Valeria Golino

Valeria Golino, born on 22 October 1965, is a renowned Italian actress and film director. Her talent spans across language boundaries as she is famous for her roles in popular English-language films like Rain Man, Big Top Pee-wee, and Hot Shots! She is recognized for her unforgettable 'olive-in-the-belly-button' scene. She has bagged the prestigious David di Donatello, Nastro d'Argento, Ciak d'oro and Globo d'oro awards. Additionally, she is one of the only four actresses to have twice won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival. She was born in Naples, Italy to an Italian father, a Germanist scholar, and a Greek mother, Lalla, a painter. She grew up in an artistic household and, after her parents divorced, she spent her time between Athens and Sorrento. At age 14, Valeria started working as a model and by the time she finished high school, she had already acted in her first movie.

Valeria's acting career started with her uncle, Enzo, receiving a call from famed director Lina Wertmuller. Her debut film was 'A Joke of Destiny' (1983), which witnessed her talent as she performed Shakespeare. Her career took a positive turn with independent films like 'My Dearest Son' and 'Little Flames', earning her a Globo d'oro award for Best Breakthrough Actress. Her unparalleled performance in 'A Tale of Love' earned her critical acclaim and two awards at the 1986 Venice Film Festival. After moving to Los Angeles in 1988, she entered Hollywood with 'Big Top Pee-wee'. She moved back to Italy in 2000 but her successes continued to come. In recent years, she has been directing. In 2013, her first feature film as director, Honey, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and in 2018, she directed 'Euforia' which was recognized as one of the best performances of Riccardo Scamarcio.