Asia Argento

ASIA ARGENTO

Birth Name: Aria Argento

Date of Birth: September 20, 1975

"Sometimes I think my father gave me life because he needed a lead actress for his films." - Asia Argento

Born in Rome, Italy, Argento grew up in a family of Italian actors and moviemakers. Daughter of famed film director Darlo Argento and actress Darla Nicolodi, Asia made her first appearance on screen before the age of ten playing herself in the mini-series Sogni e bisogni. She followed that up with major roles in two of her father's films.

As her credits and awards for her performances grew through the next two decades, she became well known in Italy as the girl who excelled in the horror genre. Though practically unknown to the western world, she cracked the English-language market playing the street urchin Jared Harris in B. Monkey (1998) and again in 2002 as Yelena in the action/thriller XXX opposite Vin Diesel.

In 1994 she turned her attention to directing two short films: Prospettive (an episode of the film De-generazione) and A ritroso. In 1996 she directed a documentary on her father and in 1998 she completed one on Abel Ferrara, Abel/Asia, which won her the Rome Film Festival Award. She made her feature film directorial debut in 2000 helming Scarlet Diva, which she also wrote and starred in.

Besides acting, directing and writing screenplays, Argento is also the author of a number of short stories published in such prestigious magazines as Dynamo, L'Espresso, Sette, Village and Max. Her first novel, I Love You Kirk, was published in 1999. She has a daughter, Anna Lou, from a relationship with Marco Castoldi, of the Italian glam rock band Bluvertigo.

Filmography:

King Shot (2009)
Coin Locker Babies (2008)
De la guerre/On War (2008)
The Last Mistress (2008)
La Terza madre (2007)
Go Go Tales (2007)
Boarding Gate (2007)
Transylvania (2006)
Marie-Antoinette (2006)
Land of the Dead (2005)
Cindy: The Doll is Mine (2005)
Last Days (2005)
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)
The Keeper (2004)
Live Freaky Die Freaky (2003) (voice)
Starring (2003)
Ginostra (2002)
La sirene rouge (2002)
XXX (2002)
L'Assenzio (2001)
Les morsures de l'aube (2000)
Loredasia (2000)
Scarlet Diva (2000)
La Tua lingua sul mio cuore (1999)
Il Fantasma dell'opera (1998)
B. Monkey (1998)
New Rose Hotel (1998)
Viola bacia tutti (1997)
Compagna di viaggio (1996)
La Sindrome di Stendhal (1996)
Il Cielo e sempre piu blu (1995)
DeGenerazione (1994)
Perdiamoci di vista! (1994)
La Reine Margot (1994)
Condannato a nozze (1993)
Trauma (1993)
Le Amiche del cuore (1992)
Palombella rossa (1989)
Zoo (1989)
La Chiesa (1988)
Demoni 2 (1986)