Antonio Sabàto Jr.
Antonio Sabàto Jr. (born February 29, 1972) is an Italian-born American model and actor. Sabàto first found fame in the 1990s as an underwear model for Calvin Klein and playing Jagger Cates on the soap opera General Hospital from 1992 to 1995. By the early 2000s, most of his acting credits were guest appearances, reality television, and budget films. Sabàto ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley for California's 26th district in the 2018 elections.[1][2]
Antonio Sabàto | |
|---|---|
Sabàto in 2018 | |
| Born | February 29, 1972 Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Partners |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Antonio Sabàto Sr. Yvonne Kabouchy |
Early life
Sabàto was born in Rome, Italy on February 29, 1972, a Leap Day. His father was Antonio Sabàto Sr., an Italian-born film star. His mother, Yvonne, was born in Prague (then part of Czechoslovakia), and of half Czech and half Jewish ancestry; her own mother was a Jewish Holocaust survivor.[3][4][5][6][7] He has one sibling, a sister named Simonne. Sabàto and his family moved to the United States from Italy in 1985 and he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1996.[5] He received his high school diploma from Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles, California.[8] His parents divorced, and his mother remarried, to California-based businessman George F. Kabouchy, in 1997.[9][10]
Career
Modeling
Sabàto was featured on the cover of erotic magazine Playgirl in April 1993.[11] Represented in Los Angeles by fashion agent Omar Albertto,[12] Sabàto first gained attention as a Calvin Klein underwear model in 1996. In 1990, he appeared in Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" music video along with actor Djimon Hounsou, who is also a former CK underwear model represented by Albertto. In 2013, Sabàto was named the international celebrity spokesperson for AnastasiaDate, an online mail-order bride website which connects wealthy American older men with Eastern European women.[13][14]
Acting
Moving into acting, from 1992 through 1995 he appeared on the soap opera General Hospital, the science fiction series Earth 2 and the prime time soap opera Melrose Place. Throughout the late 1990s, he starred in various TV movies and direct-to-video films, as well as a supporting role in the 1998 feature film The Big Hit. In 2003, he played the protagonist's lover Pablo in the movie Testosterone, filmed in Argentina with Sonia Braga, David Sutcliffe, Jennifer Coolidge, Celina Font and Leonardo Brezicki. From 2005 to 2006, Sabàto played Dante Damiano on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and in 2008, Sabàto reprised his role as Jagger Cates on the second season of General Hospital: Night Shift.[15] Sabàto made an appearance on Bones as a bouncer from a Jersey Shore club in season 6, episode 3, "The Maggots in the Meathead" in 2010.[16] In 2013, he played Father Zaragosa in the television series The League.[citation needed] Sabàto is set to direct, produce and star in an upcoming project called Trail Blazers, which reportedly is the first in the line of other films he hopes to produce for his upcoming film studio called Trail Blazers Pictures. The film costars fellow Donald Trump supporters Kristy Swanson, Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, and Scott Baio.[17]
Dancing
In 2016, Sabàto was contracted to be a Chippendales dancer for a special engagement in June at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[18]
Reality television
In 2005, Sabàto appeared on But Can They Sing?, a celebrity reality singing competition on VH1, coming in 5th place. He competed in the 2008 NBC competition Celebrity Circus, which he won. He stated on the show that both his mother and her father were circus performers.[19]
