Paolo Rotondo

Paolo Rotondo was born in Napoli, Italy from a Neapolitan father and an Irish Kiwi (New Zealand) mother. Paolo spent his first years in Italy, moving to New Zealand when he was ten years old. He now lives in the Hawkes Bay with his partner Renee Mark and two young children.

Rotondo is an accomplished artist working as a Film Director, Playwright and actor. He is a respected fixture working in Film, Theatre and Television industries for twenty years. His experience in filmmaking, ranges from acting, to producing, to writing and directing. In 2016 he released his debut feature film "Orphans & Kingdoms" to great critical acclaim. As an actor he is probably best known for his work on Shortland Street, New Zealand's longest running serial drama. In this series he portrayed the unlucky in love CEO of the clinic Andrew Solomon. Paolo's lead roles in feature films include the much loved Kiwi classic caper film Stickmen. He made his debut as the serial killer Simon Cartwright in the bold horror film "The Ugly" for which he won a Best Actor award at the Rome Fantafestival. Other television series Rotondo has acted in include, Xena: Warrior Princess, When We Go To War, Riverworld, Young Hercules, The Insider's Guide To Happiness and 'Cancerman'. He was nominated for TV Guide Best actor' on two occasions. In 2016 Paolo played Johnny Torrio, Al Capone's infamous mentor in the US Television series The Making of the Mob: Chicago".

The short films Rotondo wrote and directed; 'The Freezer' and 'Dead Letters' were both supported by the New Zealand Film Commission, have received international acclaim and are studied in New Zealand High schools.[1]

As a playwright Rotondo has penned major theatre shows including the highly successful 'Little Che' inspired by The Motorcycle Diaries and 'Strange Resting Places' co-written with Rob Mokaraka and based on family stories of the Māori Battalion in Italy in World War II. 'Strange Resting Places' has received five star reviews and been performed for over nine years and been published by Playmarket.[2][3][4][5]

As a TV Commercial Director Paolo is represented by Flying Fish films New Zealand.[6] He directed the film Orphans and Kingdoms which was released for general exhibition in April 2016.[7]