Actor
Giovanni Cirfiera
- Born: 14 November 1971, Casarano, Lecce, Apulia, Italy
- Age: 54
Giovanni Cirfiera is an Italian actor from Casarano in Apulia, aged 54. He is best known for playing Santo Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018) and Capitano Riva in the crime series Signora Volpe. He was born in…
Giovanni Cirfiera: films and works
Signora Volpe
2022 to 2026 · TV series
Capitano Giovanni Riva
Crime series set in Panicale, Umbria, with Emilia Fox as a retired spy; he appears in all nine episodes across three series (2022, 2024, 2026).[3][9][10]
Where to watch it
Here After
2024 · Movie
Luca
Horror thriller directed by Robert Salerno and starring Connie Britton; he is billed second.[3]
Where to watch it
The Last Paradiso
2021 · Movie
Brigadiere
Italian drama directed by Rocco Ricciardulli, with Riccardo Scamarcio.[1][3]
Where to watch it
Ford v Ferrari
2019 · Movie
Gianni Agnelli
James Mangold's motor-racing drama about Ford's bid to beat Ferrari at Le Mans; he plays the Fiat head.[3][8][15]
Where to watch it
Mary Magdalene
2018 · Movie
A Pharisee
Garth Davis's biblical drama with Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix; released in Australia on 22 March 2018.[3][7][16]
Where to watch it
Queen of the South
2018 · TV series
Luca
One episode, the third-series finale "La Muerte", first shown on 23 August 2018.[1][6][17]
Where to watch it
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
2018 · TV series
Santo Versace
Three episodes as Gianni Versace's brother in the second season of the FX anthology.[3][5][13][14]
Where to watch it- Le Mari de mon mari
The Family
2013 · Movie
BBQ guest
Luc Besson's crime comedy with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer; a small part.[1][3][8]
Where to watch it
It's Complicated
2009 · Movie
Businessman (uncredited)
Nancy Meyers's comedy with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin; an uncredited part.[1][3][6]
Where to watch it
About Giovanni Cirfiera
Giovanni Cirfiera is an Italian actor from Casarano in Apulia, aged 54. He is best known for playing Santo Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018) and Capitano Riva in the crime series Signora Volpe. He was born in Casarano, in the province of Lecce, on 14 November 1971. In a 2018 interview with his home region's newspaper he said he had chosen freedom over a settled career in fashion, because he wanted to travel, meet people and learn languages. His casting profile lists studies at the University of Economics in Bologna, and his agency lists Italian television commercials from 2000 to 2004 (Barilla, Nutella and Buitoni among them), acting classes at Teatro Libero in Milan from 2003, a workshop with John Strasberg in New York, and scene study with Ivana Chubbuck and a workshop at the Larry Moss Studio in Los Angeles. His screen career began with Italian shorts and then ran between Italy, the United States and France. Small parts put him in big films early: Camille (2008), It's Complicated (2009) with Meryl Streep, and The Family (2013) with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer. The turning point was 2018, when he played Santo Versace, brother of the murdered designer, in three episodes of the FX season led by Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin, Édgar Ramírez and Darren Criss. The same year he had a small part in Garth Davis's Mary Magdalene, and in 2019 he played the Fiat head Gianni Agnelli in James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari. Since 2022 he has been a regular on Signora Volpe, the Umbria-set mystery starring Emilia Fox, as Capitano Riva, the local police captain whose wariness of the retired spy Sylvia Fox turns to respect and something warmer. The show has run for three series and nine episodes (2022, 2024 and October 2026). Alongside it he has worked in French and Italian cinema: Tout nous sourit (2020), L'ultimo paradiso (2021) with Riccardo Scamarcio, Sirènes (2024) and the horror thriller Here After (2024), in which he is billed beside Connie Britton. He is also cast as Moses in Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ, the sequel to The Passion of the Christ, shot at Cinecittà in Rome between October 2025 and April 2026. TMDB lists him in Part Two, which Wikipedia reports is currently scheduled for 25 May 2028.
Fun facts about Giovanni Cirfiera
- He has said that when he auditioned for American Crime Story he asked why he was not being considered for Antonio D'Amico, who is from Brindisi, and only then learned that Ricky Martin already had the part.
- In 2018 his home region's newspaper reported that he had also appeared in a commercial shown in the United States during the most recent Super Bowl.
- His agency lists Italian television commercials from 2000 to 2004 for brands including Barilla, Nutella, Buitoni, Gancia and Obi.
- His casting profile lists Italian, English, French and Spanish, plus the Sicilian dialect, and a baritone singing voice with guitar, piano and saxophone.
- Acorn TV made a bonus feature about him, "A Day in the Life of Capitano Riva", for the second series of Signora Volpe.
- In The Family (2013) his part is credited as a barbecue guest in a cast headed by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.