In August 2009, Sabàto starred in My Antonio, a reality show on VH1 in which female contestants competed to win his heart. The show notably featured Sabàto's ex-wife, Tully Jensen, as one of the contestants (she came in 3rd place), and his mother also appeared on the show, providing advice. The show's winner was Brooke Barlow.[20]
Sabàto and his family appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap on January 31, 2012. His then-fiancé Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes traded places on the show with WWE wrestler Mick Foley's wife Colette Foley. Sabàto competed on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars in 2014. He was paired with professional dancer Cheryl Burke,[21] and they finished in 8th place.[22]
Hosting
Since 2014, Sabàto has served as the host of a 30-minute long syndicated home remodeling show Fix It & Finish It.[23][24]
Producing
Sabàto announced that he wants to start a Hollywood movie studio geared toward conservative content. The new company is called Trail Blazers Pictures and the studio's first upcoming film, Trail Blazers, is in the works for a release in 2022.[25]
Politics
Sabàto ran for the 26th district Congressional seat in California as a Republican against incumbent Democrat Julia Brownley. He came in second place in the jungle primary with 22.4% of the vote, advancing to face Brownley in the general election.[26] He lost the election on November 6, 2018, by 24%.[2]
Regarding illegal immigration, Sabàto said, "There should be no shortcuts for those who don't want to pay or wait".[27] He supported Trump's wall on the southern border, saying, "We need a wall."[28]
Sabàto has made many controversial statements regarding former U.S. President Barack Obama, including saying he has "no guts," accusing him of destroying the U.S. economy, and asserting that Obama should be arrested and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[29] The former Democrat has also implied that Obama is the reason he left the Democratic Party.[29]
For several years, Sabàto has maintained that, in his opinion, Obama is not a Christian but a Muslim.[30] The first instance of such a claim came in 2016, when Sabàto, after making a speech at the Republican National Convention, told ABC News "I don't believe he follows the God that I love and the Jesus that I love," and "If you follow his story, if you read his book, if you understand about Obama, I mean, that's not a Christian name, is it?"[31] When pressed for evidence to back up his claims, Sabàto answered that it's "in his heart."[32]
Two years later, in 2018, he reaffirmed his belief that Obama is a Muslim when appearing on The View, saying "If he's [Obama's] not a Muslim, we should call him President Barry," and claimed that "What I was saying was, he changed his name to Obama because he followed the Islam religion when he was growing up so, I felt that once you're in that religion, you stay for the rest of your life."[33][34][35]
Sabàto endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016.[36] He spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in support of the party's presumptive nominee.[37] Sabàto claimed that after he expressed his support for Trump, he was blacklisted from Hollywood.[38] He later compared his struggle to find work in show business with that of being Jewish during the Holocaust and said celebrities mocked him on the social media website Twitter.[39][40]
Personal life
Sabàto was married to Tully Jensen from 1992 until 1993.[41] He married Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes in 2012.[42] The two separated in December 2016[43] and their divorce was finalized in June 2018.[44] After Sabàto filed for divorce, Nunes alleged that Sabàto was abusing prescription drugs and had failed to complete even one month of a three-month-long drug rehabilitation program. Sabàto said that he was addicted to prescription sleep aids, not benzodiazepines as Nunes claimed, but admitted that he had a problem with substance abuse in the past, specifically crystal meth.[43][45] Sabàto has three children: a son with Virginia Madsen,[46] a daughter with Kristin Rossetti Biasi,[46] and a son with Nunes.[44]
