A successful South African export with over three decades of compelling award winning performances in a wide range of cinematic, television, & theater roles. A student of Robert X. Modica, Deborah Kampmeier, William Alderson, Don Bloomfield, & Diane Venora, his training is deeply rooted in theater & improvisation. Attained his first pilot role guest starring opposite Jim Breuer in Comedy Central's Pulp Comics, following it up with a recurring comedic character on Late Night With Conan O' Brien, supporting recurring roles in Guiding Light & All My Children, a supporting role in Nick Efteriades' drama Astoria, winning awards at Santa Barbara & River Run film festivals, a role in the Off Broadway premier of Dan Gordon's Murder In The First, a small guest star role on the second season of Sopranos, and a scene opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind. Was acknowledged by Al Pacino, F. Murray Abraham & several NY theater critics for his lead performance in the play Mortal Coils, directed by the Actor's Studio Ed Setrakian at the Mint Theater. But his breakthrough role came in Law & Order Special Victim's Unit in 2005. Starring opposite Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni, Bradley Cooper, Angela Lansbury & Alfred Molina as the chilling yet engaging fundamentalist Milan Zergin. His performance attracted New York talent manager Estelle Lasher. With Lasher's support, he continued to thrive. Landing a guest star lead opposite Annabella Sciorra & Christopher Noth on Law & Order Criminal Intent, a comedic supporting role opposite Eddie Izzard, Luke Wilson, Rainn Wilson & Uma Thurman in Twentieth Century Fox's My Super Ex Girlfriend, an ensemble lead in Sony's Starship Troopers Marauder produced by David Lancaster, & nabbing a coveted recurring role on the Emmy award winning Ugly Betty for which he received a SAG nomination along with the lead cast. Has been a steady product of critically acclaimed art-house films distributed worldwide & lauded at Berlin, AFI, Palm Springs, Raindance, Hong Kong, Seattle, San Diego, the Black Reel Awards & the American Movie Awards where Stelio won best actor in 2015. Known additionally for a staple of well received recurring & guest star roles including on J.J. Abrams & Duplass Bros series, & fifteen years of high end New York stage credits that include favorable reviews from the NY Times. Received critical praise for his recurring portrayal of real life mafia boss Joe 'The Boss' Masseria in AMC's The Making Of The Mob: New York with Previously TV's Sarah Bunting stating 'Stelio is reminiscent of James Gandolfini, I liked a certain gravitas-emblance to the Fini that I saw in Stelio'. His portrayal was also hailed by The Examiner's Diane Zoller Ciatto. Has also been critically acclaimed for his roles as a ruthless policeman in the South African film Colors Of Heaven, as a tormented hit-man with a conscience in Pronoia & for his role as a rebellious Jewish prisoner in Once We Were Slaves; winning Best Actor at the above mentioned prestigious American Movie Awards & the SOFIE Awards. Was nominated for a Teddy Award at Berlin film festival in Peter Greenaway's Golden Bear nominated Eisenstein In Guanajuato which released theatrically in several dozen countries. His performance as Hunter Kimbrough noted as memorable by Film Journal's David Noh. Further...Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner applauded his understatedly powerful performance as Howard Boston in TV One's Media directed by Craig Ross Jr. Will next be seen starring opposite Matt Dillon & Jim Caviezel in David Cunningham's Jo, The Medicine Runner, & as Dino in the upcoming season of Tyler Perry's The Haves And The Have Nots for Own Network. A popular voice over artist, he recurred in Call Of Duty's IW7 and DLC as the 'FTL Soldier' or 'Faster Than Light' character. Was inducted into the Alpha Psi Omega honors society for his achievement in American collegiate theater at the University of West Alabama and in 2014 served on the actor's panel of the San Diego film festival with Josh Duhamel, Tom Berenger and Dennis Haysbert, hosted by Variety and film critics Jeffrey Lyons and Ben Lyons. Is a board member of the River Street Theater Company, alongside Matthew Carnahan, Robert Carnegie, Jeff Goldblum, David Mamet, Jon Voight and his acting teacher William Alderson who serves as president. Stelio frequently volunteers his time simultaneously performing & producing Sarah Tuft's "110 Stories" to raise money for Operation Gratitude, The Red Cross, & The New York Says Thank You Foundation . His fellow casts have included Edie Falco, James Gandolfini, Katie Holmes, Cynthia Nixon, Robert Forster, John Hawkes, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa Leo, Sal Masekela, Jeremy Piven, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Tamara Tunie, Kathleen Turner, John Turturro, Nick Turturro & Diane Venora.
Has a 5.0 United States Tennis Assocation rating.
Named #19 on Elle Magazines (international edition) HOT 40 List for 2006 and was also chosen as the Man Of Style for InStyle magazines (international edition) in September 2007.
Endorses several prestigious South African wine estates and TAG Heuer South Africa.
Hes only played a South African once but has been cast as an American, Russian, Italian American, Bosnian/Serbian, Greek, German, French, Rhodesian, and Ecuadorian among other nationalities.
Is the only original cast member of 110 Stories. In 2001, Sarah Tuft directed Stelio in the lead role of Ecuadorian photographer Bolivar Arellano opposite Susan Sarandon, John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Edie Falco, Mary Stuart Masterson and Daniel Sunjata, at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York. Savante was then invited to study with Robert Modica of the Neighborhood Playhouse and Sanford Meisner fame. Reprised the role of Bolivar at the Geffen Playhouse in 2010.
