Valeria Golino
Italian-Greek Goddess: Biography of Rain Man Actress
Born in Naples in 1966, Valeria Golino is one of Italy's most celebrated actresses, but she is no stranger to American cinema.
Valeria Golino Shines in Caos Calmo
Born in Naples in 1966, Valeria Golino is one of Italy's most celebrated actresses, but she is no stranger to American cinema. Golino is most recognized in the U.S. for her role in Rain Man. She was the girlfriend of Tom Cruise's character, Charlie. The role paved the way for her to appear in other American movies, but her humble beginnings have always kept her grounded.
Although Golino has appeared in several Italian blockbusters over the last few years, her most recent project, Caos calmo, is sure to catapult her back into the international spotlight. The film, which just made its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was written by Italian filmmaker Nanni Morretti, who also stars in it. Since its debut at the Berlin Film Festival in January, people just can't stop talking about this film. The story centers around Morretti's character, Pietro, a widower who spends his days mourning on a bench in front of his daughter's primary school. As time passes, he gets to know all the regular passers-by. Even his colleagues meet with him at this designated park bench. Golino is in a supporting role as Pietro's sister-in-law and pulls no punches in delivering her lines with her trademark sensitivity which graces all her characters.
Not Your Regular Childhood
Born to an Italian father and Greek mother, Golino spent most of her childhood and teenage years traveling between Naples, Rome and Athens. She had dreams of becoming a doctor but the constant moving between Athens, where she stayed with her mother, and Rome, where she stayed with her father made it difficult to focus on school.
In those early years, she considered herself somewhat of a gypsy because she'd always stay at friends' apartments in Rome. All that networking paid off, though. It was through a friend that she was offered the role of Bruna Assecondati in Francesco Maselli's, Storia d`amore. The film was awarded a special jury prize at the 1986 Venice Film Festival and also won Golino Best Actress. She was just 20 years old. Director Giuliano Montaldo saw the press coverage and was so impressed by Golino that he cast her in his next film, Gli occhiali d'oro.
Hollywood Calls
Golino went on to make a name for herself in Hollywood and has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including Sean Penn, Steve Buscemi, Selma Hayek and Peter Fonda not to mention Dustin Hoffman and Barry Levinson. One of her favorite projects is The Indian Runner, the tragic story of two opposite brothers and their concepts of life. The film was written and directed by Sean Penn. Golino loved working with Penn. In an interview with Film Freak Central, she had this to say about her experience with him, "Working with Sean Penn was the best. The best. He is so charismatic, so passionate as a director, as an actor, as a human being." The film was made in 1991 and boasts an all-star cast with Viggo Mortensen, Patricia Arquette, Charles Bronson and Dennis Hopper.
Something you may not know about Golino is her habit for falling in love with her co-stars! She's been engaged to actors Andrea Di Stefano, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Benicio Del Toro and is currently engaged to Italian heartthrob, Riccardo Scamarcio. She's even been linked to Paul Reuben aka Peewee Herman. The two met in 1987 when she worked on his film, Big Top Pee-wee!
In addition to Caos calmo, you can also catch Valerio Golino in her newly released film, Ca$h, a French thriller co-staring Jean Reno.
