Luigi Lo Cascio

An Italian actor who has won wide acclaim in a relatively short amount of time, Luigi Lo Cascio is a native of Sicily who won a Best Actor David di Donatello Award for his first feature, "100 Steps." After leaving medical school, Lo Cascio began acting on stage, and toured the country in a production of "Waiting for Godot."

As his theatrical roles grew in significance, he was recommended by his uncle--fellow actor Luigi Maria Burruano--for the role of his son in the historical drama "100 Steps." The highly decorated film from 2000 quickly established Lo Cascio as a star. A year later he was honored with a best actor nomination for the romantic drama "Light of My Eyes," alongside frequent co-star Sandra Ceccarelli.

He appeared with the legendary actress Virna Lisi in the drama "The Best Day of My Life," then co-starred in the epic family saga "The Best of Youth" in 2003, an ambitious international success that was over six hours long. That same year he also costarred in Marco Bellocchio's historical drama "Good Morning, Night," the Italian film of the year and a hit at the Venice Film Festival.

He has continued to appear regularly in Italian cinema's highest-profile films, and in 2009 played a comedic role in veteran filmmaker Pupi Avati's "The Friends at the Margherita Cafe."