Raffaello Degruttola

Raffaello Degruttola is an English Italian actor, writer, and director based in London. His most notable acting roles include The Hustle (film), Rush (2013 film), and Saving Private Ryan and Quantum of Solace. In 2010 Degruttola wrote and directed his first 30min drama 'The Other Side of My Sleep', and following the film's success in opening the Boston Film Festival, he went on to shoot his first feature List of British films of 2014, which was selected for the Raindance Film Festival and The NYC Independent Film Festival, and nominated for a British Independent Film Award. 
== Early Life ==
Degruttola was born in The London Borough of Barnet, London, England, to Francesco Degruttola and Lina Lipizzi. His parents immigrated to London from Ariano, Italy, in 1970. At the age of eight, his family temporarily moved to Queens, New York. By the time Degruttola was 13, he attended local acting classes in London and successfully qualified to attend Sylvia Young Theatre School. At 16, he continued to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. After his studies, Degruttola moved back to America. He later returned to London at the age of 23 to pursue a career in acting for theatre and television. Degruttola went under the stage name Raph Taylor from 1996 to 2000. 
== Career ==
By 1989, Degruttola was cast in his first professional role in a British crime soap opera The Bill (1984- ). He was soon cast for roles in Hollywood films such as Francesco in Richard Attenborough’s ‘In Love and War (1996 film)’ (1996), and Private Goldman in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ directed by Steven Spielberg. In 2022, Degruttola was part of the first stage production of Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse in London. 
=== Contro Vento Films ===
Contro Vento Films is an independent film production house based in London. The company aims to illuminate under-represented voices and stories from perspectives that often go untold in the mainstream media. Degruttola has used his production house to produce: ‘The Other Side of My Sleep’, ‘Flim: The Movie’, ‘No Way Home’, and most recently ‘Transference: a Bipolar Love Story’ in partnership with AMG. 
==== The Other Side of My Sleep (2010) ====
After the death of his father, Degruttola began writing his own films. In 2010, he released his first short film, ‘The Other Side of My Sleep’, a 30-minute drama inspired by the recent death of his Father and the loss of his Grandmother. The plot follows an old- fashioned Catholic Italian woman, Teresa, living in North London with her two children, Marco and Maria. SInce the death of her husband, she longs to be reunited with him. Growing tired of life and reality, the mother dreams of a perfect afterlife, which makes her feel like she is reaching closer to her late husband every night. However stubborn Teresa feels towards ending her life, Marco and Maria try their hardest to stop her.
The film opened at The Boston Film Festival as part of the Official Selection.
==== Transference: A Bipolar Love Story (2019) ====
In 2019, Degruttola wrote, directed, and featured in his second feature film, Transference: A Bipolar Love Story. The film’s focus was to experiment with the theme of mental illness in relationships and/or domestic partnerships, an experience he closely relates to due to his father’s bipolar disorder. The plot follows a young Norwegian nurse, Katarina Nielson, played by Emilie Sofie Johannesen, living in Hendon, North London, and falling in love with Nik Culozzi - an Italian nurse, played by Degruttola. However, conflict arises when he fails to hide his Bipolar condition, which he refuses to medicate. 
The film was selected for the Arizona and Buenoa Aires International Film Festivals and received the Jury Award at SRFF in New York. 
=== Actor - Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1996	In Love and War 	Francesco 	(as Raph Taylor)
1998	Saving Private Ryan	Goldman 	(as Raph Taylor)
2001	Sam's Circus 	Foster 	Movie for TV
2003	What a Girl Wants 	Groom 	
2003	Citizen Verdict 	Highway Patrol	
2008	Quantum of Solace 	Alfa 2 Driver 	
2013	Rush 	Giovanni 	
2013	Diana 	Mario Brenna 	
2014	Flim: The Movie 	Ravi Vasami 	Writer, director, actor
2014	Blood Moon 	Jeb Norton 	
2019	The Hustle 	Fancy Euro Man	
2022	The Butterfly Guard	Lopez 	
=== Actor - Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1989 	The Bill 	Alan 	Episode: "Cock-Up"
1989 	Summer's Lease 	Chrissie's Friend 	Episode: "The Urbino Trail"
1990 	Making News 	Arab Boy 	Episode: "Line of Fire"
1990 	Press Gang 	Member of the News Team 	3 episodes
1997 	Thief Takers 	Mario Volanta 	2 episodes
2002 	Murder in Mind 	Standring 	Episode: "Rage"
2002 	Helen West 	PC Douglas 	Episode: "Shadow Play"
2007 	Drop Dead Gorgeous	Chip Schnider 	Episode: "2.7"
2012 	The Borgias 	Mortuary Attendant 	Episode: "The Confession"
2014 	Law & Order: UK 	Niccolo 	Episode "Repeat to Fade"
2009 - 2015	Doctors 	Carlo Ortelli / Enzo Amato	2 episodes
2020 	Avenue 5 	Fernando Bianchi 	2 episodes
2021 	Ted Lasso 	Uri 	Episode: "Lavender"
2022 	Father Brown 	Ispettore Mario Angelini 	Episode: "The Final Devotion"
=== Actor - Theatre ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Theatre 	Notes
1998	The Talented Mr. Ripley	Mister Reddington/Peter 	Palace Theatre, Watford, UK 	Written by Phyllis Nagy
2022	Force Majeure 	Cleaner/Ricardo/French Waiter	Donmar Warehouse, London, UK	Directed by Michael Longhurst
== Personal Life ==
Degruttola married Scottish actress and producer Simone Lahbib in 2003. Their daughter, Skye Lucia DeGruttola, was born in 2005.
Category:1972 births
Category:Italian actors
Category:People from London