Tomas Arana(I)

TOMAS ARANA He has multiple films opening in the fall of 2024; NAPOLI - NEW YORK, directed by Oscar winner Gabriele Salvatores, where he co-stars with Pierfrancesco Favino. This film is based on a 1947 project by Federico Fellini & Tullio Pinelli. MIKE, a Raiuno project on Mike Bongiorno directed by Giuseppe Bonito & starring Claudio Gioe' & Elia Nuzzolo. Arana plays his father Phillip Bongiorno. He is also co-starring in the film LIMONOV, based on the Emanuele Carrere book, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, starring Ben Whishaw, which premiered in the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Other recent films include INFERNO by the artist Mimmo Paladino and QUEL POSTO NEL TEMPO by Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo and GLOBAL HARMONY, by Fabio Massa and he also was in two episodes of the HBO show SUCCESSION, winner of multiple Emmy Awards and a worldwide success. He was in 6 episodes of the HBO-SKY-Canal Plus miniseries THE NEW POPE, by Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino, starring Jude Law, John Malkovich and Silvio Orlando. in 2021 was the film ECHOES OF THE PAST, a WW2 drama starring Max Von Sydow. He also co-starred in 2019 in the Italian box office smash hit MA COSA CI DICE IL CERVELLO , starring Paola Cortellesi.

He co-starred as Quintus in Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR, the Dreamworks-Universal movie and winner of five Oscars, including Best Picture, starring Russell Crowe & Joaquin Phoenix. He has appeared in more than 80 films, ranging from large budget Hollywood Studio pictures to Independent films in both the U.S. and Europe. His studio pictures include THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, LIMITLESS, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, LA CONFIDENTIAL, THE BODYGUARD (as Portman, Kevin Costner's antagonist), HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (as Loginov, the Russian Saboteur), among others. He played Lazarus in Martin Scorsese's controversial LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, starring Willem Dafoe & Harvey Keitel.

In Television he was a regular in the Michael Seitzman ABC/CBS Network show INTELLIGENCE, starring Josh Holloway & Marg Helgenberger as well as appearing as a guest star on more than 30 Network TV shows. In Europe, he was also a regular on the smash hit Italian RAI TV series TUTTI PAZZI PER AMORE and the outstanding German ZDF TV drama VERBRECHEN.

Arana has played leading and supporting roles in over 30 European movie productions including films by directors such as Lina Wertmuller, Liliana Cavani, Sergio Corbucci, Riccardo Milani, Lamberto Bava, Carlo Verdone, Michele Soavi and with one of Japan's most successful directors: Koreyoshi Kurahara , in the Toho production SEE YOU, about the Paris-Dakar Race. He also was in the Madonna video BAD GIRLS, with Christopher Walken, directed by David Fincher.

In Theatre, Arana was the producer as well as one of the three leading actors in the internationally acclaimed theatre company Falso Movimento, based in Naples, Italy. Their shows included TANGO GLACIALE, OTELLO & RETURN TO ALPHAVILLE. Under Arana and the artistic director Mario Martone (now also a major Italian Film & Opera Director), Falso Movimento won many awards including Best Play of the Year, Best Set Design and the prestigious Mondello Prize. The company toured worldwide for more than nine years at International Festivals including London, Frankfurt, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Jerusalem, and many others. The company evolved into TEATRI UNITI, produced now by Angelo Curti and its Artistic Director is Toni Servillo (2 European Film Awards for Best Actor and the star of THE GREAT BEAUTY, the Oscar winning film by Paolo Sorrentino). Arana was also the creator and first Artistic Director of the MILANO OLTRE Theatre & Dance Festival in Milan, now in its 38th year. He was also the producer of the Italian Avantgarde Theatre Festival, BENVENUTO, at the La MaMa Theatre in NYC, under Ellen Stewart.

Tomas Arana grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at its prestigious American Conservatory Theatre, afterwards relocating to New York and acting in off-Broadway productions. He then hitchhiked throughout Europe and ended up living in Naples, Italy, where he worked for five years in the famous Lucio Amelio Art Gallery, working with such artists as Warhol, Rauschenberg, Beuys, Richter, Longobardi, Paladino, Kounellis, Clemente, Twombly, Pistoletto, Keith Haring, Gilbert & George, etc. Andy Warhol painted his portrait, which is now part of his extensive art collection.

He was an award winning athlete as a youth in San Francisco and has practiced for many years Aikido, Judo, Japanese Sword, Fencing as well as advanced dance and movement techniques.

He has both U.S. and Italian citizenship. He has three sons and a stepson.