Vincenzo Amato
Personal details

Vincenzo Amato

Vincenzo Amato (born March 30, 1966) is a distinguished Italian actor and world-renowned iron sculptor whose career is defined by a unique dual success in fine arts and international cinema. Born in Palermo, Sicily, to the actress and stage director Muzzi Loffredo, Amato moved to Manhattan in the early 1990s to pursue iron sculpting. His artistic talent quickly gained recognition, leading to several successful exhibitions at prestigious galleries like the Earl McGrath Gallery in New York and Los Angeles. His acting career began serendipitously when he befriended an NYU film student, Emanuele Crialese, who lived across the hall in their Lower East Side apartment building. This friendship led to Amato’s debut in Once We Were Strangers (1997), and he eventually became a mainstay in Crialese’s films, delivering a breakout performance in Respiro (2002) and earning a David di Donatello nomination for Best Actor for his role in the immigration drama Golden Door (Nuovomondo, 2006). Known for his ability to bring authentic Italian gravity and charm to his roles, Amato has navigated a successful crossover into Hollywood. He portrayed Anthony Zamperini, the father of Louis Zamperini, in the Angelina Jolie-directed war drama Unbroken (2014) and its 2018 sequel. To global streaming audiences, he is recognized as Director Gallo in the Netflix blockbuster Red Notice (2021). His extensive television resume includes recurring and guest roles in high-profile series such as Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, The Good Wife, Elementary, and Law & Order: SVU. Most recently, he starred in the acclaimed 1970s-set Italian drama L’Immensità (2022) alongside Penélope Cruz. .

Person History