Biography
Who is Michele Soavi?
Early life and family background
Michele Soavi was born on July 3, 1957, in Milan, Italy. He grew up in a prominent family. His father, Giorgio Soavi, worked as a journalist, poet, and author. His mother, Lidia, came from the family that founded the famous Olivetti brand.
As a child of twelve, he saw a film by Dario Argento, which sparked his interest in the horror genre. During his teenage years, he enrolled in creative arts classes. He sought formal training as an actor by attending the drama school of Alessandro Fersen. Alongside his studies, he gained practical experience behind the camera.
Acting and assistant directing career
His career in the film industry began in 1979 after appearing as an extra in the movie Bambule. Director Marco Modugno offered him a role as an assistant director shortly after. He acted in several productions, such as City of the Living Dead and Alien 2.
Throughout the early 1980s, he served as an assistant director for Aristide Massacessi. He later collaborated extensively with Dario Argento on major projects like Tenebrae, Phenomena, and Opera. He also worked with Lamberto Bava on films including Demons and Blastfighter. In many of these productions, he appeared on screen in various cameo or supporting roles. To fit the style of Italian cinema during that era, he often used English-sounding pseudonyms like Michael Shaw or Michael Saroyan.
Directing feature films
Michele Soavi established himself as a director through his work on music promos and documentaries. His first feature film was the 1987 horror production Stage Fright. He followed this with the release of The Church in 1989 and The Sect in 1990.
In 1994, he directed the zombie film Cemetery Man, which starred Rupert Everett. He stepped back from the film industry for a time to focus on family needs before moving into television work. He returned to directing feature films in 2006 with the neo-noir movie The Goodbye Kiss. This project earned him the Best Director award at the Taormina Film Fest. He later directed Blood of the Losers, a drama set during World War II. In 2018, he directed the fantasy comedy The Legend of the Christmas Witch.
Birthday and age
Michele Soavi was born on July 3, 1957, which makes Michele 69 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Michele shares the date with 52 other famous people.
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