Birthday: Oct 22, 1966

Birthplace: Naples, Campania, Italy

Biography: The second child of an Italian germanist and a Greek painter, Valeria Golino grew
up in Naples until her parents parted. After three years in Athens with her mother
and another three in Naples with her father, she began to work as a model. She left
high school after her first movie and didn't study performing arts at all. In 1985
she got the leading role in Piccoli fuochi (1985) by Peter Del Monte and the next
year won the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival for Storia d'amore
(... ... (read more...) 1986). After some European co-productions (Dernier ?t? ? Tanger (1987), Occhiali
d'oro, Gli (1987), Paura e amore (1988)) she began to work in Hollywood (Big Top
Pee-wee (1988)). She soon gained prominent roles in Rain Man (1988), Hot Shots!
(1991) and Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993). Now she works in the US (Clean Slate
(1994), An Occasional Hell (1996)), Europe (Putain du roi, La (1990), Immortal
Beloved (1994)) and in Italy. too, especially with young directors (Come due
coccodrilli (1994), Acrobate, Le (1997), Albero delle pere, L' (1998)). In 1994 she
produced and acted in Sfagi tou kokora, I (1996) by Greek director Andreas Pantzis.
Her voice is more appreciated in Hollywood (where she took speech therapy) than in
Italy (where she is sometimes dubbed); in "The Slaughter of the Cock" she acts as a
deaf and dumb woman. She speaks four languages: Italian, Greek, French and English.
Her brother is a musician and their uncle Enzo Golino is a famous journalist.