- His name is sometimes misspelt Cirifera, and TMDB lists that spelling as an alternative.
Famous Giovanni Cirfiera quotes
“La mia vita è un po’ bizzarra, ma entusiasmante.”
Giovanni Cirfiera's career, year by year
2000 to 2004
Television commercials in Italy
His agency lists commercial work for Obi, Gancia, Buitoni, Il Giornale, Nutella, Barilla, Tea Bonomelli and Imetec, among others.[6]
2003 to 2005
Teatro Libero, Milan
Takes acting classes at Teatro Libero and appears on its stage in Three Penny's Opera (2003) and Power of Darkness (2004); also studies singing and, in 2005, acting with Alessandro Del Bianco.[6][7]
2005
New York with John Strasberg
Attends a workshop with the acting teacher John Strasberg in New York.[6][7]
2006
Los Angeles training and a first short
Studies scene work with Ivana Chubbuck and accent reduction in Los Angeles, and plays El Perro in the short Poveri diavoli, the earliest screen credit on his Wikipedia filmography.[1][6]
2008 to 2009
First Hollywood films
Plays an uncredited bartender in Camille (2008) and an uncredited businessman in It's Complicated (2009); in 2009 he also joins a workshop at the Larry Moss Studio in Los Angeles.[1][3][6]
2010
Italian television
Guest parts in the RAI series Tutti pazzi per amore and the forensic drama R.I.S. Delitti Imperfetti, plus a reporter in the US soap General Hospital.[1][6]
2012 to 2013
My Uncle Rafael and The Family
Pietro in the comedy My Uncle Rafael (2012), then a barbecue guest in Luc Besson's The Family with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer (2013).[1][3]
2015 to 2016
Italian and French television
One episode of Squadra antimafia: Palermo oggi (2015) and the French television film Le Mari de mon mari (2016).[1][6]
2018
Santo Versace
Three episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which aired on FX from 17 January 2018. The same year he appears in Mary Magdalene and the Queen of the South finale (23 August), and his regional paper reports that the series was shown in France, Spain and Italy.[5][13][16][17]
2019
Gianni Agnelli in Ford v Ferrari
Plays the Fiat head in James Mangold's film, which premiered at Telluride on 30 August 2019 and took US$226.3 million worldwide.[15]
2020 to 2021
French and Italian features
Alberto in the French comedy Tout nous sourit and the brigadiere in Rocco Ricciardulli's L'ultimo paradiso.[3][7]
2022
Capitano Riva arrives
Signora Volpe premieres on Acorn TV on 2 May 2022, with him as the local police captain opposite Emilia Fox.[9][10]
2023 to 2024
Czech, French and American work
Four episodes of the Czech comedy series Banáni (2023), then Sirènes and the horror film Here After (both 2024). The second series of Signora Volpe starts on 29 July 2024.[3][9]
2025 to 2026
Moses for Mel Gibson
Cast as Moses in Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ, filmed at Cinecittà from 6 October 2025 to 30 April 2026. Series 3 of Signora Volpe, filmed from September 2025, airs from 5 October 2026.[3][9][18][19]
Awards and festival selections
2 awards won and 0 other nominations and festival selections.
| Year | Festival or award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Emmy Awards and GLAAD Media AwardsThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | WonSeason-level honours: the season won seven Emmys and the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding TV movie or limited series. These went to the production, not to him personally.[13] |
| 2020 | Academy Awards (92nd)Ford v Ferrari | WonBest Film Editing and Best Sound Editing, out of four nominations including Best Picture. Film-level honours, not an individual award for him.[15] |
Frequent collaborators
Emilia Fox
Stars as Sylvia Fox in Signora Volpe, the series in which he plays Capitano Riva across three series.[3][9]
Tara Fitzgerald
Plays Isabel Vitale, another regular of Signora Volpe.[3][9]
Mel Gibson
Directs The Resurrection of the Christ, in which Cirfiera is cast as Moses.[18][19]
Riccardo Scamarcio
Leads L'ultimo paradiso (2021) and is cast as Pontius Pilate in The Resurrection of the Christ, both with Cirfiera.[3][19]
Rocco Ricciardulli
Directed him in L'ultimo paradiso (2021); his agency also lists Ricciardulli as director of the 2008 stage play Ammerika in which Cirfiera appeared.[3][6]
James Mangold
Director of Ford v Ferrari (2019), where Cirfiera plays Gianni Agnelli.[3][15]
Penélope Cruz
Co-star of the Versace season of American Crime Story; he called working beside the Oscar winner a source of great satisfaction.[5][13]
Ryan Murphy
Cirfiera names the director Ryan Murphy, with Penélope Cruz, as a highlight of working on the Versace season.[5]
Garth Davis
Directed Mary Magdalene (2018), in which Cirfiera has a small part as a Pharisee.[7][16]
Luc Besson
Directed The Family (2013), in which Cirfiera appears with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.[3][8]
