Luca Marinelli (born 22 October 1984) is an Italian actor. He is best known for the roles of Mattia in The Solitude of Prime Numbers (2010), Guido in Every Blessed Day (2012), Andrea in The Great Beauty (2013), Cesare in Don't Be Bad (2015), The Gipsy in They Call Me Jeeg (2016), the title character of Martin Eden (2019), Nicky in The Old Guard (2020), the title character of Diabolik (2021), and Neil in Hideo Kojima's video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025).
Biography Born in Rome, Marinelli is the son of actor and voice actor , and the nephew of actress and voice actress . He enrolled at the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2009. Occasionally appearing on stage since 2006, his breakout role was Mattia, the leading character in the Saverio Costanzo's 2010 drama film The Solitude of Prime Numbers. In 2013 he was appointed EFP Shooting Star at the Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in Paolo Virzì's Every Blessed Day. Marinelli also played a supporting role in the Academy Award-winning drama The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino.
For his role of Cesare in Claudio Caligari's final film Don't Be Bad, he won the Pasinetti Award for Best Actor at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.
In 2016 he won the Nastro d'Argento and David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor for They Call Me Jeeg, and in 2019 he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his portrayal of the titular character Martin Eden at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. He also played the antagonist Primo in the 2018 TV series Trust, and starred as Nicky in the Netflix film The Old Guard. In 2018, he portrayed the Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André in Fabrizio De André: Principe libero.
He starred as Diabolik in the 2021 film based on the comics series. In 2022, he plays Pietro Guasti in The Eight Mountains () by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti. Marinelli received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Benito Mussolini in the 2024 series Mussolini: Son of the Century.
In 2025, it was announced that he and his wife, Alissa Jung, will play the characters Neil and Lucy, respectively, in Hideo Kojima's 2025 video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Filmography Film +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Year Title Role Notes 2010 The Solitude of Prime Numbers Mattia Balossino (adult) 2011 The Last Man on Earth Roberta 2012 Every Blessed Day Guido Caselli Mary of Nazareth Joseph Television film Nina Fabrizio Waves Gabriele 2013 The Great Beauty Andrea 2015 Il mondo fino in fondo Loris Don't Be Bad Cesare They Call Me Jeeg Fabio 2016 A Dangerous Fortune Mickey Miranda Television film Slam Valerio 2017 There Is a Light Paolo Let Yourself Go Ettore Rainbow: A Private Affair Milton 2018Fabrizio De André: Principe libero Fabrizio De André Remember? Him 2019 Martin Eden Martin Eden 2020 The Old Guard Nicolò 'Nicky' di Genoa 2021 Diabolik Diabolik 2022 The Eight MountainsPietro2024 Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasaItalian dub; voice role 2025 Paternal Leave Father The Old Guard 2 Nicolò 'Nicky' di Genoa 2026 The Echo ChamberLeo
TV Year Title Role Notes 2005 Ricomincio da me TV series; 2 episodes 2008 I Cesaroni Male friend TV series; episode 2x09 Provaci ancora prof! Fabrizio TV series; episode 3x06 2009 Butta la luna TV series; episode 2x02 2018 Trust Primo FX miniseries; 8 episodes 2024 Mussolini: Son of the Century Benito Mussolini Lead role
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2025 Death Stranding 2: On the BeachNeil VanaMotion Capture, Voice and Likeness
Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations received by Luca Marinelli Award Year Work Category ResultCiak d'oro 2016They Call Me JeegBest Supporting Actor David di Donatello 2013Every Blessed DayBest Actor in a Leading Role2016Don't Be Bad2016They Call Me JeegBest Actor in a Supporting Role2019Fabrizio De André: Principe liberoBest Actor in a Leading Role2020Martin Eden2023The Eight MountainsGlobo d'Oro (Italian Golden Globe) 2012Every Blessed DayBest Actor2017There Is a LightBest Actor2018Rainbow: A Private AffairBest Actor2020Martin EdenBest ActorNastro d'Argento 2012Every Blessed DayBest Actor2016They Call Me JeegBest Supporting Actor2017There Is a LightBest Actor2023The Eight MountainsBest ActorVenice International Film Festival 2015Don't Be BadPasinetti Award for Best Actor2019Martin EdenVolpi Cup for Best ActorVittorio Gassman Award 2015Don't Be BadBest Actor
Ex-aequo with Toni Servillo for The Girl in the Fog.
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