Federico Russo (actor)

Federico Russo
Russo in 2020
Born (1997-10-19) 19 October 1997
Rome, Italy
OccupationActor
Years active2004–present

Federico Russo (born 19 October 1997) is an Italian actor.

Career

He debuted in 2004, appearing in the television series Incantesimo 7, broadcast in Italy by Rai 2. In 2005, he appeared in Incantesimo 8 and television miniseries, De Gasperi, l'uomo della speranza, broadcast by Rai Uno. In the same year, he won Dancing with the Children Starlets, category of the second edition of Dancing with the Stars, the Rai Uno conducted by Milly Carlucci.[1]

In 2006, he appeared in the Canale 5 miniseries Carabinieri – Sotto copertura, spin-off of the television series Carabinieri.

From 2006–2014, Russo became well known for his role as Mimmo Cesaroni, in Canale 5's I Cesaroni, with Claudio Amendola and Elena Sofia Ricci.

From 6 to 9 June 2009, he participated, as a guest, on Post Break, broadcast on Rai Gulp, along with Angelica Cinquantini; also from the cast of I Cesaroni. In the same year, he participated in the TV series The Teacher, in the role of Nino.

In 2010, he starred in the music video for the song Anime di Vetro, by PQuadro. In 2011, he starred in another music video, this time for Max Pezzali's Credi.

Russo in 2012

In 2015, he started playing Sam in the Italian Disney Channel sitcom Alex & Co..[2]

In January 2016, the Alex & Co. album We Are One was released. The album has 10 songs, including 6 of which he sings in; in April he performed at an Alex & Co. fan event. In the same year, as part of the Alex & Co. franchise, he starred in the film Alex & Co: How to Grow Up Despite Your Parents.[3]

In 2017, he appeared in the Rai series Scomparsa, as Luca Rebeggiani, working with Vanessa Incontrada, Eleonora Gaggero, and Saul Nanni. He also participated in the series L'Isola di Pietro as Matteo Sulci, broadcast on Canale 5.

In 2018, he played Seba in the eleventh season of Don Matteo, broadcast on Rai 1.

In 2019, he starred in the film La Mia Seconda Volta (My Second Time).

In 2020, he played Mauro, the shy lead opposite Margherita Morchio's role as Daria in the Netflix series Curon.[4]

In 2021, he starred in the title role of the film Ernesto, about a young man who explores his bisexuality and, to a lesser extent, left-wing politics in Rome. The film was directed by Alice de Luca and Giacomo Raffaelli.[5]

Personal life

Russo has lived in Rome,[6] along with his parents and his five siblings (two brothers and three sisters). During the filming of I Cesaroni, he had a reunion with his father, the actor and director Claudio Amendola, from whom he says he learned acting and cinematography.[6][7]

In a 2026 interview, he described his life as ordinary and tranquil. He keeps a part-time job as a retail clerk, given the precarity he says actors often face.[6]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Coincidenze Little boy Short film
2016 Come diventare grandi nonostante i genitori Samuele "Sam" Costa Feature film debut
Ballerina Rudolph (voice) Italian dub
2019 La mia seconda volta Luca
2020 Ernesto Ernesto
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2004–2005 Incantesimo Michele Angio Recurring role; 36 episodes
2005 De Gasperi, l'uomo della speranza Giorgio Miniseries
2006–2014; 2026 I Cesaroni Mimmo Cesaroni Main role; 145 episodes
2008 Provaci ancora prof Nino Main role (season 3); 8 episodes
2015–2017 Alex & Co. Samuele "Sam" Costa Main role; 55 episodes
2017 Scomparsa Luca Episode: "Episode 6"
2017–2018 L'isola di Pietro Matteo Sulci Main role (seasons 1–2); 12 episodes
2018 Don Matteo Seba Main role (season 11); 25 episodes
2020 Curon Mauro Raina Main role; 7 episodes
2023 Black out Riccardo Lo Bianco Main role; 8 episodes
2024 Adoration Christian Main role; 6 episodes

Other experience

  • Testimonial the advertising campaign of Never Without You with Francesco Totti (2008–2009)
  • Testimonial of WPM (2009–2012)
  • Anime di vetro, directed by Gabriele Paoli – Videoclip of PQuadro (2010)
  • Credi – Music video of Max Pezzali (2011)

References

  1. ↑ "Federico Russo". IMDb.
  2. ↑ Camerini, Francesca (4 May 2015). "Alex and Co: Federico Russo nella nuova serie su Disney Channel" (in Italian).
  3. ↑ "How to Grow up Despite Your Parents (2016) - IMDb". IMDb.
  4. ↑ Dobbs, Sarah (August 2020). "CURON: Season One; Won't ring your bell". SFX. Reviews. Vol. 329. p. 78. ISSN 0262-2971.
  5. ↑ Kramer, Gary M. (15 March 2021). "The lives of bisexual men in 'Ernesto' and 'Everything I Like'". Philadelphia Gay News. Film [Reviews]. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Russo, Federico (27 April 2026). "Federico Russo: 'Il nostro è un mestiere precario, io faccio anche il commesso part-time. Non c'è nulla di cui vergognarsi' – Intervista". SuperGuida Tv & OnDemand (Interview). Le interviste in esclusiva (in Italian). Interviewed by Zeccato, Nunzio. Italy: IdeaSolutions Holding. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Manca, Mario (28 April 2026). "Federico Russo: 'I Cesaroni non hanno tolto nulla alla mia adolescenza, ho vissuto sereno. Oltre a recitare, lavoro come commesso nel negozio di scarpe di un amico: questo lavoro è precario, ma se lo scegli lo sai'". Vanity Fair Italia. Celebrity (in Italian). Italy: Condé Nast Italia. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026.