Edoardo Costa
Encyclopedia
Edoardo Cicorini better known as Edoardo Costa, is an Italian actor
, entrepreneur
and former model
. His career began in the fashion industry as a model in the early 1990s for the modeling agency Why Not
. Desiring something more, he began studying acting in Paris and Milan as well as in Los Angeles. He soon made television appearances on various American television series including Baywatch
, Arliss
and The Bold and the Beautiful
.
Costa also made a variety of independent American films leading to his debut in a first major feature as the terrorist Emerson, in the final installment of the Die Hard series
, Live Free or Die Hard
, with Bruce Willis
, Timothy Olyphant
, Justin Long
, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead
. His first major role in an American film was in the soon to be released drama Kiddie Ride, directed by Harold Guskin and starring James Gandolfini
and Famke Janssen
.
Costa continues to work in both the United States and Italy. He has made forays into theater in the plays, Bread Love Fantasy and Very Old Man, alongside Italian acting legend Marcello Mastroianni (Federico Fellini
’s La Dolce Vita
) and worked on numerous Italian soap operas, television series, films and reality shows.
, northern Italy, the son of a Rosangela, who worked at the local electric company and Pietro Cicorini, a transport business owner. Costa is the eldest of two children, he and his sister Monica. Costa attended Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
where he studied philosophy. He served his military service as a Carabinieri
in the mid 1980s. It was during this that he was discovered in a local Milanese restaurant bar by a modeling scout.
, Elite
and Next
. Former models include Iman
and Stephanie Seymour
. The venture catapulted Costa into the international spotlight. The modeling agency also recently began a formal dialogue with the National Eating Disorders Association
and its CEO, Dr. Lynne Grefe. Beatrice International Models will be the first international modeling agency that will work together with the association to spread awareness and positive prevention about the diseases that have plagued the industry for decades. In 2007, Costa also opened The Actor’s Academy Milano. Inspired by his experience studying acting in America, Costa began one of the first schools in Europe to exclusively recruit Lifetime Members of the Actor’s Studio—as well as teachers from other prestigious American acting schools including the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
, the Beverly Hills Playhouse
and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, all of whom specialized in method acting using the system created by Konstantin Stanislavski
. The Actor's Academy Milano has hosted acclaimed actors such as Academy Award winner Martin Landau
and has organized encounters between academy students and other professionals such as Oscar nominated actor Mickey Rourke
. The Actor's Academy Milano has asked Gary Swanson to play a pivotal role in its development. Swanson was one of the first teachers to start "Inside the Actor's Studio" hosted by James Lipton
. Swanson was among the few personally chosen by the executive committee that includes the late Paul Newman
, Ellen Burstyn
, and Arthur Penn
.
through longtime friend Solange which led to a memorable encounter with the Il Mago Otelma. Costa states that he chants regularly and says that it his religion which keeps him in tune spiritually in the competitive businesses and excessive lifestyles of the entertainment and fashion industries.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and former model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. His career began in the fashion industry as a model in the early 1990s for the modeling agency Why Not
Why Not Model Agency
Why Not Model Agency is a modeling agency based in Milan, Italy, and founded by Tiziana Casali and Vittorio Zeviani in 1976.-Models:Models represented by the agency have included:*Amber Lachner*Gianne Albertoni*Karoline Amaral*Darla Baker*Tyson Ballou...
. Desiring something more, he began studying acting in Paris and Milan as well as in Los Angeles. He soon made television appearances on various American television series including Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Arliss
Arliss
-Criticism:This show, which ran for seven seasons, is a prime example of how HBO differs from traditional networks due to its nature as a network its viewers specifically pay to be able to watch. Arliss was cited by so many viewers as the sole reason that they paid for the network that its...
and The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
.
Costa also made a variety of independent American films leading to his debut in a first major feature as the terrorist Emerson, in the final installment of the Die Hard series
Die Hard series
The Die Hard series is a series of four action films beginning with Die Hard in 1988. All four films are centered around the character of John McClane , a New York City police detective who finds himself fighting a group of terrorists in each episode...
, Live Free or Die Hard
Live Free or Die Hard
Live Free or Die Hard , is a 2007 American action film, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane. The name was adapted from the state motto of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die"...
, with Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
, Justin Long
Justin Long
Justin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...
. His first major role in an American film was in the soon to be released drama Kiddie Ride, directed by Harold Guskin and starring James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
and Famke Janssen
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
.
Costa continues to work in both the United States and Italy. He has made forays into theater in the plays, Bread Love Fantasy and Very Old Man, alongside Italian acting legend Marcello Mastroianni (Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
’s La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film written and directed by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a passive journalist's week in Rome, and his search for both happiness and love that will never come...
) and worked on numerous Italian soap operas, television series, films and reality shows.
