He has been the tormented vampire Angel on the hit tv-series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and he’s currently on tv as special agent Seeley Booth in yet another hit tv-series Bones.
David Boreanaz is a well beloved tv actor who has contributed to the success of the series he starred in. Although nobody would assume it from his last name, David is of Italian descent.
Boreanaz was born in Buffalo, New York and when he was just nine years old he moved with the whole family to Philadelphia where he spent most of his childhood and young adult life. His father was a popular weatherman on the local news; his family immigrated to United States from the Italian region Valle d’Aosta. While Boreanaz Sr. decided to adopt the alias of Dave Roberts for his career in tv broadcasting, he never abandoned his Italian roots. In fact Dave was granted the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, the largest Italian American organization that encourages the Italian heritage. The same way he taught his son David to always remember where he came from.
When we met at the Skybar on Sunset blvd a few years ago he told me he grew up in the Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, the one portrayed in the movie Rocky, and that he was very proud of his Italian origins. He spoke the language a little and he mentioned he had had several occasions to visit Valle d’Aosta where his ancestors are from.
After graduating from Ithaca College in 1991 with a BFA in Film Studies he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He started working two years later in a small role in then popular sitcom, Married… with Children, as the boyfriend of Christina Applegate’s character. His looks were also the reason why he was casted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series that would end up giving him international fame.
The story goes that Boreanaz met one of the writers on the show while walking the dog past his house, the neighbor then suggested David for the role to the production and he was later chosen for his physical presence. Boreanaz’s character was an unusual vampire, one who had a soul, a curse given upon him by gypsies because of his past sins. The curse would be later broken by the physical act of love between him and Buffy, which will return him to the evil Angelus he once was.
That was a pivotal role because allowed Boreanaz to play a wide range of emotions, going from good to evil. He became so popular that he got his own spin-off show which ran for five seasons and was named after his character, Angel. At the peak of his popularity he landed a role in the feature film Valentine, the
2001 slasher horror movie that also featured Denise Richards and Katherine Heigl.
Followed by the rom-com I’m with Lucy alongside Monica Potter. His mysterious look and sex appeal also led him to the role of Dido’s boyfriend in the singer’s videoclip for the song White flag.
Boreanaz finally came back to tv with the crime drama Bones. A show that had a rocky start but that has become a staple of FOX programming over the years and has got a cult following almost as big as the previous shows he was in. On tv it’s rare for an actor to have more than one big character that defines him, one people can recognize you for.
Bones has done just that for Boreanaz and also meant a lot of personal achievements for the actor. Starting from third season he has become a producer of the show and he has since directed several episodes. He has also been considered among 100 Sexiest Men on tv for many publications throughout the years. Boreanaz still has a great regard for his Italian origins, in fact he named his four year old daughter Bella Vita.
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