Asia Argento

Asia Argento (Italian: [ˈaːzja arˈdʒɛnto]; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with appearances in XXX (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), and Marie Antoinette (2006). Her other notable acting credits include Queen Margot (1994), Let's Not Keep in Touch (1994), Traveling Companion (1996), Last Days (2005), and Islands (2011). Argento is the recipient of several accolades, including two David di Donatello awards for Best Actress and three Italian Golden Globes. Her directorial credits include The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) and Misunderstood (2014).

After the Weinstein scandal in 2017, Argento spoke publicly about her experiences and was widely discussed in connection with the "#MeToo" movement. The New York Times reported in August 2018 that actor Jimmy Bennett accused Argento of sexually assaulting him in 2013, when he was 17 and she was 37. According to reporting, Argento first met Bennett when he appeared as a child actor in her film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.

Early life

Asia Argento was born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento in Rome on 20 September 1975. Her father is Dario Argento, an Italian filmmaker known for his work in the Italian giallo genre and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies. Her mother was actress Daria Nicolodi and her maternal great-grandfather was composer Alfredo Casella.