Leonardo Maltese (born 28 October 1997) is an Italian-English actor and singer.
Biography Maltese was born in Ravenna from a Sicilian father and an English mother. After studying in England he moved to Rome to attend the Accademia teatrale di Roma Sofia Amendolea. In 2020 he launched his first single, Tourmalet, and his first EP, Salmoni, under the stage name of Leo Fulcro. He released his first album in 2021, entitled Il Mondo che Cambia.
He made his acting debut in 2022, when he played Ettore Tagliaferri in the film by Gianni Amelio Lord of the Ants. The film, presented in competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, tells the story of the writer Aldo Braibanti, played by Luigi Lo Cascio, protagonist of the so-called "Braibanti case". For his performance he was awarded the New Talent Award.
In 2023, he played Edgardo Mortara as a young man in Marco Bellocchio's film Kidnapped, presented at the Cannes Film Festival. At the 2023 Nastri d'argento awards ceremony, he won the Guglielmo Biraghi Award for his performance in the films Lord of the Ants and Kidnapped. He also poirtrayed the stylist Gianni Versace in Mimmo Calopresti's film, Gianni Versace: L'Imperatore dei sogni.
In 2024 Maltese played Giacomo Leopardi in the tv serie Leopardi - Il poeta dell'infinito directed by Sergio Rubini. That year he also released his second EP, Boy on Earth. The following year he portrays Ragusìn in L'Abbaglio, set to be realised January 16, 2025, directed by Roberto Andò.
Filmography Film YearTitleRole(s) Notes2022 Lord of the Ants Ettore Tagliaferri2023 Kidnapped Edgardo Mortara Gianni Versace – L'imperatore dei sogni Gianni Versace2025 The Illusion Lt. Ragusìn2027 Post-production2028
Television YearTitleRole(s) Notes2025 Leopardi – Il poeta infinito Giacomo Leopardi Two-parts television movie
Discography
Studio albums
2021: Il Mondo Che Cambia
EPs
2020: Salmoni 2024: Boy on Earth
Singles
2020: Tourmalet 2020: Ti Scriverei 2021: Babilonia 2021: Incubo 2021: Tutto Bene 2022: Scegli Me 2023: Yin e Yang 2023: La Mappa 2024: Spy Kids (feat. GIOVAPIÙGIOVA) 2024: Everyday
Awards
David di Donatello 2023: Italian revelation for Lord of the Ants and Kidnapped Nastro d'argento 2023: Guglielmo Biraghi award for Kidnapped Venice Film Festival 2022: Imaie Talent Award for Lord of the Ants
References