Asia Argento facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Asia Argento
Argento in 2018
Born	Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento (1975-09-20) 20 September 1975 (age 49) Rome, Italy
Other names	Aria Argento
Occupation	Actress filmmaker
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Michele Civetta ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2013)​
Partner(s)	Morgan (Marco Castoldi; 2000–2006) Anthony Bourdain (2016–2018)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Dario Argento Daria Nicolodi
Relatives	Claudio Argento (uncle) Alfredo Casella (great-grandfather)

Asia Argento (born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. She is the daughter of famous filmmaker Dario Argento. She has acted in many movies, including some directed by her father. She became well-known for her roles in films like XXX (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), and Marie Antoinette (2006).

Her other notable acting roles include Queen Margot (1994) and Traveling Companion (1996). Asia Argento has won several awards, such as two David di Donatello awards for Best Actress and three Italian Golden Globes. She has also directed films like The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) and Misunderstood (2014).

Early Life and Family

Asia Argento and her father Dario at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival

Asia Argento was born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento in Rome, Italy, on September 20, 1975. Her father, Dario Argento, is a famous Italian filmmaker known for his horror movies. Her mother was actress Daria Nicolodi. Her great-grandfather on her mother's side was the composer Alfredo Casella.

When she was born, the city office in Rome did not accept "Asia" as a name. So, her official name became "Aria." However, she always went by Asia and later used it for her acting career. She says her name like "AH-she-ah."

Asia Argento has shared that she felt lonely and sad as a child. This was partly because her parents were often busy with their work. Her father even used to read his horror movie scripts to her as bedtime stories. When she was eight, Asia published a book of poems. At 14, she left home for a short time.

She has mentioned that she did not have a very close relationship with her father when she was young. She felt he was often away. She once said that she started acting to get her father's attention. She also shared that she was afraid to leave her apartment for a while, only going out for work.

Acting and Directing Career

Asia Argento started acting when she was nine years old. Her first small role was in a film by Sergio Citti. When she was 16, she starred in her father's movie Trauma (1993).

She won the David di Donatello award for Best Actress in 1994 for her role in Perdiamoci di vista. She won it again in 1996 for Compagna di viaggio. This second award also earned her a Grolla d'oro award. After this, Asia began acting in movies made in English, like B. Monkey and New Rose Hotel (both from 1998). She also acted in French movies, starting with La Reine Margot in 1994.

Around the same time, she started directing. She made short films called Prospettive and A ritroso (both 1994). She also directed documentaries about her father (in 1996) and another director, Abel Ferrara (in 1998). In 2000, Asia Argento directed and wrote her first full-length movie, Scarlet Diva (2000). Her father helped produce this film.

Argento at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

She became more widely known after playing Yelena, an undercover spy, in the Hollywood action film XXX (2002). In this movie, she starred alongside Vin Diesel. The film was very successful and helped Asia become famous around the world. She then directed her second feature film, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004).

Besides her work in movies, Asia Argento has written stories for magazines. Her first novel, I Love You Kirk, was published in Italy in 1999. She has also worked as a model for a denim brand. She appeared in music videos for bands like Placebo and Marilyn Manson.

In May 2013, Asia Argento released her first music album, called Total Entropy. In 2014, she acted in the British film Shongram. This was a romantic drama based on events from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Also in 2014, she directed her third movie, Misunderstood (2014). This film was chosen to be shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. While promoting the film, Asia Argento said she planned to focus more on writing and directing instead of acting.

Personal Life

Argento at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival

Asia Argento speaks Italian, English, and French. She learned French for a role in a movie.

In 2017, she moved to Germany. She said this was because of how she was treated in Italy after she spoke out about certain issues.

Family and Relationships

Asia Argento's first child, a daughter named Anna Lou Castoldi, was born in 2001. The father is Italian musician Morgan. She named her daughter after her half-sister, Anna Ceroli, who passed away in a motorcycle accident.

Asia Argento married film director Michele Civetta on August 27, 2008. Her second child, a son, was born in Rome in 2008. The couple divorced in 2013. She lives with her children in Rome.

From 2016 to 2018, Asia Argento was in a relationship with chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain. They became close while working on an episode of his show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in Rome.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Writing

Asia Argento's autobiography, Anatomy of a Wild Heart, was published in Italy on January 26, 2021.

Music videos

• "(s)AINT" – Marilyn Manson
• "This Picture" – Placebo
• "Live Fast! Die Old!" – with Munk
• "Someone" – with Archigram and Antipop
• "Sexodrome" – with Morgan
• "Life Ain't Enough for You" – with The Legendary Tigerman
• "My Stomach Is the Most Violent of All of Italy" – with The Legendary Tigerman
• "Ours" – with Tim Burgess
• "La vie est belle" – Indochine
• "Dead Meat" – Sean Lennon

Discography

Awards and Recognition

In 2012, Asia Argento was featured in a special event called Argento: Il Cinema Nel Sangue at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. This event celebrated the important influence of the Argento family on filmmaking around the world. It recognized Asia's contributions, along with those of her mother (Daria Nicolodi), father (Dario Argento), grandfather (Salvatore), and uncle (Claudio).

See also

In Spanish: Asia Argento para niños

• Cinema of Italy