Style, technique and reception
His training mixes the Italian stage with American method teaching. He studied at Teatro Libero in Milan, then took workshops with John Strasberg in New York and with Ivana Chubbuck and the Larry Moss Studio in Los Angeles, and his French agency lists him in Italian, English, French and Spanish. That language range explains a filmography that moves between Italian television, French comedy, Czech series and Hollywood.[5][6][7]
Many of his best-known parts are real people or figures of authority: Santo Versace, Gianni Agnelli, Moses, a Pharisee, a police brigadiere and the Panicale police captain Riva. He has been frank about casting: he told his regional paper that he looks little like Santo Versace, and that the Versace audition was the easiest of all he had done.[3][5][10][13][15]
Signora Volpe is a cosy, escapist mystery. A 2022 BritishTV review praised the Umbrian setting and the show's light tone, noted that Riva clashes with Sylvia in the early episodes before they grow closer, and said viewers wanting gritty realism might not enjoy it. A bonus Acorn TV feature, "A Day in the Life of Capitano Riva", was made for the second series.[11][12]
Away from the screen he describes himself as a passionate musician: his casting profile lists a baritone voice (art song and pop) and guitar, piano and saxophone, and in 2018 his regional paper reported that he might soon record original songs. The Apulia Soundtrack Awards lists him as an honorary member and ambassador of the festival.[5][7][8]
Where to watch Giovanni Cirfiera's films in Australia
The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two (2028)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
Signora Volpe (2022 to 2026)
- Buy: Fetch TV ($29.98), Apple TV ($46.97)
Here After (2024)
- Rent: Fetch TV ($3.99), Apple TV ($4.99)
- Buy: Fetch TV ($14.99), Apple TV ($17.99)
Sirènes (2024)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
Banáni (2023)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
The Last Paradiso (2021)
- Subscription: Netflix
Tout nous sourit (2020)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
- Subscription: Apple TV, Disney+
- Buy: Apple TV ($11.99)
Mary Magdalene (2018)
- Subscription: HBO Max
- Rent: Fetch TV ($3.99), Apple TV ($4.99)
- Buy: Fetch TV ($8.99), Apple TV ($9.99)
Queen of the South (2018)
- Subscription: Netflix
- Buy: Apple TV ($99.95)
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
- Subscription: Disney+
- Free with ads: 9Now
- Buy: Fetch TV ($59.97), Apple TV ($59.97)
Anti-Mafia Squad (Squadra antimafia: Palermo oggi) (2015)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
The Family (2013)
- Subscription: Prime Video, Stan
- Rent: Apple TV ($2.99), Fetch TV ($4.99)
- Buy: Apple TV ($4.99), Fetch TV ($14.99)
My Uncle Rafael (2012)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
R.I.S. Delitti Imperfetti (2010)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
Tutti pazzi per amore (2010)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
It's Complicated (2009)
- Subscription: Binge, Netflix
- Rent: Fetch TV ($4.99), Apple TV ($4.99)
- Buy: Apple TV ($4.99), Fetch TV ($12.99)
Camille (2008)
Not streaming, and not for rent or sale, in Australia.
Where to watch: JustWatch, checked 13 November 2026. Services change their catalogues often.
Giovanni Cirfiera: coming up
- The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two (Movie, Moses)25 May 2028
Credits and dates: TMDB.
Latest releases
- Here After2024 / TMDB 5.5
- Sirènes2024 / TMDB 5.5
- Tout nous sourit2021 / TMDB 5.8
- The Last Paradiso2021 / TMDB 5.7
- Ford v Ferrari2019 / TMDB 8.0
- Mary Magdalene2018 / TMDB 6.3
Questions about Giovanni Cirfiera
Who is Giovanni Cirfiera?
Giovanni Cirfiera is an Italian film and television actor from Casarano in Apulia. He is best known for playing Santo Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018), Gianni Agnelli in Ford v Ferrari (2019) and Capitano Riva in the crime series Signora Volpe. He is also cast as Moses in Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ.
How old is Giovanni Cirfiera?
Giovanni Cirfiera is 54 years old. He was born on 14 November 1971 in Casarano, in the province of Lecce, according to Wikidata, TMDB and AdoroCinema, and Wikipedia confirms the birthplace.
Is Giovanni Cirfiera married? Who is his wife?
There is no published information about a wife or marriage. Neither Wikipedia, Wikidata nor his agency profile names a spouse, and the interview in which he talks about his life (La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, 2018) only mentions the support of friends and family, without naming anyone. We have chosen not to guess.
Who is Giovanni Cirfiera's partner, and does he have children?