Early life
Costa was born in VareseVarese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
, northern Italy, the son of a Rosangela, who worked at the local electric company and Pietro Cicorini, a transport business owner. Costa is the eldest of two children, he and his sister Monica. Costa attended Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore is a privately-owned Catholic university founded in 1921 by Agostino Gemelli. Its main campus is located in Milan, Italy with satellite campuses in Brescia, Piacenza, Cremona, Rome, and Campobasso...
where he studied philosophy. He served his military service as a Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
in the mid 1980s. It was during this that he was discovered in a local Milanese restaurant bar by a modeling scout.
Business Interests
In 2007 Costa took control of Beatrice International Models, an agency with forty years experience in the fashion industry on a par with Ford ModelsFord Models
The Ford Modeling Agency, or as it is known today Ford Models, is a modeling agency in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen and the late Gerard W. Ford.-Company:...
, Elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
and Next
NEXT Model Management
NEXT Model Management is a Global modeling agency with offices in New York City, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan and Paris. Founded in 1989 by Faith Kates, the agency is one of the top 3 model agencies in the world...
. Former models include Iman
Iman
Iman, also spelled imaan, may refer to:Islam* Iman , Islamic termGiven name:* Chanel Iman , American fashion model* Iman , Somali supermodel...
and Stephanie Seymour
Stephanie Seymour
Stephanie Michelle Seymour is an American model and actress. Seymour has modeled for many notable fashion magazines and designers, and has been photographed by several well-known photographers including Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Gilles Bensimon, and Mario Testino.-Career:Born in San Diego,...
. The venture catapulted Costa into the international spotlight. The modeling agency also recently began a formal dialogue with the National Eating Disorders Association
National Eating Disorders Association
The National Eating Disorders Association is an American non-profit organization devoted to preventing eating disorders, providing treatment referrals, and increasing the education and understanding of eating disorders, weight, and body image. It organizes and sponsors National Eating Disorders Week...
and its CEO, Dr. Lynne Grefe. Beatrice International Models will be the first international modeling agency that will work together with the association to spread awareness and positive prevention about the diseases that have plagued the industry for decades. In 2007, Costa also opened The Actor’s Academy Milano. Inspired by his experience studying acting in America, Costa began one of the first schools in Europe to exclusively recruit Lifetime Members of the Actor’s Studio—as well as teachers from other prestigious American acting schools including the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting is an acting school in New York founded by the actress and teacher Stella Adler -History:...
, the Beverly Hills Playhouse
Beverly Hills Playhouse
The Beverly Hills Playhouse is one of the oldest acting schools and theatres in Los Angeles. Located at 254 South Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, United States.-The early years:...
and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, all of whom specialized in method acting using the system created by Konstantin Stanislavski
Konstantin Stanislavski
Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski , was a Russian actor and theatre director. Building on the directorially-unified aesthetic and ensemble playing of the Meiningen company and the naturalistic staging of Antoine and the independent theatre movement, Stanislavski organized his realistic...
. The Actor's Academy Milano has hosted acclaimed actors such as Academy Award winner Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
and has organized encounters between academy students and other professionals such as Oscar nominated actor Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
. The Actor's Academy Milano has asked Gary Swanson to play a pivotal role in its development. Swanson was one of the first teachers to start "Inside the Actor's Studio" hosted by James Lipton
James Lipton
James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994...
. Swanson was among the few personally chosen by the executive committee that includes the late Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
, Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
, and Arthur Penn
Arthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
.
Religion
Costa began an exploration of BuddhismBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
through longtime friend Solange which led to a memorable encounter with the Il Mago Otelma. Costa states that he chants regularly and says that it his religion which keeps him in tune spiritually in the competitive businesses and excessive lifestyles of the entertainment and fashion industries.
Filmography
| Year | Film / Television Series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Human Error | |
| 1996 | Un posto al sole | Lorenzo Macchia |
| 1998 | Un medico in famiglia | |
| 1999 | Vivere | Riccardo Moretti |
| 1999 | Finalmente soli | |
| 1999 | Anni '60 | |
| 1999 | Millennium Man | Marco Sanjoni |
| 2000 | Distretto di Polizia | |
| 2000 | Valeria medico legale | |
| 2001 | Una donna per amico 3 | |
| 2001 | Hollow | Detective Santini |
| 2001 | Angelo il custode | Adriano |
| 2003 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Riccardo Moretti |
| 2005 | Il cielo può attendere | |
| 2005 | Ricomincio da me | Luca Biagini |
| 2006 | The Night Before the Exams | |
| 2007 | Live Free or Die Hard Live Free or Die Hard Live Free or Die Hard , is a 2007 American action film, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane. The name was adapted from the state motto of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die"... |
Emerson |
| 2009 | Il Benef Attore | Himself |
| 2010 | Black Tulip Black Tulip (film) The Black Tulip is a 2010 film set in Afghanistan directed by novice filmmaker Sonia Nassery Cole.-Plot:The film depicts the fictional Mansouri family who start a restaurant in Kabul named The Poet's Corner, where artists and writers meet... |
Colonel Tanelli |