Luca Argentero
Luca Argentero (Turin, 12 April 1978) is an Italian film, television and stage actor. A graduate in economics, he first came to public attention through a reality show and went on to become one of the most popular faces of Italian television drama, above all as the lead in Doc – Nelle tue mani on Rai 1. He also has ties to Turin through his non-profit work as vice-president of 1 Caffè Onlus.[1]
Studies and Grande Fratello
Born in Turin, after finishing high school Argentero enrolled in Economics and Business at the University of Turin, graduating in 2004.[1] Before graduating, in 2003, he took part in the third edition of Grande Fratello on Canale 5, the programme that made him known to a wide audience.[2] His cousin Alessia Ventura had suggested he try out for the casting; he finished third with 9% of the votes, and has since repeatedly said he would not repeat the experience, while acknowledging that the reality show had brought him before the public.[3]
From television drama to cinema
His acting debut came in 2005 with the series Carabinieri, in which he played the carabiniere Marco Tosi from the fourth to the sixth season.[1] By 2007 he had appeared in 74 episodes of the Canale 5 series.[3] In 2006 he made his film debut with Francesca Comencini's A casa nostra; the following year came Ferzan Özpetek's Saturno contro, the film that launched his cinema career, and Claudio Cupellini's Lezioni di cioccolato, in which he starred as a gruff surveyor who changes course along the way.[1][3]
These were followed by Umberto Carteni's Diverso da chi? and Michele Placido's Il grande sogno (2009), and in 2010 by an American production, Ryan Murphy's Eat Pray Love, alongside Julia Roberts.[1] On television he played the boxer Tiberio Mitri in the miniseries Il campione e la miss (2010), after La baronessa di Carini on Rai Uno (2007); other credits include Ragion di Stato (2015) and the series Sirene (2017).[1] In 2013 he played the teacher in Bianca come il latte, rossa come il sangue.[3] Since 2011 he has also hosted Le Iene.[2] Over the course of his career he has received a David di Donatello nomination for best leading actor for Diverso da chi? and a 2020 Nastro d'Argento nomination for best comedy actor for Brave ragazze.[1]
Io, Leonardo
In 2019 Sky cast him as Leonardo da Vinci in Io, Leonardo, directed by Jesus Garcés Lambert, released in cinemas on 26 September, with Angela Fontana as Cecilia Gallerani and narration by Francesco Pannofino.[4] Presenting the film, Argentero described his approach to choosing roles as follows:[5]
«Between doing and not doing, I do! It's a rule that has stayed with me my whole life, ever since I chose to do this job years ago: when in doubt, I do!»
Doc – Nelle tue mani
His most popular role came in 2020 with Doc – Nelle tue mani, aired on Rai 1 from 26 March of that year: Argentero plays Andrea Fanti, a head of internal medicine who loses the memory of the past twelve years after a car accident. The series is based on the books Meno dodici and Pronto soccorso by Pierdante Piccioni, an emergency-room doctor who suffered the same amnesia after an accident.[6] Filming was halted by the coronavirus emergency after six months of work, and the network nonetheless decided to broadcast the first four episodes; in those days the actor downplayed his role, saying: «In the end we actors are just 'storytellers', jesters».[6]
Doc was one of the most successful Italian TV dramas of 2020 and found an audience abroad as well: on TF1 in France, the first two episodes, aired on 6 January 2021, drew 4.1 million viewers, an 18.1% share. Sony has bought the rights for an American remake.[7] The series continued with new seasons in 2022 and 2024.[2]
Theatre
On stage Argentero made his debut in 2010 with Shakespeare in Love, directed by Nicola Scorza.[1] In 2018 he starred in a play written by Gianni Corsi and directed by Edoardo Leo, produced by Stefano Francioni: a hundred-minute one-act piece weaving together the stories of three Italian champions, the cyclist Luigi «Luisin» Malabrocca, 'inventor' of the black jersey, the mountaineer Walter Bonatti and the skier Alberto Tomba.[8]
1 Caffè and Villino Caprifoglio
In 2011 Argentero co-founded 1 Caffè Onlus with Beniamino Savio, of which he is vice-president: a fundraising platform that each week features a different non-profit association and asks for a donation equivalent to the price of a coffee. Over roughly ten years of activity the organisation has supported more than 800 associations.[9][10] Since 2017 the association has combined its online fundraising with the Campo Base project, designed to offer third-sector organisations consulting, spaces and support networks.[10]
Campo Base found a home in Turin at Villino Caprifoglio, a building of artistic and cultural interest within Parco del Valentino, awarded through a call for proposals by Circoscrizione 8 of the City of Turin. After about a year of conservation restoration, on 14 November 2023 mayor Stefano Lo Russo cut the ribbon, and since January 2024 the villa has operated as a service centre for local associations, a 'solidarity co-working space' in the founders' words.[10]
«Today is a special day for 1 Caffè: opening Campo Base in a place so iconic for our city marks a fundamental turning point for our association»
Sources
- Luca Argentero (sito ufficiale)
- Treccani
- TV Sorrisi e Canzoni — 12 April 2018
- TV Sorrisi e Canzoni
- Il Fatto Quotidiano — 23 September 2019
- TV Sorrisi e Canzoni — 19 March 2020
- TV Sorrisi e Canzoni
- Teatro.it
- 1 Caffè Onlus
- TorinoClick (Città di Torino) — 14 November 2023