List of Famous people born in Italy
John XII
Pope John XII, born Octavian, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 16 December 955 to his death in 964. He was related to the counts of Tusculum, a powerful Roman family which had dominated papal politics for over half a century. He became pope in his late teenage years or early twenties. In 960, he clashed with the Lombards to the south. Unable to control Rome easily, he sought help from King Otto I of Germany and crowned him emperor. John XII's pontificate became infamous for the alleged depravity and worldliness with which he conducted his office. He soon fell out with Otto, but died before Otto succeeded in his attempt to depose him.
Vincenzo Peruggia
Vincenzo Peruggia was an Italian museum worker, artist, and thief, most famous for stealing the Mona Lisa on 21 August 1911.
Ettore Scola
Ettore Scola was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He received a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1978 for his film A Special Day and over the course of his film career was nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Francesco Bagnaia
Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia is an Italian motorcycle racer. He currently competes in MotoGP for the Pramac Racing team. Bagnaia became the 2018 Moto2 World Champion after winning 8 races during the season, finishing his season with a total of 12 podiums, 6 pole positions and 306 points.
Romaine Brooks
Romaine Brooks was an American painter who worked mostly in Paris and Capri. She specialized in portraiture and used a subdued tonal palette keyed to the color gray. Brooks ignored contemporary artistic trends such as Cubism and Fauvism, drawing on her own original aesthetic inspired by the works of Charles Conder, Walter Sickert, and James McNeill Whistler. Her subjects ranged from anonymous models to titled aristocrats. She is best known for her images of women in androgynous or masculine dress, including her self-portrait of 1923, which is her most widely reproduced work.
Frank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by Vincent Gigante. However, the altercation persuaded Costello to relinquish power to Genovese and retire. Costello died on February 18, 1973.
Alice
Alice, also known as Alice Visconti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and pianist, active since 1971. Alice had her breakthrough after winning the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Per Elisa" in 1981, followed by European hit singles like "Una notte speciale", "Messaggio", "Chan-son Egocentrique", "Prospettiva Nevski" and "Nomadi" and albums like Gioielli rubati, Park Hotel, Elisir and Il sole nella pioggia charting in Continental Europe, Scandinavia and Japan.
Felix Silla
Felix Anthony Silla, also credited as Felix Cilla, is a retired Italian-born American film and television actor and stuntman, known for his recurring role as the costumed character of "Cousin Itt" on television's The Addams Family, with the voice usually provided by Anthony Magro (1923–2004). Silla also appeared in many other classic character roles.
Elsa Martinelli
Elsa Martinelli was an Italian actress and fashion model.
Günther Steiner
Guenther Steiner is an Italian motorsport engineer and manager. He is currently the team principal of the Haas Formula One Team, and previously managing director of Jaguar Racing and technical operations director of its subsequent incarnation, Red Bull Racing.