Stelio Savante (born April 24, 1970), a South African actor.
Following two decades of Lort contract theater, Savante gained wider recognition for his roles in television series and films, including opposite Zachary Levi, and Sonequa Martin-Green, in the Amazon MGM biopic Sarah's Oil, opposite Elizabeth Tabish and Elizabeth Mitchell in the immigrant drama Between Borders, opposite Matt Dillon in the Hawaiian drama Running for Grace, opposite Anne Heche, in her final film performance in the noir What Remains, opposite Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan in the political thriller Infidel, and in the South African epic drama Colors of Heaven.
In 2007 he became the first male South African-born Screen Actors Guild award nominee (Best Ensemble in a Comedy) for his recurring role on Ugly Betty followed by roles in the studio films My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. He is also known for the roles of Moses in the biblical series The Chosen, and the voice of Ajax in the video games Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile.
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Early life
A Capetonian of Greek, Italian, British, Ashkenazi, and Anatolian descent, his grandfather was a racing driver who placed and won medals at the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally. Fluent in Afrikaans and Greek, he graduated from Camps Bay High School, immigrated from South Africa to the United States when he was offered an international tennis scholarship by the University of West Alabama.
Career
His prime-time debut came in police procedural crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a Bosnian–Muslim fundamentalist. Directed by Juan Jose Campanella and starring Bradley Cooper, the episode was nominated for an Emmy. Recurred as Steve on comedy-drama television series Ugly Betty, produced by Salma Hayek. He became the first male South African to receive a Screen Actor's Guild nomination along with the lead ensemble cast in 2007. Also recurred in 2008 drama television series My Own Worst Enemy, with further guest star lead roles in J. J. Abrams' Undercovers opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw, The Suite Life on Deck, Person of Interest opposite Jim Caviezel, Without a Trace opposite Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Ivana Milicevic, Breakout Kings opposite Jimmi Simpson, and NCIS. As well as in the HBO series Togetherness directed by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, and in The Chosen by Dallas Jenkins.
Further television credits include S.W.A.T., FBI, Law & Order: Criminal Intent opposite Annabella Sciorra, The Sopranos, as Dan 'Schaffy' Schaffner in Jim Breuer's pilot Pulp Comics on Comedy Central and recurring as Antonio on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He portrayed Joe Masseria in the mini-series The Making of the Mob: New York for AMC and David Sarnoff in American Genius for National Geographic.
Additional film credits include Twentieth Century Fox's 2006 superhero romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend directed by Ivan Reitman, starring opposite Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Uma Thurman, and Rainn Wilson, and Ron Howard's 2001 Academy Award winner A Beautiful Mind opposite Russell Crowe. Ensemble leading roles in Sony Pictures Entertainment 2008 military science fiction film Starship Troopers 3: Marauder produced by David Lancaster, and the 2010 Movieguide award winner drama film What If
He also acted in the 2013 supernatural horror film Awakened, and a lead role opposite Isaach De Bankole and Juliet Landau in Rudolf Buitendach's 2014 drama film Where the Road Runs Out, the first feature filmed in Equatorial Guinea, winner of the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2014 San Diego Film Festival and the Black Reel Award for Outstanding World Cinema in 2017. He also starred in Peter Greenaway's 2015 biographical film Eisenstein in Guanajuato nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. He also voiced the role of Ajax in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Films and plays produced
Savante has produced and served in a producing role on such films as No Postage Necessary, Official Selection of the Heartland Film Festival starring George Blagden and Michael Beach, making history as the first film to ever release via blockchain technology using cryptocurrency as payment, and drama Selling Isobel starring opposite Lew Temple, and Alyson Stoner, winner at the 2016 Raindance film festival, released by Gravitas Ventures.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks Stelio produced and performed 110 Stories Celebrity Benefit Performances with Katie Holmes, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, and Jeremy Piven. at the Skirball Center for The Performing Arts at NYU. It was directed by Gregory Mosher. Savante describes 110 Stories as a chance to give people closure about the attacks; he was in New York City at the time of the attacks, and cites that as a reason why he produces the play.
In 2010, he also produced and performed the Los Angeles theater debut of 110 Stories Celebrity Benefit Performances at the Geffen Playhouse, with John Hawkes and Ed Asner directed by Mark Freiburger. All proceeds were donated to the Red Cross Los Angeles as aid to Haiti in the aftermath of their earthquake. In 2013, he produced and performed 110 Stories at Ebony Rep in Los Angeles. The proceeds were donated to Operation Gratitude. And again he produced and performed 110 Stories opposite Robert Forster and Mira Sorvino directed by his acting teacher Bill Alderson in 2016. As playwright, his one-act play Venom was self-produced Off Broadway and nominated as a finalist for Samuel French's Love Creek festival.
His Video game credits include: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile,Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Mass Effect 2, Army of Two: The 40th Day, a role in the live-action simulated video game Red Alert 3, and Midnight Club.
Personal life
Savante was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2010 and has become a vocal advocate for other sufferers. He stated that the disease attacked his organs, including his liver. He was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2013. Savante is a Christian.