Edwin Gagiano
{{short description|South African Actor, filmmaker, singer/songwriter (born 1989)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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| name = Edwin Gagiano
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| image = Edwin_Gagiano.jpg
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| caption = In 2016, Gagiano on the red carpet at Sunscreen Film Festival, St. Petersburg, FL
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| birth_name = Edwin Gagiano{{cite web|title=Bio|url=http://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16791|website=tvsa|accessdate=30 May 2016}}{{cite web|title=Edwin Gagiano Biography|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6582444/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm|website=IMDb|accessdate=30 May 2016}}
| birth_date = {{birth_date_and_age|1989|06|01}}
| birth_place = Kimberley, South Africa
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| alma_mater = HTS Kimberley
| occupation = Actor, filmmaker, singer/songwriter
| years_active = 2006–present
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Edwin Gagiano (born June 1, 1989) is a South African-born actor, screenwriter, producer, singer/songwriter and model{{cite news|last1=Luphahla|first1=Zandisile|title=Rising young actor back in town|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_2026bcece68d4432aaf6ad844e6504b0.pdf|accessdate=9 June 2016|issue=17 March 2014|publisher=The New Age|ref=ModelJudge}} based in Los Angeles, California. He is regarded as one of South Africa’s highest-earning actors by The New Age and has won several awards for his achievements, including Best Actor Award for his role as Alf Bueller in the show Back to the 80s.{{cite news|last1=Luphahla|first1=Zandisile|title=Kimberley actor gains international acclaim|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_209c9ffdada04591a39d4c48bf16504a.pdf|accessdate=9 June 2016|publisher=The New Age|date=7 March 2016|ref=AcclaimNews}}{{cite web|title=About Edwin Gagiano|url=http://www.edwinactor.com/#!about/cjg9|website=Edwin Gagiano|publisher=edwinactor.com|accessdate=9 June 2016|ref=WebBio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813175454/http://www.edwinactor.com/#!about/cjg9|archive-date=13 August 2016|url-status=dead}}
Early life
Gagiano was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape, and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. His father, Albertus Johannes, is a math lecturer and a war veteran who served his country during the South African Border War in the 1980s. His mother, Maryna Elizabeth, is a retired banker and interior designer. Gagiano is of Italian, British and Welsh ancestry. Gagiano attended Technical High School (HTS Kimberley) and began his career at sixteen as a stage actor when he landed one of the leading roles as Alf Bueller in the Northern Cape Theatre musical Back to the 80s. In 2014, he was cast by the Peoples Theatre as Disney’s Prince Charming in Cinderella.{{cite news|last1=Luphahla|first1=Zandisile|title=Our Gagiano just goes gaga over his Tinseltown tour|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_1aea363cfac24d1ebc72865e40984f4d.pdf|accessdate=9 June 2016|issue=18 September 2014|publisher=The New Age|ref=GagianoCareer}}
Career
= Acting =
Gagiano debuted on the television as the lead in SABC 2’s primetime television series Snake Park (2014), portraying Zak Verwey. The show was picked up for a second season{{cite news|last1=Ellaya|first1=Chanelle|title=Inside the world of South African youth|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_152ad1a39da349e597f30aae3a29d5b5.pdf|accessdate=11 June 2016|issue=June 2015|publisher=Screen Africa}} in 2015 due to its high viewership, exceeding 2 million viewers per episode. Gagiano went on to star and co-star in nine feature films and three television series. He was included in the closing cast of the soap opera Villa Rosa in 2015, starring as Marcel Geldenhuys. Gagiano starred in several other feature films, including Seun: 81457397BG (2014), and Last Broken Darkness (2016). He had a bit part in the movie Chappie (2015).{{cite web|title=Edwin Gagiano| website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6582444/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm|accessdate=11 June 2016|ref=IMDBGagiano}}{{cite web|title=Rising young actor back in town|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_2026bcece68d4432aaf6ad844e6504b0.pdf|website=edwinactor.com}}
= Commercials =
In 2015, Gagiano was cast as the lead in South Africa’s national Toyota ad campaign to advertise the new Toyota Aygo. This campaign covered television, cinema, public locations and internet usage, with more than 200,000 views on YouTube.{{cite web|last1=Radu|first1=Mihnea|title=Toyota Aygo Gets Worshiped in South Africa Commercial|url=http://www.autoevolution.com/news/toyota-aygo-gets-worshiped-in-south-africa-commercial-video-102611.html#|website=Auto Evolution|publisher=autoevolution.com|accessdate=25 July 2016}}{{cite web|title=New Aygo Advert 2015 – Make Your Mark|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgdS43Idv8|website=YouTube|publisher=Toyota South Africa}}
= Singing and songwriting =
In 2010, Gagiano released an EP album with 6 songs. His single "Mommy" was repeatedly played on PUK FM 93.6, and "3 Reasons Why" played on Highveld Stereo. Gagiano wrote the Afrikaans single "Stille Praatwerk", which he performed on the kykNET hit television series Sterlopers, as Andre Groenewald.
