Tommaso Ragno, a renowned Italian actor, was born in the picturesque coastal town of Vieste, in the province of Foggia, as the eldest of two children. His family, hailing from Apulia and with maternal roots in ex-Yugoslavia, relocated to Piacenza when he was just two years old. As a reserved and introspective individual, Ragno spent a significant amount of his early years in solitude, immersing himself in literature and reading voraciously, with the ambition of becoming a writer.
However, his academic pursuits took a different turn as he enrolled in the prestigious Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Art in Milan, where he honed his acting skills. Later, he spent time living in Berlin before settling in Rome, where he weathered the pandemic lockdown.
Ragno made his stage debut in 1988, starring in the Greek tragedy "La seconda generazione," a production directed by Mario Martone. He has since collaborated repeatedly with Carlo Checci, whom he regards as his "greatest teacher." His film debut came in 1997 with "We All Fall Down," directed by Davide Ferrario.
Throughout his career, Ragno has appeared in a wide range of films, including "Chimera" (2001),"Medea Miracle" (2007),"The Council of Egypt" (2002),"L'uomo privato" (2007),"Me and You" (2012),"Like Crazy" (2016),and "Bloody Richard" (2017). In 2018, he starred in "Happy as Lazzaro," directed by Alice Rohrwacher, which earned the Award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and the American National Board of Review's Best Foreign Language Film Award.
Ragno's performance as the grown-up Tancredi in "Happy as Lazzaro" earned him a nomination at the CinEuphoria Awards for Best Ensemble - International Competition. He has also appeared in notable works such as Nanni Moretti's "Three Floors" (2021) and Paolo Virzì's "Dry" (2022),both of which were shot before the pandemic.
In addition to his film work, Ragno has established himself as a talented television actor, starring in popular series such as "Distretto di polizia" and "Il tredicesimo apostolo." He has also lent his voice to various literary classics, including "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "Dracula," "A Room with a View," and "Frankenstein," on the program "Ad alta voce" on Rai Radio 3.
Ragno's impressive range has earned him numerous accolades, including the Flaiano Prize and the Golden Screen Award for his role as Marcello in the 2018 series "Il miracolo," directed by Niccolò Ammaniti. In 2020, he played the Italian mafia boss Donatello Fadda in the fourth season of the critically acclaimed series "Fargo," written and directed by Noah Hawley.
