The little boy from 'Life is Beautiful': See how Giorgio Cantarini is now!

At just five years old, the young actor Giorgio Cantarini moved the world as he played Giosué, the little boy in Roberto Benigni's acclaimed movie 'Life is Beautiful' (La Vita è Bela).

Photo: Screenshot from 'Life is Beautiful'

'Life is Beautiful' is one of the most influential and remembered films in the history of modern cinema. It tells the story of Guido Orefice, (Roberto Benigni), a young Italian-Jewish newlywed who is sent to a Nazi concentration camp with his son during World War II.

Giorgio Cantarini played Guido's son in this delicate masterpiece in which everything revolves around the bond between father and son. To protect the boy from the horrors of war, Orefice convinces him that everything in the camp is part of a big game.

The actor would later recall how the directors explained the complexity of the Holocaust story to him. At the time, in order for Cantarini to understand the difficult context of the film, the directors simply said it was a story about good and bad people.

The film won three Academy Awards in 1999: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Actor (Roberto Benigni), and Best Soundtrack. Not bad for Cantarini's first film!

In addition, at the 1998 Cannes Festival, 'Life is Beautiful' won the Grand Prix, chosen by the jury as the Best Film of the Year. Upon receiving the award, Roberto Benigni kissed the feet of Martin Scorsese, president of the jury, in a memorable moment of the ceremony.

Giorgio Cantarini was born in the Italian city of Orvieto in 1992. He grew up north of Rome in a country house with his family.

Photo: Screenshot from 'Life is Beautiful'

Yes, he did! In 2000, Giorgio had a small role in the film 'Gladiator'. He played the son of the protagonist Maximus, the lead role by Russell Crowe.

Photo: Screenshot from 'Gladiator'

'Gladiator' was a box office and critical success, winning no less than five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Russell Crowe). At the age of eight, little Giorgio Cantarini already had a great resume.

In 2001, Cantarini gave life to Slavko in a film set in the First World War whose plot is inspired by a true story. Also in the cast were Callum Blue and Barbora Bobulova, pictured on the poster.

In 2007, Cantarini participated in an Italian production, 'Il giorno, la notte. Poi l'alba' ('Day, night. Then dawn'). He was 15 years old and played the character Guiseppe.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

After that film, Cantarini stayed away from the cameras for a while. His plan actually wasn't to work in film; he wanted to become a professional soccer player! This dream lasted until he turned 18.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

In an interview with the newspaper El Mundo, Cantarini revealed that he had kept in touch with director Roberto Benigni all those years. When his soccer career didn't take off, he took Benigni's advice and joined the Experimental Cinematography Center in Rome. He got his diploma in 2014.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

Years later, in 2022, Cantarini was once again part of a major production: 'Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend'. The biographical drama tells the story of Italian businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, who revolutionized the automobile industry during World War II.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

Written and directed by Robert Moresco, Cantarini brings the businessman's relative Giorgio Lamborghini to life. The movie, which also starred Mira Sorvino, was released in select theaters across the United States on November 18, 2022.

Image: poster of 'Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend'

This short film is a modern version of the book 'Divine Comedy' by Dante Alighieri. The central axis of the short revolves around a young Italian couple who visit Berlin in 1991 and experience the nocturnal environment intensely, in a mixture of Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell.

Photo: still of 'Divine Comedy' / YouTube

In this production, directed by Makan Talayeh, Giorgio Cantarini is the great protagonist alongside Valentina Violo and Uwe Mayer.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

Incidentally, the role in the short 'Divine Comedy' yielded good results. "I studied for a month at the New York Film Academy and I felt very much at home. I already have contacts with an American producer and director", Cantarini told El Mundo.

In 2023, Giorgio Cantarini participated in the play 'Altrove', in Rome, alongside actress Augustina Risotto Interlandi.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

As for love, his Instagram profile is flooded with passionate photos of him and the Italian actress Marial Bajma-Riva.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram

Currently, Cantarini divides his life between New York, Italy and France. Despite not frequenting the big film studios, he continues to do theater and also works as a screenwriter and director of small projects.

Image: @giorgiocantarini / Instagram