Vincenzo Nicoli
Vincenzo Nicoli (born 27 July 1958) is a British actor who appears in film, television and theatre.
Vincenzo Nicoli | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 July 1958 Worcester, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British Italian |
| Citizenship | British-Italian |
| Education | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Hank Zipzer as Peter "Papa Pete" Zipzer |
| Television | The Odyssey as Antinous EastEnders as Terry and Mad Dog Mr Selfridge as Uncle Gio Thomas & Friends as Lorenzo and Beppe |
| Spouse(s) | Heather Bleasdale |
| Children | 1 |
He is best known for his role as Papa Pete in the CBBC children's programme Hank Zipzer (2014–2016) and as the voices of Lorenzo and Beppe in Thomas & Friends (2019–present). Along with actress Flaminia Cinque, he has appeared in Leap Year, The Knot, Brothers of Italy and Mama Cannelloni.
Early life
Nicoli was born in Worcester on 27 July 1958 to Italian parents originally from the region of Apulia.
He took a three-year acting course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), in London, from which he graduated.
Career
He made his acting career when he appeared in the musical Bashville[1] and as a minor character in Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
His television appearances include Rome, Dalziel and Pascoe, Dempsey and Makepeace, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Mr. Selfridge, EastEnders and Foyle's War.[2]
Nicoli appeared as Antinous in the 1997 miniseries The Odyssey for two episodes of the miniseries. From 2014 to 2016, he played Papa Pete in the comedy programme Hank Zipzer.[3]
He played a crime boss in the Christopher Nolan superhero film The Dark Knight. He has appeared in films such as Captain Phillips, Leap Year, Alien³, Buster, In Love and War and The Naughty List.
Nicoli played the role of Jono in the 2014 critically acclaimed short film The Double Deal, where Mark Holden produced and starred in after which Holden receives four awards.
In 2019, he joined the voice cast of Thomas & Friends as the voices of Lorenzo and Beppe in the UK & US versions, respectively.
In 2020, Nicoli appeared as the mobster known as Vincenzo Murgida in the Father Brown episode, "The Folly of Jephthah", which aired on 10 January 2020.
Personal life
Nicoli is married to actress Heather Bleasdale. He and Bleasdale have a daughter, Ella Nicolì-Horne, who studies at Bournemouth University. He speaks English and Italian. He upholds his British-Italian citizenship.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Buster | Gang Members | |
| 1992 | Alien³ | Alan Jude | |
| The Ballad of Kid Divine: The Cockney Cowboy | Diablo | ||
| 1996 | In Love and War | Enrico Biscaglia | |
| 2006 | The Detonator | Yuri Mishalov | Direct-to-video |
| Rabbit Fever | Italian Man | ||
| Sixty Six | Leo | ||
| 2007 | Flight of Fury | Peter Stone | Direct-to-video |
| Dangerous Parking | Greek Fisherman | ||
| 2008 | The Journey Home | "Terry" | Short film |
| Bathory: Countess of Blood | Zsigmond Bathory | ||
| The Dark Knight | Crime Boss | ||
| 2010 | Leap Year | Stefano | |
| Rojin | Man in Suit | Short film | |
| Papa | Edwardo | Short film | |
| 2011 | National Theatre Live: The Kitchen | Alfredo | |
| Will | Broker | ||
| 2012 | The Knot | Mr. Fernandez | |
| 2013 | Spiders 3D | Caz | |
| Captain Phillips | Maersk Alabama Crew Member | ||
| 2014 | The Double Deal | Jono | Short film |
| 2016 | The Naughty List | Tony Genova | |
| 2018 | Artichoke | Massimo, The Boss | |
| Brothers of Italy | Giuseppe Petrucco | Short film | |
| 2019 | Thomas & Friends: Digs and Discoveries | Lorenzo, Beppe, Workers, Passenger (voices) | UK/US version |
| Holy Cannelloni | Papa Tony[4] | Short film | |
| 2020 | Artemis Fowl | Goblin Sergeant[5] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Accidental Death of an Anarchist | Policeman | Television movie |
| 1984 | On the Shelf | Vincenzo | Television movie |
| 1985 | Blue Money | Second Colombian | Television movie |
| Up the Elephant and Round the Castle | Lumps | Episode: "One in the Rough" | |
| 1986 | Auf Wiedersehen, Pet | Sandro | Episode: "Marjorie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" |
| The Kit Curran Radio Show | Robber | Episode: "The Street of Shame" Titled as Kit Curran in the second season | |
| The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Pietro | Episode: "The Six Napoleons" | |
| Mixed Doubles | Pat | Episode: "It's in the Book" | |
| Dempsey and Makepeace | Colombian | Episode: "The Cortez Connection" | |
| Call Me Mister | Dave | Episode: "The Carve Up" | |
| 1987 | Truckers | Mafioso | Episodes: "Stinking Fish" and "The Heat of the Moment" |
| 1914 All Out | Stapleton | Television movie | |
