Stelio Savante

Biography

A South African born New Yorker with over three decades of versatile, award winning performances in world-wide theatrically released studio & independent films, prime-time & cable television & New York theater. After small speaking roles opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind (2001) & David Chase's The Sopranos (1999) as Gaetano; his breakthrough lead role came in 2005 on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) directed by Oscar winner Juan José Campanella. Starring opposite Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni, & Bradley Cooper as the chilling yet engaging fundamentalist Milan Zergin. Also, a coveted recurring role on Ugly Betty (2006), becoming South Africa's first male SAG Award Nominee (Ensemble Comedy Performance). Followed by significant supporting roles in the studio films My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) opposite Eddie Izzard, Luke Wilson, & Uma Thurman directed by Ivan Reitman for Twentieth Century Fox . An ensemble lead in Sony's Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008) produced by David Lancaster, a supporting role in Pure Flix's What If... (2010), & supporting lead in the Lionsgate family films Leap (2016) & Bernie The Dolphin (2018), released in 135 countries . His performance as Hunter Kimbrough in Peter Greenaway's Golden Bear nominated Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015) was noted as memorable by Film Journal's David Noh, as he & the lead cast were nominated for a Teddy Award at Berlin film festival. Portrayed the head of a sex trafficking ring in Gravitas Venture's Selling Isobel (2017), winner of several major awards at Raindance & San Diego film festivals. Was recognized globally by critics for his role as a ruthless policeman in the South African film A Million Colours (2011) on Netflix. Recently starred opposite Matt Dillon & Jim Caviezel in Running for Grace (2018) opposite Michael Beach & George Blagden in No Postage Necessary (2017), opposite Alex Russell & Willa Holland in Pacific Standard Time (2016), opposite Isaach De Bankolé & Juliet Landau in Where the Road Runs Out (2014), winner of the Black Reel Award for Outstanding World Cinema. Praised for his recurring portrayal as Joe 'The Boss' Masseria in AMC's The Making of the Mob (2015) with Previously TV's Sarah Bunting stating 'Stelio is reminiscent of James Gandolfini, I liked a certain gravitas-emblance to the Fini that I saw in Stelio'. His portrayal was also hailed by The Examiner's Diane Zoller Ciatto. Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner applauded his understatedly powerful turn as Howard Boston opposite Brian White in TV One's Media (2017). Received outstanding reviews as a tormented hit-man with a conscience in Pronoia & as a rebellious Jewish prisoner in Once We Were Slaves; winning Best Actor at the American Movie Awards & the SOFIE Awards. Labelled 'The Chameleon' by Screen Africa Film Magazine. Additionally a staple of well received recurring & guest star roles including NBC's My Own Worst Enemy: Conspiracy Theory (2008), in Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass' Togetherness (2015) for HBO, portraying David Sarnoff in the Nat-Geo mini-series American Genius (2015), J.J. Abrams' Undercovers (2010), Person of Interest (2011), NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (2003), Breakout Kings (2011), Without a Trace (2002), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001), The Suite Life on Deck (2008), Arrested Development (2003), All My Children (1970), The Guiding Light (1952) & as Dino in Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots (2013) for Own Network. With over fifteen years of New York stage credits that include favorable reviews from the NY Times, he is a student of Robert X. Modica, Deborah Kampmeier, William Alderson, Don Bloomfield, & Diane Venora. His training is rooted in theater & improvisation but influenced by the eras of French New Wave & Italian Neo-Realism. Was acknowledged by Al Pacino, F. Murray Abraham & several NY theater critics for his lead performance in Mortal Coils, directed by the Actor's Studio Ed Setrakian at the Mint Theater. A popular voice over artist, he played the role of Ajax in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018). Was inducted into the Alpha Psi Omega honors society for his achievement in American collegiate theater. Served on the actor's panel of the 2014 San Diego film festival with Josh Duhamel, Tom Berenger & Dennis Haysbert, hosted by Variety & film critic Jeffrey Lyons. Is a board member of the River Street Theater Company; alongside Robert Carnegie, Jeff Goldblum, David Mamet, Jon Voight & president, William Alderson. Frequently volunteers his time simultaneously performing & producing Sarah Tuft's "110 Stories" to raise money for several charities. His fellow casts have included Edie Falco, James Gandolfini, Cynthia Nixon, Robert Forster, John Hawkes, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa Leo, Jeremy Piven, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Tamara Tunie, Kathleen Turner, John Turturro, & Diane Venora.