Giancarlo Giannini is a renowned Italian actor, director, and multilingual dubber who has garnered international recognition for his leading roles in Italian films as well as his exceptional mastery of a diverse array of languages and dialects.
Born on August 1, 1942, in La Spezia, Italy, Giannini spent the first ten years of his life and received his education in Naples, earning a degree in electronics. At the age of 18, he enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Art D'Amico in Rome, marking the beginning of his stage acting career.
Throughout his career, Giannini has demonstrated his versatility by performing in a wide range of roles, including contemporary Italian plays and Italian productions of William Shakespeare's plays, such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer's Night Dream".
In 1965, Giannini made his television debut, starring as David Copperfield in the TV miniseries produced by RAI, the Italian national television company. He made his big-screen debut in the same year, appearing in the Freudian psychological thriller "Libido".
Since 1966, Giannini has been in a successful collaboration with the legendary Italian director Lina Wertmüller, who has directed several award-winning films featuring Giannini as the male lead. Some of his notable roles under Wertmüller's direction include Tonino, a peasant who prepares to assassinate dictator Benito Mussolini in "Love & Anarchy" (1973),a sailor in the irony-laden comedy "Swept Away" (1974),and a concentration-camp survivor in the Oscar-nominated "Seven Beauties" (1975).
Giannini also gained recognition for his work in dubbing international stars in films released on the Italian market, including Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Michael Douglas, Dustin Hoffman, Gérard Depardieu, and Ian McKellen, among others. He received praise from Stanley Kubrick for his dubbing of Nicholson in "The Shining" (1980).
Giannini's fluency in English and his mastery of dialects have enabled him to secure supporting roles in numerous Hollywood productions, such as "A Walk in the Clouds" (1995),"Hannibal" (2001),"Darkness" (2002),and "Man on Fire" (2004),among many others.
In addition to his film work, Giannini has also appeared as Rene Mathis in the 21st James Bond film "Casino Royale" (2006) and reprised the role in the sequel "Quantum of Solace" (2008).
