---
name: "Marco Leonardi"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/marco-leonardi"
fi1m_id: "marco-leonardi"
imdb_id: "nm0502813"
tmdb_id: 27643
wikidata_id: "Q1052244"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 November 1971"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-02T23:40:54.041331+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Marco Leonardi

## Identity

Marco Leonardi

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/marco-leonardi
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** marco-leonardi
- **IMDb ID:** nm0502813
- **TMDB ID:** 27643
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1052244
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Leonardi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1052244, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502813/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27643

Actor. Born 14 November 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 November 1971, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- **Active:** 1988–2017
- **Also known as:** مارکو لئوناردی
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 84 (1), 2000s 56 (1), 2010s 63 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 66 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Crime 2, Drama 2, Thriller 2, Action 1, History 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $192m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Leonardi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1052244, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502813/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27643

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Cinema Paradiso*](https://film.one/film/cinema-paradiso.md) (84), [*All the Money in the World*](https://film.one/film/all-the-money-in-the-world.md) (63)
- **Tubi:** [*Once Upon a Time in Mexico*](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md) (56)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Marco Leonardi

> Marco Leonardi makes romantic sincerity persuasive without demanding that we admire the effort. His teenage Totò fits the tenderness of *Cinema Paradiso*, although the quieter performance cannot quite replace the unruly pleasure of its childhood scenes.

As the teenage Totò in *Cinema Paradiso* (1988), Marco Leonardi lets the film grow quieter around him. He fits the reflective mood without trying to reproduce Salvatore Cascio’s childhood mischief. We were touched by his romantic passages, because he takes the young man’s feelings seriously even when the film becomes too sweet. We still miss Cascio, though: the romance has less to surprise us than the exchanges with Alfredo.

Giuseppe Tornatore’s casting asks us to recognise one person in three actors, with Jacques Perrin playing Totò as an adult. Editor Mario Morra makes those changes easy to follow, so the changing faces do not become a distraction. Leonardi does not disturb the tenderness that holds the film together. The difficulty is the more deliberate pace: the film gives these recollections plenty of time, sometimes more than they need. We would sooner have a little less lingering than ask him to make the feelings any larger.

*Like Water for Chocolate* (1992) continued the romantic leading roles, with Leonardi playing Pedro Muzquiz. His physical presence and expressive eyes suit that sort of emotionally direct part. His work subsequently took him into American productions, while he continued in Italian cinema and television. He played Fideo in *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003). Later Italian roles include Luigi in *Black Souls* (2014) and Bernardo Fiore in *Martin Eden* (2019).

What we value in Leonardi is the lack of embarrassment about tenderness. In *Cinema Paradiso*, he accepts the romantic material on its own terms, and the scenes remain touching even when they run longer than they should. We would not ask him to become more knowing just to protect us from sentiment. Try *Like Water for Chocolate* next, to see him given another romantic lead.

## Biography

Marco Leonardi is an Australian-born Italian actor. He was born on 14 November 1971 in Melbourne to Italian parents and moved to Italy at the age of four.

Leonardi began acting as a teenager and is known for his role as the teenage Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita in Giuseppe Tornatore's *Cinema Paradiso* (1988). He later appeared as Pedro Muzquiz in the Mexican film *Like Water for Chocolate* (1992) and as Fideo in *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003). Other credits include *From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter* (2000), *The Stendhal Syndrome* (1996) and *Martin Eden* (2019). He has been nominated twice for the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor.

Leonardi has worked in Italian, Mexican and American productions and lived in Los Angeles for ten years. He was engaged to Mexican actress Lumi Cavazos from 1991 to 1999.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *All the Money in the World* (2017), Fi1m 63, as Saverio Mammoliti — [page](https://film.one/film/all-the-money-in-the-world.md)
- *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003), Fi1m 56, as Fideo — [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md)
- *Cinema Paradiso* (1988), Fi1m 84, as Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (teen) — [page](https://film.one/film/cinema-paradiso.md)

