JULY 23th
BIOGRAPHY
Claudio Santamaria is one of the most popular Italian actors of recent years. He started acting while he was in his teens: after working as a voice actor he made his stage debut with La nostra città by Stefano Molinari. In 1997 he made his silver screen debut in Fuochi d’artificio by Leonardo Pieraccioni. He then went on to play more relevant roles in Gabriele Muccino's Ecco fatto, L’ultimo capodanno by Marco Risi and L’assedio by maestro Bernardo Bertolucci.
He is a versatile actor showing his ability in very diverse roles ranging from comedy, drama and Thrillers. His big break came with Ma quando arrivano le ragazze? by Pupi Avati and then Romanzo Criminale directed by Michele Placido.
He became a household name thanks to his interpretation of Rino Gaetano in the TV film produced by Claudia Mori. Santamaria stars as the main character in Italian box office success Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot/They Call Him Jeeg which won him a David di Donatello award for best actor in a leading role.