| Boon | Vito Rossi | Episode: "Paper Mafia" | |
| 1987–2011 | EastEnders | Terry / Mad Dog | 3 episodes |
| 1988 | Hannay | Gypsy | Episode: "Death with Due Notice" |
| Wish Me Luck | Maurice Granier | 5 episodes | |
| Home James! | Bouncer | Episode: "A Sheep's Eye for an Eye" | |
| 1989 | Blind Justice | Italian | Episode: "Crime and Punishment" |
| Me and My Girl | Geordie | Episode: "A Bit of Overtime" | |
| Making Out | Nico | 2 episodes | |
| Flying Lady | Rambo Hawkshaw | Episode: "The Match" | |
| Made in Spain | Johnie | Television movie | |
| Hit the Pitch | Michael | Television movie | |
| 1990 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | John Fassbender | Episode: "Put on by Cunning" |
| 1991 | Very Big Very Soon | Georgio | Episode: "Double Dealing" |
| 1992 | Zorro | Jorge Santiago | Episode: "Mendoza the Malevolent" |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Kazim | Episode: "Palestine, October 1917" |
| 1994 | Frank Stubbs Promotes | Suggett | Episode: "Chinatown" |
| 1995 | Joseph | Simeon | Television movie |
| Fist of Fun | Episode: "#1.4" | ||
| Shine on Harvey Moon | Azzopardi | 3 episodes | |
| 1996 | The Vet | Bruno Pirroda | Episode: "A Fresh Start" |
| 1997 | The Odyssey | Antinous | Television miniseries Episodes: "Part I" and "Part II" |
| Dalziel and Pascoe | Dave Lee | Episode: "A Killing Kindness" | |
| 1998 | The Bill | Paul Kane | Episode: "Watching the Detectives" |
| 1999 | Grange Hill | Mr. Savi | 2 episodes |
| Boyz Unlimited | Mick McNamara | 4 episodes | |
| 2002 | Black Books | Frederick | Episode: "Blood" |
| 2003 | Twelfth Night, or What You Will | Fabian | Television movie |
| 2004 | Gory Greek Gods | Poseidon | Television movie |
| Spooks | Ruldolphino Ponti | Uncredited Episode: "Celebrity" | |
| 2005 | Judge John Deed | DS Rex Massey | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| Rome | Lysandros | Episode: "Pharsalus" | |
| Ten Days to Victory | Colonel Valerio | Television documentary movie | |
| Suburban Shootout | Emile Lesoux | 4 episodes | |
| 2008 | The Royal | Tony Dannini | Episode: "To Love and to Lose" |
| 2009 | Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant | Venetian Ambassador | Episode: "Warrior 1509–1525" |
| 2010 | Holby City | Lloyd Fisher | Episode: "The Short Straw" |
| 2013 | Run | Zak | Episode: "Richard" Television miniseries |
| The Prey | Antonio Fazio | Television miniseries Episode: "Mergers and Acquisitions" | |
| 2014–2016 | Hank Zipzer | Peter "Papa Pete" Zipzer[6] | Main cast 26 episodes |
| 2014 | Mr. Selfridge | Uncle Gio | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Foyle's War | Grant | Episode: "High Castle" |
| 2016 | The Coroner | Tam Bryant | Episode: "The Captain's Pipe" |
| I Want My Wife Back | M'aitre D | Episode: "Chapter Four" | |
| Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe | Papa Pete | Television movie | |
| 2019 | Urban Myths | Alberto Vitale | Episode: "The Trial of Joan Collins" |
| 2019–present | Thomas & Friends | Lorenzo, Beppe (voices) | UK/US versions |
| 2020 | Father Brown | Vincenzo Murgida | Episode: "The Folly of Jephthah"[7] |
| Housebound | Giuseppe | 6 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Zombie Army 4: Dead War | Additional Voices (voice) |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Bashville | Performer | |
| 2003 | Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight | Gene | |
| 2011 | The Kitchen | Alfredo | |
| 2012 | The Revenger's Tragedy | The Duke | |
| 2013 | The Shawshank Redemption | Bogs Diamond | |
| 2014 | The Merchant of Venice | Duke Of Venice / Prince of Arragon | |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Doctor Who: Cry of the Vultriss | Pagus | |
| Assets of War | Vibax | ||
References
- "Vincenzo Nicoli's Actor Bio". Open Air Theatre Heritage. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- "Vincenzo Nicoli appears in EastEnders". Screen Yorkshire. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- "Vincenzo Nicoli's Comedy Guide Page". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- Nicoli, Vincenzo (9 November 2019). "Holy Cannelloni is screening in York at @ASFFest! Here is our new trailer for your viewing pleasure!". Twitter. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- Hough, Q.V. (12 June 2020). "Disney+'s Artemis Fowl Cast Guide: Who Plays Each Book Character". www.screenrant.com. ScreenRant. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- "Hank Zipzer – Series 1: Also Starring Vincenzo Nicoli and Nick Mohammed". ScreenYorkshire.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- Writer: Kit Lambert; Director: Darcia Martin; Producer: Peter Bullock (10 January 2020). "The Folly of Jephthah". Father Brown. BBC. BBC One.