Vittorio Mezzogiorno

In his 20 year film and TV acting career, Mezzogiorno achieved greater fame in Europe than in the states. His popularity peaked with his star turn in the Italian TV miniseries, "The Octopus 5--The Heart of the Matter." He was also in the American TV miniseries "Mussolini: The Decline and Fall of Il Duce" (1985) and appeared in European films by notable directors including Francesco Rosi and Werner Herzog. Mezzogiorno was acclaimed for his performances in "I Tre fratelli/Three Brothers" (1980) and Jean-Jacques Beineix's gorgeous but unsuccessful "The Moon in the Gutter" (1983). He also toured as Arjuna on stage in Peter Brook's "The Mahabharata" from 1984 to 1985, a role he reprised for the 1989 film version.