He was born in Palermo on 27 May 1974, the second of four children. After completing his classical secondary education, he enrolled at university to study Ancient Literature, a faculty he left after two years for the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico in Rome, where he graduated in 1998 (he also attended several theatre workshops, in Italy and abroad). After making his theatre debut, he alternated theatre work with television and film work.

In 2000 he appeared on the big screen with the films The Prince's Manuscript by Roberto Andò, which deals with the writing of The Leopard by Tomasi di Lampedusa, and One Hundred Steps by Marco Tullio Giordana, in which he plays the role of the brother of Peppino Impastato, killed by the mafia. From the same year is the short film L'affresco by Marco Bellocchio, followed, among others, by the film Paz! (2002) and various television works: Francesco (2002), Julius Caesar (2002) and L'inganno (2003).

In 2002 the film El Alamein was released, directed by Enzo Monteleone, where he plays the role of an Italian soldier who, in October 1942, is trapped at El Alamein together with his comrades (Pierfrancesco Favino, Emilio Solfrizzi, Silvio Orlando and Roberto Citran). Thanks to his performance, in 2003 he won the Globo d'Oro as best debut actor.

He was later in the cast of Good Morning, Night (2003), again directed by Marco Bellocchio, followed by the films Movimenti and Stai con me, both from 2004, Ma quando arrivano le ragazze? (2005) by Pupi Avati, and La terra (2006), directed by Sergio Rubini, for which he received a nomination as Best Breakthrough Actor.