was born in a Roman white collar family, his father was an employee and his mother a housewife. He has two sisters who he is close to. His passion in his youth was swimming and he became a champion at 16. He performed his military duty in the "Bersaglieri" and he studied at the ISEF but didn't finish in order to begin an acting career. His first role was in "Una storia italiana", a TV movie, and his debut in cinema was in "Piccolo grande amore" by Carlo Vanzina. He quickly became a star in Italy. But tired of being always considered a sex symbol unable to play deep roles, he started shooting movies a little more complex like "Rewind" where he plays a terrorist, "I cavalieri che fecero l'impresa" where he plays the role of a medieval man whose soul is possessed by the devil, or "La frontiera" where he plays an Austrian officer, or Saint Frances in "Francesco". And finally a great Italian-Turkish director, Ferzan Ozpetek, gave him the role of Lorenzo in "Facing Windows", his most complicated and introverted character that he portrayed with application and passion, becoming a respected young actor rather than a sex symbol. In private life Bova is a happy husband and father, very close to his wife and their children Alessandro Leon and Francesco. - IMDb Mini Biography By: I love Raoul Bova
Spouse
Chiara Giordano (March 2000 - present) (filed for divorce) (2 children)
Trivia
Appeared with Madonna in a 1999 Max Factor commercial, directed by Alek Keshishian, starring make-up artist Sarah Monzani.
He was a swimming champion with S.S. Lazio team of Rome, the oldest and most important sport club in Europe.
Performed his military duty in the "Bersaglieri".
He collects ethnic wood-carved sculptures.
He studied at the Italian Institute of Physical Education.
At age 16 he won the Italian swimming championship of the 100 meters backstroke competing for the team S.S. Lazio.
Ex-boyfriend of actress Romina Mondello.
His wife, Chiara Giordano, is a veterinarian.
He was born in Rome and considers himself a real Roman that couldn't live somewhere else, but his parents are from southern Italy, his father is from Reggio Calabria and his mother from Naples.
His father is an employee of Alitalia Airlines and his mother is an housewife.
Prepares for his role in La fiamma sul ghiaccio (2006) by reading the book "Thecurious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon and studying with the Roman psychologist Arturo Mona.
Lost 14 kilos to portray Saint Francis in San Francisco de Asís (2002)and named his second son, Francesco (b. 2001), after the Saint.
Was named Raoul after his great grandfather.
Before becoming an actor, he took an exam to enter in the "Carabinieri", the Italian military police but was refused. Ironically, he portrays a carabiniere in the TV movie Ultimo (1998) .
Sometimes plays soccer with the "Nazionale Italiana attori" in charity matches.
Made a nude artistic calendar in 2000 for the Italian magazine Max.
He's a supporter of the charity project "Vento e sole" (wind and sun) with the Nobel award-winner, Rigoberta Menchú. The project's goal is to develop an ecological system of electrification for the third-world countries, especially in Guatemala.
Likes cooking with his father.
Bova is a typical surname from Calabria.
Says his lucky number is 14.
Has two dogs: Jackie and Ofelia.
Has been the face of "Giorgio Armani eyewear" and of "Gap".
Is good friends with Giorgio Armani.
Studied acting at the school "Beatrice Bracco" in Rome.
Studied acting with Michael Margotta in Rome, Italy.
Performed acting on stage in Rome in 3 plays: "Mexico and clouds", "Macbeth clan" and "Cold blooded animals".
Shares birthday with Romane Bohringer, Emmanuelle Beart, Halle Berry, Wim Wenders, David Hallyday, Steve Martin and Magic Johnson.
Italian citizen.
Supporter and face of ecologist organization "ForPlanet".
Nearly drowned in the sea as a child. To get over this trauma, he started to follow swimming lessons and became a champion at 16.
Father, with Chiara, of two boys named Alessandro Leon (born on the 29th January 2000), Francesco (born in 2001) and a girl named Sophia.
Has 2 sisters: Tiziana and Daniela.
Mother is Rosa and father is Giuseppe.
Married his girlfriend three months after the birth of their first son Alessandro, and the child was baptized on the same day of the marriage, near Perugia, in Italy.
Has 2 little nieces: Flaminia and Beatrice.
Favorite writers are Paulo Coelho and Luis Sepúlveda.
Had a dog named Marilou when he was a child.
