Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda"

Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty.

He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence.

Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play a light hearted, handsome love interest with the same conviction of playing a cunning villain.

Gassmann began his screen career with roles in television movies and within about five years, made the transition to film. Now, he continues to work in both mediums. He's appeared in dozens of international productions and has portrayed his share of roles in English. His first major English language role was in director, John Irvin's 1995 film "A Month by the Lake" in which Gassmann portrays Vittorio Balsaria, the handsome but quirky Italian love interest. Sharing the screen with the likes of Vanessa Redgrave and Uma Thurman, the role served as the perfect opportunity for Gassmann to show his impeccable comic timing and impressive range of versatility on the world's stage.

Two years later, he worked with director Ferzan Ozpetek on "Il Bagno Turco" (Steam: The Turkish Bath). He interprets the role of Francesco, who inherits a turkish bath house in Istanbul after his aunt passes away. He makes the trip with his wife to sell the bath and there he undergoes an unexpected spiritual transformation. Gassmann's performance is subtle yet intense as we watch him discover a world he never knew existed.

Alessandro Gassman with his father

In 2009, he co-starred in another English-language film, "Single Fathers." Shot in New York City, the comedy focuses on a group a 30-something men separated from their significant others and trying to be good fathers. The group develops a friendship and supports each other through the trials of relationships and fatherhood. Co-written by Gabriele Muccino and directed by Paolo Monico, the film gives international audiences another opportunity to see both the funny side and thoughtful side of this versatile artist.

The following year, Rocco Papaleo's "Basilicata Coast to Coast" premiered to a full house in New York City during the 2010 edition of Lincoln Center's Annual film series Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. Gassmann took on the role of the debonair yet troubled Rocco Santamaria. The chemistry between Papaleo and Gassmann is strong. Their authentic friendship came through in their performances.

In 2013, Gassmann made his directorial debut with "Razzabastarda," the story of a Romanian immigrant who came to Italy more than 30 years ago and is forced to sell drugs just to get by and provide for his son. Gassmann also starred in the film opposite the talented young actor Giovanni Anzaldo. The two gave powerful performances and made a dramatic, forceful father-son team.

As Gassmann grew up in the spotlight, he keeps his personal life private. He married fellow actress Sabrina Knaflitz in 1998. The couple met through their mutual friend, filmmaker Gianmarco Tognazzi. They are still together and have a son, named Leo. When the Italian tabloid, Gossip Blog! asked Gassmann about his marriage to Knaflitz, he adoringly described his wife as "the mother of my son, a woman of great femininity but also masculine qualities.. she has fear in her and me gives me the opportunity to protect her, in return, she protects me. She's smart but never intrusive, and after spending 20 years with me, she should be considered for beatification."

In a 1990 interview with RAI Uno, a young Gassmann simply described his father as "Bravo." Vittorio Gassman passed away in 2000, so he was able to see much of his son's success.

Comments

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

Ettore Scola explores enduring friendships and lost ideals in 'C’eravamo tanto amati'

A scene from "C'eravamo tanti amati" Mixing both tragedy and humor, Ettore Scola ’s 1974 film “C’eravamo tanto amati” (“We All Loved Each Other So Much”) follows 30 years in the lives of three men and the woman they each adore. By examining how his generation changed after the war, Scola makes a film that reflects its era. Scola explores the moral, political and emotional evolution of Italy’s postwar generation and, in doing so, creates a film that is a chronicle of its time and a love letter to cinema. The story begins in the aftermath of World War II. Three friends — Antonio ( Nino Manfredi ), Gianni (Vittorio Gassman) and Nicola (Stefano Satta Flores) — emerge from the Italian Resistance with a shared dream of justice, equality and social renewal. They are united by their hope that the sacrifices of war will lead to a better world. But the decades that follow prove to be challenging as Italy undergoes massive social changes, from the postwar economic boom to the politi...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

Model/Actress Anna Falchi

Anna Falchi was born Anna Kristiina Palomaki, on April 22, 1972, in Tampere, Finland. Her mother, Kaarina Palomaki Sisko, is Finnish, while her father, Benito "Tito" Falchi, is from Romagna, Italy. Growing up in Italy, Anna was a tomboy, and had a fervent imagination. She is known mostly for her prolific career in modelling. However, she tried her hand at acting and landed a role in one of my favorite Italian comedies, Nessun messaggio in segreteria . I consider it my one of my favorites because it brought together so many amazing, talented filmmakers during a time when they were all just starting out. Those filmmakers, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valerio Mastandrea, Luca Miniero and Paolo Genovese are now huge names in contemporary Italian cinema, so it's great to look back and see their work in a low-profile film completely different from the bigger-budget stardom they now know. Watch the trailer . Anna Falchi started her career as a...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog