Edwin Gagiano

Edwin Gagiano (born June 1, 1989) is a South African-born actor, screenwriter, producer, singer/songwriter and model[3] based in Los Angeles, California.[1][2] He is regarded as one of South Africa’s highest-earning actors[4] by The New Age and has won several awards for his achievements, including Best Actor Award for his role as Alf Bueller in the show Back to the 80s.[4][5][6]

Edwin Gagiano
In 2016, Gagiano on the red carpet at Sunscreen Film Festival, St. Petersburg, FL
Born
Edwin Gagiano[1][2]

(1989-06-01) June 1, 1989[1][2]
Kimberley, South Africa
Alma materHTS Kimberley
Occupation(s)Actor, filmmaker, singer/songwriter[1]
Years active2006–present

Early life

Gagiano was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape, and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. His father, Albertus Johannes, is a math lecturer and a war veteran who served his country during the South African Border War in the 1980s. His mother, Maryna Elizabeth, is a retired banker and interior designer. Gagiano is of Italian, British and Welsh ancestry. Gagiano attended Technical High School (HTS Kimberley)[5] and began his career at sixteen as a stage actor when he landed one of the leading roles as Alf Bueller in the Northern Cape Theatre musical Back to the 80s.[4] In 2014, he was cast by the Peoples Theatre as Disney’s Prince Charming in Cinderella.[5][6]

Career

Acting

Gagiano made his television debut as the lead in SABC 2’s primetime television series Snake Park (2014), portraying Zak Verwey. The show got picked up for a second season[7] in 2015 due to its high viewership, exceeding 2 million viewers per episode.[5] Gagiano went on to star and co-star in nine feature films and three television series. He was included in the closing cast of the soap opera Villa Rosa in 2015, starring as Marcel Geldenhuys.[4] Gagiano starred in several other feature films, including Seun: 81457397BG (2014), and Last Broken Darkness (2016). He had a bit part in the movie Chappie (2015).[8][9]

Commercials

In 2015, Gagiano was cast as the lead in South Africa’s national Toyota ad campaign to advertise the new Toyota Aygo. This campaign covered television, cinema, public locations and internet usage, with more than 200,000 views on YouTube.[10][11]

Singing and songwriting

In 2010, Gagiano released an EP album with 6 songs. His single "Mommy" was repeatedly played on PUK FM 93.6, and "3 Reasons Why" played on Highveld Stereo. Gagiano wrote the Afrikaans single "Stille Praatwerk", which he performed on the kykNET hit television series Sterlopers, as Andre Groenewald.[2]

Filmography

Film roles
Selected film credits
Year Title Role Director Notes
2017 Corporate Red Corporate Black Timothy Klein
2016 Last Broken Darkness Fowler Christopher-Lee Dos Santos
2015 Chappie Office Worker Neill Blomkamp
2014 Seun: 81457397BG Marius Darrell Roodt
2014 Run or Die Deputy John Jr. Eugene Koekemoer
2016 Thirst Ryan Temple Kevin Singh
2016 Gisteraand Liam Francois Olivier Short film
2016 Beeldskoon Armand Valentine Edwin Gagiano Also writer
2016 Strong Aldus Edwin Gagiano Also writer, producer

[5][12]

Television roles
Selected television credits
Year Title Role Director Notes
2013 Snake Park Zak Verwey Darrell Roodt Season 1, 13 episode
2015 Snake Park Zak Verwey Deon Potgieter Season 2, 13 episodes
2016 Villa Rosa Marcel Geldenhuys Andries Van Der Merwe 9 episodes
2016 Sterlopers Andre Groenewald Luhann Jansen 2 episodes

[5][12]

Theatre roles
Selected theatre credits
Year Title Role Company
2014 Cinderella Prince Charming Disney
2013 Back to the 80s Alf Bueller Northern Cape Theatre

[5][12]

Commercials
Selected commercial roles
Year Title Role Usage
2015 Toyota Aygo Lead Television, cinema, public location, internet
2014 Snickers Player 5 Russia, Soccer World Cup

[12]

Awards, honors and achievements
  • Best Actor Award – Gagiano received the Best Actor Award for his role as Alf Bueller in Back to the 80’s.
  • Honors in Drama and Arts – In 2007, Gagiano was awarded the Blazer of Honor in Drama and Arts by HTS Kimberley.
  • Top Male Actor in Villa Rosa Star Hunt competition – Gagiano was the only male actor to advance to the Top 10 of this nationwide competition out of thousands of actors. Villa Rosa Star Hunt was televised on KykNET television.[4][12]

Influences

Gagiano's acting influences are Jack Nicholson, Kevin Spacey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino and Matt Damon. His biggest director influence is Steven Spielberg.[13]

References
  1. "Bio". tvsa. TVSA. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. "Edwin Gagiano Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. Luphahla, Zandisile. "Rising young actor back in town" (PDF). No. 17 March 2014. The New Age. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. Luphahla, Zandisile (7 March 2016). "Kimberley actor gains international acclaim" (PDF). The New Age. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. Luphahla, Zandisile. "Our Gagiano just goes gaga over his Tinseltown tour" (PDF). No. 18 September 2014. The New Age. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. "About Edwin Gagiano". Edwin Gagiano. edwinactor.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  7. Ellaya, Chanelle. "Inside the world of South African youth" (PDF). No. June 2015. Screen Africa. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  8. "Edwin Gagiano". Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  9. "Rising young actor back in town" (PDF). edwinactor.com.
  10. Radu, Mihnea. "Toyota Aygo Gets Worshiped in South Africa Commercial". Auto Evolution. autoevolution.com. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  11. "New Aygo Advert 2015 – Make Your Mark". YouTube. Toyota South Africa.
  12. "About Edwin Gagiano". edwinactor.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  13. "Biography". IMDB.
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