtus IV 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 Mu ...

''. 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 network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...

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 fi ...

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 publ ...

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