His villainous characters have often met ugly deaths. In Corrado Stelios character Antonio was buried alive in the trunk of a car by the lead character Corrado, portrayed by Johnny Messner. While, in Ugly Betty, his character Steve was buried alive in a coffin by Bradford Meade, portrayed by Alan Dale. In Starship Troopers 3: Marauderhis character Bull Brittles was impaled by Behemecoatyl. While in The Suite Life On Deck, his character Stephane was impaled by The Eiffel Tower.
Has been directed by several Academy Award winners and nominees. In 2001 by Ron Howard in A Beautiful Mind, in 2005 by Juan Jose Campanella in Law & Order SVU, and again in 2005 by Joan Stein in Solidarity. Also in 2009 by Ivan Reitman in My Super Ex Girlfriend.
To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Stelio produced and performed in 110 Stories at the Skirball Center for The Performing Arts at NYU. Directed by Gregory Mosher, the cast included Stephen Baldwin, Mario Cantone, Billy Crudup, Noah Emmerich, Katie Holmes, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa Leo, Ralph Macchio, Aasif Mandvi, James McCaffrey, Cynthia Nixon, Vincent Piazza, Jeremy Piven, Andre Royo, Stelio Savante, Pablo Schreiber, Annabella Sciorra, Tony Shalhoub, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tamara Tunie, Kathleen Turner, Ben Vereen and Merritt Wever. Proceeds for charity were given to the New York Says Thank You Foundation.
(June 2007) Lives in Los Angeles
Was recently recognized for his charitable performances & contribution to 110 Stories when David P Levin featured Savante in the A&E channel documentary When Pop Culture Saved America: A 9-11 Story , starring Patricia Heaton , Paul McCartney , Bruce Springsteen & many others.
His screenplay, Trust in Her (????) , co-written with Nick Efteriades , is in development through the Gersh agency. Savante also co stars & serves as producer.
Has portrayed a vast array of characters and ethnicities, including American, Belarusian, Bolivian, Bosnian, British, Cuban, Cypriot, Dutch, French, French-Canadian, German, Greek, Irish, Israeli, Italian, Jewish, Libyan, Mexican, Polish, Portuguese, Sicilian, South African, Spanish, Russian, and Zimbabwean.
Theater roles include the lead roles in the American premiers of Arnie Sierens award winning Belgian play, My Blackie at Bank Street Theater, Belgian playwright Jean-Yves Picqs The Case Of Kaspar Meyer at Ubu rep Theater, German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennigs Arabian Night directed by Trip Cullman at the 13th Street Theater, Dan Gordons Murder in the First at the Directors Company directed by American Theatre Wing alumni Michael Parva, Jonathan Leafs Pushkin at MTC, Worm Day directed by Nick Efteriades at the Actors Studio and Mortal Coils at the Mint Theater, directed by Actors Studio lifetime member Ed Setrakian. His Off-Broadway theater career also includes the lead role in his one act play Venom, nominated as best play finalist in Samuel Frenchs Love Creek festival. The play was based on his experiences as a promotional perfume model in Macys, Bloomingdales & Galeries Lafayette.Improvisational theater roles with Tony n Tinas Wedding at Times Square & traveling with several NY Dinner Theater improvisational troupes.
Also portraying roles directly opposite several Academy award winners & nominees including Matt Dillon in Jo, the Medicine Runner, Samuel L. Jackson in 110 Stories, Susan Sarandon in 110 Stories, Mira Sorvino in 110 Stories, Robert Forster in 110 Stories, Uma Thurman in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Salma Hayek in Ugly Betty, Melissa Leo in 110 Stories, John Hawkes in 110 Stories, Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, Kathleen Turner in 110 Stories, Ruby Dee in 110 Stories, Angela Lansbury in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Sally Kirkland in Awakened, & Marianne Jean-Baptiste in NCIS.
Has worked with some of the most respected names in film, television and on stage. Being directed in projects by BAFTA, Cannes & Venice winner Peter Greenaway (Eisenstein In Guanajuato), Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass (Togetherness for HBO), Ivan Reitman (in Twentieth Century Foxs My Super Ex Girlfriend), Academy award winner Juan Jos Campanella (Law & Order SVU), Academy award nominee Joan Stein (Solidarity), Allen Coulter (Sopranos), Tyler Perry, Academy award winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), Raindance Winner Rudolf Buitendach (Where The Road Runs Out), Broadway director & Tony & Drama Desk award winner Gregory Mosher (110 Stories), Drama Desk nominee Trip Cullman (Arabian Night) and the following projects produced by J.J. Abrams (Undercovers & Person Of Interest), T.D. Jakes (A Million Colours), Gavin Hood (Breakout Kings), Gavin Polone (My Super Ex Girlfriend), David Lancaster (Sonys Starship Troopers 3: Marauder), David Chase (Sopranos), Dick Wolf (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Andrew Carlberg (110 Stories), and Tony award winner Jennifer Maloney (110 Stories).
Having spent the majority of his adult life in New York (Manhattan & Queens), he is a student of acclaimed acting teachers Robert X Modica, William Alderson & Deborah Kampmeier. Recently named alongside Nelson Mandela & Charlize Theron on the South African Consulate of NYs Notable South Africans list and he has also featured on the cover of The Sunday Times, Tonight, The Weekend Argus and many other print and online publications. South African entertainment journalist Nikki Greenwall acknowledged him as one of the countrys top exports, Screen Africa magazine labeled him the chameleon, and he was listed in the Daily Mail & Guardian as a South African who is rising to the top of his field.
Is also the long-time producer of 110 Stories by Sarah Tuft. Producing and performing productions for charity at The Geffen Playhouse, NYU Skirball, Ebony Rep and the William Alderson Studio Theater.
South Africa is still my spiritual home.
