| Birth date | 25 July 1969 (age 57) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Genoa, Italy |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Part of the duo Luca e Paolo with Luca Bizzarri |
| Spouse | Sabrina Donadel (m. 2003) |
Paolo Kessisoglu (ˈpaːolo kessiˈsɔːɡlu; born 25 July 1969) is an Italian actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for the duo Luca e Paolo, formed with his friend, Luca Bizzarri. Kessisoglu was also a member of the comedic group Cavalli Marci ("Rotten Horses").
Early and personal life
Kessisoglu was born in Genoa to an Armenian family.[1] His paternal grandfather moved as a child with his family from Smyrna (today İzmir, Turkey) to Greece and later to Italy to escape from the Armenian genocide.[2] The family settled in Trieste for several years before finally moving to Genoa. The original surname, Keshishian (Քեշիշյան), was Turkized during the escape in Keşişoğlu (with the Armenian -ian ending replaced by the Turkish patronymic ending -oğlu) to arouse less attention, and then Hellenized to Kesísoglou (Κεσίσογλου).[2]
In June 2003, Kessisoglu married TV anchor and journalist Sabrina Donadel, with whom he has a daughter, Lunita (b. 2003).[1][3][4]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | E allora mambo! | Mauro Paternò | |
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove | Kronk (voice) | Italian dub |
| Tandem | Pietro Borsello | ||
| 2001 | The Living Forest | Ho-Ho (voice) | Italian dub |
| 2003 | Oggi è una bella giornata | Paolo | Short film |
| 2005 | …e se domani | Matteo Cellario | |
| 2008 | Asterix at the Olympic Games | Omega | |
| Tinker Bell | Clank (voice) | Italian dub | |
| 2009 | Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure | Italian dub | |
| 2010 | Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue | Italian dub | |
| 2011 | The Immature | Virgilio Montesi | |
| 2012 | The Immature: The Trip | ||
| 2013 | Colpi di fortuna | Piero | Segment: "Primo episodio" |
| 2014 | Un fidanzato per mia moglie | Pietro | |
| 2020 | Un figlio di nome Erasmus | Jacopo | |
| Per tutta la vita | Mark | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–1998 | Ciro, il figlio di Target | Himself/Various | Sketch comedy show (seasons 1–2) |
| 1999 | Ciro | Himself/Various | Sketch comedy show |
| 2000–2002 | MTV Trip | Himself/co-host | Reality show |
| 2001 | Mai dire Gol | Himself/Guest | Sports program (season 11) |
| 2001–2003 | Sitting Ducks | Aldo (voice) | Main role; 52 episodes |
| 2001–2011 | Le Iene | Himself/co-host | Variety/reality show (seasons 5–11, 13–15) |
| 2003–2017 | Camera Café | Paolo Bitta | Co-lead role; 1756 episodes |
| 2004 | Superciro | Himself/Various | Sketch comedy show |
| 2007 | La strana coppia | Felice "Felix" De Santis | Co-lead role; 30 episodes |
| 2011 | Sanremo Music Festival 2011 | Himself/co-host | Annual music festival |
| Così fan tutte | Paolo Bitta | Episode: "Episodio 1" | |
| 2012 | Scherzi a parte | Himself/co-host | Prank show (season 12) |
| 2014 | Giass | Himself/co-host | Game show |
| 2015–2016 | Colorado | Himself/co-host | Variety show (seasons 17–18) |
| 2017–present | Quelli che... il Calcio | Himself/co-host | Sports program (seasons 24–present) |
| 2018 | Immaturi - La serie | Virgilio Montesi | Main role; 8 episodes |
References
- ^ (in Italian) Luca e Paolo: «Aiuto! Ci avete messo in mezzo»
- ^ Anna Maria Giordano, L'ultimo atto di un genocidio è la sua negazione, Rai Radio 3, 2013.
- ^ Maria Teresa Veneziani (30 June 2010). "Paolo Kessisoglu: "Sono diventato vegetariano, ho perso cinque chili. E accarezzo i miei ricci"". Corriere della Sera. Archived 8 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Andrea Greco (2 April 2010). "Paolo Kessisoglu e Sabrina Donadel: Vita ascetica di una iena in coppia". leiweb.it