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Gabriele Lavia

Italian actor/director Gabriele Lavia has developed a lively career balancing film and theater work; however, he is best known in the United States for his performances in Italian horror films. He made his film debut in 1972, with a lead role in the offbeat comedy "The Assassin of Rome," but it was his supporting turn in the pregnancy-centered horror feature "Beyond the Door" that would proved to be his path to international fame. Lavia went on to appear in a number of brutal horror films, including several by adored horror-auteur Dario Argento, like the murder mystery "Deep Red"; the American college-set sequel to his iconic "Suspiria," "Inferno"; and the serial killer mystery "Sleepless" ("Non ho sonno"). In 1984, Lavia won the Silver Ribbon from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for his directorial debut, "Il principe di Homburg," which he adapted from a play by Heinrich von Kleist. Lavia has since gone on to write and direct a number of films, and has also become a highly regarded member of Italy's theater community, performing and serving as artistic director for a string of theaters over the past 30 years. Though he works most often in theater, Lavia continues to resurface in Italian cinema, lending strong supporting performances to a wide range of films.