Peppino Mazzotta

Born in the Calabrian town of Domanico in 1971, Mazzotta attended the Faculty of Architecture at the university of Reggio Calabria, then joined a Drama School at Palmi, and discovered his great acting passion. He later founded in Naples the theatre company Rosso Tiziano (Titian Red) together with five colleagues of the Palmi Academy, with whom he continues to collaborate.

In 2003 he created a new theatre company, named Teatri del Sud (Southern Theatres), together with playwright and script-writer Francesco Suriano, who produced plays in the Calabrian dialect. The company closed after three years of activity, due to lack of financial support from the Arts, but Mazzotta is still very active in the regional theatre, especially in the production of Greek plays.

Peppino Mazzotta is best known for portraying police detective Giuseppe Fazio, in the renowned Italian television series Inspector Montalbano, produced and broadcast by RAI since 1999, and based on the detective novels of Andrea Camilleri. The protagonist is Commissario Salvo Montalbano, and Mazzotta plays his loyal, hyper-efficient right-hand man in the fictional town of Vigata, Sicily.

In the summer of 2012, during the Positano Theatre Festival, Mazzotta was awarded the Annibale Ruccello Prize for his theatrical production Radio Argo.

Mazzotta's career is currently divided between theatre, cinema and television, in a busy schedule of engagements and guest appearances. He continues to play Inspector Montalbano's assistant in the new episodes of the Italian TV series.

In autumn 2016 Mazzotta played Bruno Corona, a fictional 'Ndrangheta boss in "Solo" a dramatic television series broadcast by Canale 5 and set in Gioia Tauro, Calabria.