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In 1997, the entire world was shocked by Life is Beautifulthe Italian film directed and starring Roberto Benigni which follows the touching bond between a father and son against the backdrop of World War II. In addition to sweeping the 1999 Oscars ceremony, he catapulted to fame Giorgio Cantarino, who gave life to little Giosué Orefice.
Today, almost three decades after the premiere and at 32 years old, Cantarino has moved away from the cameras, but remains strongly linked to the art world.
Life is Beautiful It is, 27 years after its release, one of the most influential and remembered films in the history of modern cinema. This tells the story of Guido Orefice, a nice young man who manages to win the heart of Dora – a role played by Nicoletta Braschi – whom he marries and later they have a son, Giosué.
This happy home life is interrupted when father and son are taken to a concentration camp after the Nazi invasion. In order to protect the boy from the horrors of what they have to live through, Orefice convinces him that it is all a game and that they must pass a series of tests in order to win a war tank.
The feature film, inspired by what was experienced in Auschwitz by the Italian Jew Rubino Romeo Salmonì – who died in 2011 – was a resounding success and, on the night of the 1999 Oscars, it won the categories of best actor, another for best film non-English speaking and best soundtrack for Nicola Piovani. Likewise, he catapulted little Giorgio Cantarino to fame since, at just five years old, he had won the affection of all film fans.
Cantarino landed the role almost as if it had been written for him. Benigni, in search of the perfect actor who could play the innocent Giosué, published an advertisement in the newspaper where he specified the characteristics required to try out for the role. There were hundreds of children who showed up for the casting, but Giorgio managed to catch the director’s attention as soon as they exchanged glances and, finally, he was selected. As for how they managed to explain the complex plot to him at such a young age, in an interview with an Italian media he revealed: “They told it to me like a little story, which was a story about good guys and bad guys.”.
How is Giosué today?
Giorgio Cantarini was born on April 12, 1992 in Orvieto, Italy, and in 2024 he turned 32 years old. His parents are Tina and Rimazio Cantarini; Furthermore, he has a brother named Lorenzo.
His character in Life is Beautiful opened the doors to the film industry and Giorgio participated in numerous productions such as Gladiator, Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, Of Love and War and Commanderthe film by Edoardo De Angelis that was presented in 2023 at the Venice Film Festival.
In addition, he ventured as a director and screenwriter, standing out in the direction of the short film Il giorno, la notte: poi l’alba in 2012 and co-writing the script for Flatmates, in 2018.
On Instagram, Giorgio Cantarini has more than 44 thousand followers. According to his biography, he lives between Italy and New York and his publications focus mostly on his professional career, with few references to his personal life. He defines himself as a free thinker and a citizen of the world. Although away from the big film studioscontinues dedicated to art as a theater actor, screenwriter and director of small projects.
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