Sabàto is a Christian but has, on several occasions, said that he also identifies as being Jewish.[47][48][49][6]
Sabàto had testosterone pellets injected into his buttocks as a treatment for low levels of testosterone.[50] Sabàto has several tattoos, including the Batman logo on his lower back and the yin yang symbol surrounded by Chinese characters on his arm.[51]
In a December 2018 tweet, Sabàto stated that he and his family were in the process of moving out of California to an undisclosed state, citing his frustration with the state's progressive policies as the primary reason.[52] In March 2020, Sabàto moved to Florida, and now works for a construction company.[53]
Filmography
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" | Model | Music video for Janet Jackson | |
| 1990 | Il ragazzo delle mani d'acciaio | Kevin Foster | Italian film | |
| 1991 | Fuga da Kayenta | Emiliano | Italian film | |
| 1991 | ...Se non avessi l'amore | Pier Giorgio Frassati | TV film | |
| 1992-1995 | General Hospital | Jagger Cates | TV show | |
| 1993 | Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? | A.J. Treece | TV film | |
| 1994 | Jailbreakers | Tony | TV film | |
| 1994-1995 | Earth 2 | Alonzo Solace | TV show | |
| 1995 | Melrose Place | Jack Perezi | 7 episodes | |
| 1995 | Her Hidden Truth | Detective Matt Samoni | TV film | |
| 1996 | If Looks Could Kill | John Hawkins | TV film | |
| 1996 | Padre papà | Don Giuseppe | TV film | |
| 1996 | Thrill | Jack Colson | TV film | |
| 1996 | Code Name: Wolverine | Harry Gordini / Wolverine | TV film | |
| 1996 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Bob Stanford/Deathstroke | TV show | |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Mario | Episode: Thumbelina | |
| 1997 | Circles | Jeremy Bonner | ||
| 1998 | The Perfect Getaway | Randy Savino | TV film | |
| 1998 | The Big Hit | Vince | ||
| 1998 | High Voltage | Johnny Clay | ||
| 1999 | Tribe | Jack Osborne | 4 episodes | |
| 1999 | Fatal Error | Dr. Nick Baldwin | TV film | |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Kevin Wyatt | Episode: The Green Monster | |
| 1999 | Goosed | Dr. Steven Stevenson | ||
| 1999 | Wasteland | Jack | Episode: Double Date | |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Chad Warner / Sid Camden | Episode: Skin Deep | |
| 2000 | The Chaos Factor | Jack Poynt | ||
| 2000 | Charmed | Bane Jessup | 2 episodes | |
| 2000 | Vola Sciusciù | Tony | TV film | |
| 2000 | Guilty as Charged | Sergeant Hawks | TV film | |
| 2000 | Final Ascent | David | TV film | |
| 2001 | Mindstorm | Dan Oliver | ||
| 2001 | Shark Hunter | Spencer Northcut | ||
| 2001 | Longshot | Tommy Sutton | ||
| 2002 | Hyper Sonic | Grant Irvine | ||
| 2002 | Seconds to Spare | Paul Blake | TV film | |
| 2002 | Dead Above Ground | Sergeant Dan DeSousa | ||
| 2003 | See Jane Date | Timothy Rommelly | TV film | |
| 2003 | Wasabi Tuna | Fredrico | ||
| 2003 | Bugs | Matt Pollack | TV film | |
| 2003 | Testosterone | Pablo Alesandro | ||
| 2004 | Half & Half | Carlo | Episode: The Big Double Date with My Mate Episode | |
| 2004 | Becker | Linda's boyfriend | Episode: DNR | |
| 2004 | The Help | Dwayne | 7 episodes | |
| 2005 | Joey | Kyle | Episode: Joey and the Tonight Show | |
| 2005 | Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part | Joey Angelini | TV film | |
| 2005 | Crash Landing | Major John Masters | ||
| 2005-2006 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dante Damiano | ||
| 2005 | But Can They Sing? | Himself | Reality TV show | |
| 2006 | Deadly Skies | Richard Donovan | TV film | |
| 2007 | Reckless Behavior: Caught on Tape | Greg Vlasi | TV film | |
| 2007 | Destination: Infestation | Ethan Hart | TV film | |
| 2007 | Bad Girl Island | Michael Pace | TV film | |