Favorite actors are Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Daniel Day-Lewis, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Paul Newman and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Favorite singers are Laura Pausini, Jovanotti and Pino Daniele.
His mother-in-law is one of the most famous divorce lawyers in Italy.
The first movie he ever watched was "Some like it hot".
Owns a scooter.
Is good friends with Alessandro Gassman.
Good friends with Maria Grazia Cucinotta.
Good friend with designer Giorgio Armani, actors George Clooney, Alessandro Gassman and Maria-Grazia Cucinotta.
Admits often that if he had not been an actor he would have opened a sports club and be a physical education instructor.
Loves to collect Bonzai trees.
Raoul, coming from Radulf, derives from the Germanic elements rad meaning "counsel" and wulf meaning "wolf".
Confesses an interest for Buddhism and Judaism.
Friends with Italian politician Emma Bonino, who he met through her association "Hands off Cain", against the death penalty through the world.
Shares with his wife a passion for animals.
First child, Alessandro, was born on January 29th 2000, at 7.18 AM.
Militates against the death penalty, and took part to a short movie called "15 seconds", where he plays the last moments of a man on the death row.
Was included in the "2008 World's Sexiest Men" list according to E! Entertainment, (ranked #13).
Son-in-law of lawyer (and author) Annamaria Bernardini De Pace.
In Turin, Italy, shooting La fiamma sul ghiaccio (2006) with Angela Finocchiaro, directed by Umberto Marino.
Los Angeles, working with Alfonzo Arau and Lindsay Lohan for "Dare to Love me" [October 2007]
In Sicily, shooting "Liolà" with Mónica Cruz, Giancarlo Giannini, Bianca Guaccero, Michele Placido e Serena Autieri directed by Gabriele Lavia. [August 2004]
Living with his girlfriend, actress Rocío Muñoz, who he met on the set of Immaturi - Il viaggio (2012).
Personal Quotes
It's always important what you're doing, it's not important where.
"Our son (with his wife) was born in the water, in our home's bath tub. Every evening, if I'm in Rome, we take the bath together. The love for water unites us. Now he is older than one year old and like a foreigner to whom I'd like to make known my world." - talking about his first child Alessandro-Leon.
Sometimes people of success are the loneliests ones, they are in front of the TV with the remote control in their hand and the phone never rings...
I spent the first 14 years of my life swimming, which is very important to me. Wherever I'm filming I always try and find a swimming pool.
I'll tell you, the love scene is always very, very difficult to shoot because you have all the crew around you and looking at you and when you are kissing someone, they say, `Don't put your hand on my shoulder because you're touching my hair' and something like that. And I say okay, okay. When you push the cheek, they're like, `Don't push the cheek' and I say okay. And you have to be very romantic and you say, okay. How can you enjoy the love scene?
"To meet her was a sign of destiny, and I thank God for that: our union is cemented by the same principles, by the same ideals of life." talking about his wife Chiara Giordano.
"He gave me serenity, security. There's him, before anything else." on having a child.
What's better:man or woman? Well...to love: the women, to born: I am satisfied to have been a man.
"He gave me serenity, security. There is him, before anything else." talking about his first child.
"Meeting her was a sign of the destiny, and I thank God for that: our union is cemented by the same principles, by the same ideals of life." talking about his wife Chiara Giordano.
Actually, I had my first fan the other day. I was reading a magazine and she was looking at me. `Can I ask a favor?' And I say yes, what? `Can you sign me an autograph' and I was oh, yes. And really I was dying blushing because I never expect.
The Mafia is something that the Italians are not really proud of.
Anything I can do to make the world a better place, even the smallest thing, is something feeding my soul.
About wife Chiara: "She is my existential lighthouse. Sentimental serenity, for me, is very important: as an actor, I have to move the audience and so I have to feel good about myself and my life. It's thanks to Chiara that I do well my job. (...) What the best about our relationship is syntony we have: Chiara and I understand each other immediately, we talk about everything, we confide with each other about everything. when they offered me to go to the US, I accepted it only because she did agree with my choice. She knew how much it would have been hard for us to leave Italy, but she wanted to give me support. (...) My wife and I are bound by a common view of existence, starting with the concept of family, that's sacred for us and that we defend with all our strength."
I've never been one who initiates things, I was always scared not to be liked. I always bet on delicateness and kindness, without thinking that beauty necessarily opens all doors. I always hated those who wanted to impress with cars and clothes. ...............................................................................................
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