## Complete filmography (72)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Iris Affair* (2025), series, as Chief Commissioner Enrico Bruni
- *Parikrama: The Journey* (2025), as Alessandro
- *Little Richard The Shark?* (2025), as Lamiera (voice)
- *The hidden sea* (2024), Actor
- *My Place is Here* (2024), as Lorenzo
- *Hitmen* (2023), as Don Salvatore Piazza
- *My Brother and I* (2023), Actor
- *Romanzo radicale* (2022), Actor
- *Padre Pio* (2022), as Gerardo
- *The Great Salento War* (2022), Actor
- *American Night* (2021), as Don Tony
- *WAMEGO: Addendum* (2020), Actor
- *The Devil's Clock* (2020), series, as Jacopo Merani
- *The Great Wave* (2020), Actor
- *From the Vine* (2019), as Luca
- *Aspromonte: Land of The Forgotten* (2019), as Cosimo
- *Martin Eden* (2019), as Bernardo Fiore
- *Lucania* (2019), as Don Fortunato
- *Das Boot* (2018), series, as Sal "Toto" Giuliano
- *Soledad* (2018), as Belmonte
- *The Last Man* (2018), as Antonio
- *Prigioniero della mia libertà* (2018), as Sovritendente Maggio
- *La banalità del crimine* (2018), as Conte
- *Renata Fonte - Una donna contro tutti* (2018), as Antonio Spagnolo
- *All the Money in the World* (2017), as Saverio Mammoliti — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/all-the-money-in-the-world.md)
- *A Family* (2017), as Pietro
- *Maltese* (2017), series, as Cesare Millocca (u' normanno)
- *The Space Between* (2017), as Di Stasio
- *Worldly Girl* (2016), as Celestino
- *Ustica: The Missing Paper* (2016), as Corrado di Acquaformosa
- *Black Souls* (2014), as Luigi
- *Cha cha cha* (2013), as Fotografo
- *Twins* (2012), as Giovanni Ravaioli
- *6 passi nel giallo* (2012), series, as Giovanni Ravaioli
- *Il Generale Dei Briganti* (2012), series, as Rocco
- *Anti-Mafia Squad* (2009), series, as Africa
- *L'ultimo padrino* (2008), as Emanuele / 'Africano'
- *Corleone* (2007), series, as Calogero Bagarella
- *Maradona, the Hand of God* (2007), as Diego Armando Maradona
- *Mary* (2005), as Apostle Peter
- *St. Peter* (2005), as Marco
- *St. Peter* (2005), series, as Marco
- *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003), as Fideo — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md)
- *It's Better to Be Wanted for Murder Than Not to Be Wanted at All* (2003), as Ben Clemons
- *Texas Rangers* (2001), as Jesus Sandoval
- *Knights of the Quest* (2001), as Ranieri di Panico
- *From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter* (2000), as Johnny Madrid
- *Father Matteo* (2000), series, as Saverio Donini
- *The Five Senses* (1999), as Roberto
- *Vacation in Hell* (1997), as Angelo
- *David* (1997), as Urija
- *Davide* (1997), series, as Uriah
- *La frontiera* (1996), as Franco Velich
- *Italiani* (1996), as Fortunato
- *The Stendhal Syndrome* (1996), as Marco Longhi
- *Manhattan Merengue* (1995), as Carmelo
- *Bandits* (1995), as David
- *In the Flesh* (1995), as Eddie Sanchez
- *The Whores* (1994), as Maurizio
- *La ribelle* (1993), as Sebastiano
- *Tre passi nel delitto - Villa Maltraversi* (1993), as Mirko Cavicchi
- *Like Water for Chocolate* (1992), as Pedro Muzquiz
- *La fine dei giochi* (1990), Actor
- *Ferdinando, Man of Love* (1990), Actor
- *The Palermo Connection* (1990), as il fioraio
- *Scugnizzi* (1989), as Salvatore
- *Cinema Paradiso* (1988), as Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (teen) — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/cinema-paradiso.md)
- *Ciao ma'...* (1988), as Paolo
- *The Last Minute* (1987), as Paolo Tassoni
- *The Bride Was Beautiful* (1987), as Giuseppe
- *Il coraggio di parlare* (1987), as Fortunato il pastore
- *Da Vinci*, as Prior Bandello

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/marco-leonardi