He has not made a partner or children public in any source we could find, so none is listed here. What he has said publicly is that encouragement from friends and family matters to him in a demanding job, and that he pursued travel, languages and acting instead of a settled career in fashion.
What movies and TV shows has Giovanni Cirfiera been in?
On television: Signora Volpe (2022 to 2026), The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018, as Santo Versace), Queen of the South (2018), Banáni (2023), Squadra antimafia (2015), R.I.S. Delitti Imperfetti and Tutti pazzi per amore (2010). On film: Ford v Ferrari (2019), Mary Magdalene (2018), The Family (2013), It's Complicated (2009), Camille (2008), Here After (2024), Sirènes (2024), L'ultimo paradiso (2021), Tout nous sourit (2020) and My Uncle Rafael (2012), with The Resurrection of the Christ (as Moses) still to come.
What is Giovanni Cirfiera's net worth?
There is no reliable published figure for Giovanni Cirfiera's net worth: Wikidata and TMDB give none, and we do not repeat estimates from sites that do not say how they were reached. What is documented is his work: three series of Signora Volpe (nine episodes), three episodes of a nine-episode FX season, a small part in Ford v Ferrari (which took US$226.3 million worldwide, but that is the film's gross, not his pay), commercial work in Italy and the Moses role in a Mel Gibson production.
How tall is Giovanni Cirfiera?
Giovanni Cirfiera's casting profile on Filmmakers Europe lists his height as 183 cm (about 6 ft 0 in). Wikipedia and Wikidata give no height, so this is his own professional listing rather than an independent measurement.
Who does Giovanni Cirfiera play in Signora Volpe?
He plays Capitano Giovanni Riva, the police captain of Panicale in Umbria, who starts out wary of the retired spy Sylvia Fox (Emilia Fox) and grows closer to her. He appears in all three series: 2022, 2024 and the third, which began airing on 5 October 2026.
Who did Giovanni Cirfiera play in American Crime Story: Versace?
He played Santo Versace, Gianni Versace's brother, in three episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX, 17 January to 21 March 2018), alongside Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin, Édgar Ramírez and Darren Criss.
Is Giovanni Cirfiera in Ford v Ferrari?
Yes. He plays Gianni Agnelli, the head of Fiat, in James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari (2019), a film starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale that won the Oscars for film editing and sound editing.
Is Giovanni Cirfiera in Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ?
He is cast as Moses. ComingSoon.it, TMDB and his casting profile all list the role, and TMDB attaches it to Part Two, which Wikipedia reports is currently scheduled for 25 May 2028. The film was shot at Cinecittà in Rome between October 2025 and April 2026.
Where is Giovanni Cirfiera from? What is his nationality?
He is Italian, born in Casarano in the province of Lecce, in the Salento area of Apulia (Puglia). His 2018 interview was with the regional paper La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, which called him a Casarano native, and he works across Italy, France and the United States.
Is Giovanni Cirfiera in The Good Mothers or Home Sweet Rome?
No. An earlier version of this page listed those two 2023 series, but neither Wikipedia's cast lists nor TMDB's credits for him include them. His credits around then are the Czech series Banáni (2023) and the second series of Signora Volpe (2024).
Is it Giovanni Cirfiera or Giovanni Cirifera?
The correct spelling is Cirfiera, as on Wikipedia, Wikidata and his agency profile. TMDB lists Cirifera as an alternative spelling, so searches under either name lead to the same actor.
Sources
- [1]Wikipedia: Giovanni Cirfiera
- [2]Wikidata: Giovanni Cirfiera (Q47472028)
- [3]TMDB: Giovanni Cirfiera (credits, dates and posters)
- [4]AdoroCinema: Giovanni Cirfiera
- [5]La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, 28 August 2018: Da Lecce ad American Crime Story, l'attore Giovanni Cirfiera
- [6]UBBA (agency): Giovanni Cirfiera, actor profile
- [7]Filmmakers Europe: Giovanni Cirfiera casting profile
- [8]Apulia Soundtrack Awards: Board, Giovanni Cirfiera
- [9]Wikipedia: Signora Volpe
- [10]Cozy Crime Index: Signora Volpe cast and character guide
- [11]BritishTV, 29 April 2022: Signora Volpe review
- [12]Acorn TV: A Day in the Life of Capitano Riva
- [13]Wikipedia: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
- [14]Wikipedia: Santo Versace
- [15]Wikipedia: Ford v Ferrari
- [16]Wikipedia: Mary Magdalene (2018 film)
- [17]Wikipedia: List of Queen of the South episodes
- [18]Wikipedia: The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two
- [19]ComingSoon.it: La Passione di Cristo: Resurrezione, cast
Profile researched from these sources and reviewed 5 November 2026.