Filmography
= Film roles =
| class="wikitable"
|+Selected film credits |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Director ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2017
| Corporate Red | Corporate Black | Timothy Klein | |
| 2016
| Last Broken Darkness | Fowler | |
| 2015
| Chappie | Office Worker | |
| 2014
| Seun: 81457397BG | Marius | |
| 2014
| Run or Die | Deputy John Jr. | Eugene Koekemoer | |
| 2016
| Thirst | Ryan Temple | Kevin Singh | |
| 2016
| Gisteraand | Liam | Francois Olivier | Short film |
| 2016
| Beeldskoon | Armand Valentine | Edwin Gagiano | Also writer |
| 2016
| Strong | Aldus | Edwin Gagiano | Also writer, producer |
= Television roles =
| class="wikitable"
|+Selected television credits |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Director ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2013
| Snake Park | Zak Verwey | Season 1, 13 episode |
| 2015
| Snake Park | Zak Verwey | Deon Potgieter | Season 2, 13 episodes |
| 2016
| Villa Rosa | Marcel Geldenhuys | Andries Van Der Merwe | 9 episodes |
| 2016
| Sterlopers | Andre Groenewald | Luhann Jansen | 2 episodes |
= Theatre roles =
| class="wikitable"
|+Selected theatre credits |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Company |
|---|
| 2014
| Disney |
| 2013
| Alf Bueller | Northern Cape Theatre |
= Commercials =
| class="wikitable"
|+Selected commercial roles |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Usage |
|---|
| 2015
| Lead | Television, cinema, public location, internet |
| 2014
| Snickers | Player 5 | Russia, Soccer World Cup |
Awards, honors and achievements
- Best Actor Award – Gagiano received the Best Actor Award for his role as Alf Bueller in Back to the 80’s.
- Honors in Drama and Arts – In 2007, Gagiano was awarded the Blazer of Honor in Drama and Arts by HTS Kimberley.
- Top Male Actor in Villa Rosa Star Hunt competition – Gagiano was the only male actor to advance to the Top 10 of this nationwide competition out of thousands of actors. Villa Rosa Star Hunt was televised on KykNET television.{{cite news|last1=Luphahla|first1=Zandisile|title=Kimberley actor gains international acclaim|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a40e9_209c9ffdada04591a39d4c48bf16504a.pdf|accessdate=9 June 2016|publisher=The New Age|date=7 March 2016|ref=AcclaimNews}}
Influences
Gagiano's acting influences are Jack Nicholson, Kevin Spacey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino and Matt Damon. His biggest director influence is Steven Spielberg.{{cite web|title=Biography|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6582444/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm|website=IMDB}}
References
External links
- {{IMDb name|6582444}}
- {{Official website|http://egagiano.wix.com/edwingagiano}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagiano, Edwin}}