Asia Argento was born in Rome, Italy, into a family of actors and filmmakers, both occupations which she has pursued herself. She made her debut at the tender age of nine in Sergio Citti's Sogni e bisogni (1985). Four years later, she landed the leading role in Cristina Comencini's first film, Zoo (1988),and was part of the cast of The Church (1989),directed by Michele Soavi. The following year, she played Nanni Moretti's daughter in Red Wood Pigeon (1989),also directed by Moretti.
It was with Close Friends (1992),written and directed by Michele Placido, that Asia's career really took off, allowing her to move on from playing very young girls to more mature, complex roles. The movie received critical acclaim at the Cannes International Film Festival. In Trauma (1993),she worked for the first time with her father, renowned Italian horror director Dario Argento, who is also the father of her mother, Daria Nicolodi, playing an anorexic girl in search of her parents' killer.
The Phantom of the Opera (1998) is the third film she has made with her father, the others being Trauma (1993) and The Stendhal Syndrome (1996). Asia's intense and captivating acting style was well-utilized in Giuseppe Piccioni's Condannato a nozze (1993). In 1993, she co-starred in Carlo Verdone's Perdiamoci di vista (1994),playing Arianna, a physically disabled girl, an intricate and difficult role that won her the David di Donatello for best actress (1993-1994).
She also had a featured role in the international cast of Queen Margot (1994),directed by Patrice Chéreau. In 1995, she worked with Michel Piccoli in Peter Del Monte's Traveling Companion (1996),which won her a David di Donatello and a Grolla d'oro.