| 2008 | Ghost Voyage | Michael | TV film | |
| 2008 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Jagger Cates | 14 episodes | |
| 2008 | NCIS | Dale Kapp | Episode: Road Kill | |
| 2009 | Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas | Henry Lee Lucas | ||
| 2009 | Ugly Betty | Himself | Episode: The Fall Issue | |
| 2009 | Scrubs | Himself | Episode: Our Drunk Friend | |
| 2009 | Princess of Mars | John Carter | ||
| 2009 | My Antonio | Himself | Reality TV show | |
| 2009 | Celebrity Circus | Himself / Contestant | Reality TV show | |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Davi Santos | Episode: The Formula | |
| 2010 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Ross Matthews | Episode: #18.89 | |
| 2010 | Rizzoli & Isles | Jorge | Episode: I Kissed A Girl | |
| 2010 | Bones | Terror | Episode: The Maggots in the Meathead | |
| 2011 | Balls to the Wall | Sven | ||
| 2011 | God Reschedules Rapture | Short film | ||
| 2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Leandro | Episode: Dancing Queens | |
| 2011 | Secrets from Her Past | Dr. Shawn Tessle | TV film | |
| 2012 | Celebrity Wife Swap | Himself | ||
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Handsome Guy #1 | ||
| 2012 | Little Women, Big Cars | A.J. | ||
| 2012 | Little Women, Big Cars 2 | A.J. | ||
| 2012 | Femme Fatales | Bart | Episode: Gun Twisted | |
| 2013 | Baby Daddy | Gerard | Episode: All's Flair in Love and War | |
| 2013 | Castle | Ramon Russo | Episode: Need to Know | |
| 2013 | The League | Father Zaragosa | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Hell's Kitchen | Himself | Chef's table guest diner; Episode: "5 Chefs Compete Part 3" | |
| 2014 | Heartbreakers | Billy Mac Fleming | Episode: Shot Through The Heart | |
| 2014 | All I Want for Christmas | Mike Patterson | TV film | |
| 2014 | Fix It and Finish It | Himself / Host | ||
| 2015 | Intikam | Varol | ||
| 2016 | Hometown Hero | Jason | TV film | |
| 2016 | Dance Night Obsession | Miguel | ||
| 2016 | Dark Paradise | Dario | TV film | |
| 2016 | The Encounter | Dr. Max Huber | Episode: Just Believe | |
| 2017 | Inspired to Kill | Paul | TV film | |
| 2017 | Malibu Dan the Family Man | Frane Calloway | Episode: Filthy Poor | |
| 2017 | Hilton Head Island | Jude Trisk | Episode: Genesis | |
| 2017 | Antonio: Down Under | Antonio | TV mini-series | |
| 2020 | One Nation Under God | Senator Viera | ||
| 2021 | Trail Blazers | John | Also director, writer, and producer; pre-production. | |
| 2021 | God's Not Dead: We the People[54] | Mike McKinnon |
See also
References
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- ^ a b Wilson, Kathleen (November 7, 2018). "Election results 2018: Julia Brownley coasts to fourth term as Democrats take over House". Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Carter, Alan (April 23, 1993). "Raising TV's Pulse Rate". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ Lovece, Frank (July 21, 2008). "Reality Check". Newsday.
- ^ a b Elkin, Michael (April 18, 2013). "The Mysteries of a Mystery Woman". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Hoffman, Allison (August 13, 2009). "A Nice Jewish Boy: Hunky Antonio Sabato Jr. looks for love on TV, with help from his mother". Tablet. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ "Nate Bloom writes a weekly column on Jewish celebrities | Tampa Jewish Federation". www.jewishtampa.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ MENDOZA, N. F. (October 8, 1995). "WITH AN EYE ON . . . : Watch out: Amanda meets her 'Melrose' match in the hunky form of Antonio Sabato Jr". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ "Star Tracks". People. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Times. December 16, 1987. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Playgirl April 1993 - Soap Studs". amazon.com.
- ^ "Omar Albertto on FASHION NET". www.fashion.net.
- ^ "Antonio Sabatob Jr Named International Celebrity Spokesperson for AnastasiaDate" (Press release). PRNewswire. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ "Mail Order Bride Boom". Fortune. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ . BuddyTV. July 11, 2008. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato, Jr. To Bring Some Jersey to Bones". TV Guide. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ Trail Blazers (2021) - IMDb, retrieved August 8, 2020
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Is Joining the Chippendales!". People. March 30, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ Rocchio, Christopher (July 17, 2007). "Antonio Sabato Jr. wins NBC's Celebrity Circus reality series". Reality TV World. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ Duncan, JJ (October 26, 2009). "'My Antonio' Winner Brooke Barlow Says She and Antonio Haven't Spoken for Months". Zimbio.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 4, 2014). "'Dancing With The Stars' Season 19 Cast — 'DWTS' Celebrities Announced". Hollywood Life. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Reiher, Andrea (October 27, 2014). . Zap2It. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ . Fixitandfinish.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ Trepany, Charles (July 16, 2020). "'No more blacklisting': Antonio Sabato Jr. announces plans for 'conservative movie studio'". USA Today. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ "California Election Results: 26th House District". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 11, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "CNN on Twitter - Antonio Sabato Jr.: "There should be no shortcuts for those who don't want to pay or wait"". July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016 – via Twitter.com.
- ^ Stahl, Jeremy (July 18, 2016). "Here Are the Most Random, Oddest Speakers from the First Day of the GOP Convention". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Morrow, Brendan (May 8, 2017). "Antonio Sabato Jr.'s Political Views: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ "The quiet impact of Obama's Christian faith". The Washington Post. December 22, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Sabàto, after RNC speech, says Obama 'absolutely' a Muslim". Politico. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Believes Obama Is a 'Muslim President'". Us Weekly. July 19, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Insists Barack Obama Is Muslim On "The View" (VIDEO)". Gossip Cop. February 8, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "When Barry Became Barack". Newsweek. March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Trump on Birtherism: Wrong, and Wrong - FactCheck.org". FactCheck.org. September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Jonathan, Robert (April 8, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. sounds off on Trump and Cruz". Inquisitr. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Tebow: Speaking slot at Trump convention 'a rumor'". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 14, 2016.
- ^ O'Neal, Sean (August 4, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. says Hollywood has blacklisted him for supporting Trump". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (August 3, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. Says Hollywood is Blacklisting Him for Supporting Donald Trump". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Compares Being Blackballed By Hollywood To Holocaust: 'It's Happening to Me'". Mediaite. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr". People. May 9, 1994.
- ^ Rizzo, Monica (October 26, 2012). "Antonio Sabato Jr. Marries Cheryl Moana Marie in Hawail". People. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Goldblatt, Daniel (May 15, 2017). "Antonio Sabato Jr.'s Estranged Wife Cheryl Alleges He Has Drug Abuse Issues Amid Divorce Filing". People. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ a b Gray, Mark (June 18, 2018). "Antonio Sabato Jr. and ex settle divorce in midst of Congressional run". MSN.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ Bell, Gabriel (May 15, 2017). "Congressional hopeful Antonio Sabato Jr. accused of drug abuse by wife". Salon. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ a b "Antonio Sabàto Jr. Smooches His Sweetheart". People. May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ Bandler, Aaron (December 22, 2017). "Q&A with Antonio Sabato Jr., Republican Candidate for Congress — Jewish Journal". Jewish Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Bell, Gabriel (February 8, 2018). "GOP candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. repeats claim that Obama is Muslim in bizarre interview". Salon. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ Bloom, Nate (September 19, 2014). "Jews in the News : Ben Feldman, Taylor Mays and Marc Trestman". Tampa Jewish Federation. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Hein, Alexandria (May 10, 2018). "Antonio Sabato Jr. says testosterone pellets improve sex life, reduce stress". Fox News. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr". TV Guide. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ @AntonioSabatoJr (December 12, 2018). "Relocating out of state will be coming back to California at times, but the future will not be in Cali not under the Liberal Policies & Crazies" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (March 3, 2020). "Antonio Sabato Jr. on How Supporting Donald Trump Ended His Acting Career". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Bond, Paul (July 14, 2021). "New "God's Not Dead" movie to star "blacklisted" Antonio Sabato Jr". Newsweek. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
External links
- . antoniosabatojr.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- Antonio Sabàto Jr. at IMDb
- SoapCentral.com: Sabato profile
- . VoteAntonio.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2020.