Antonio Sabato, Jr. Movies
When heartthrob Antonio Sabato Jr. joined the cast of ABC's soap opera General Hospital in the spring of 1992, the show jumped from seventh to third in the daytime Nielsen Ratings. The relative newcomer inspired over 300 fan letters a week, appeared on the cover of TV Guide, and landed a coveted spot in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People issue. He has since proven to be one of the hottest commodities to come out of daytime television, nabbing a series of prime-time roles, publishing a best-selling "beefcake" calendar, and modeling in the most successful Calvin Klein Underwear campaign in the company's history.A leap year baby, Sabato was born in Rome, Italy, on February 29, 1972. His father, Antonio Sabato Sr., a veteran Italian actor with credits in dozens of spaghetti Westerns and his mother, Yvonne, a real estate agent, moved Sabato and his sister to Beverly Hills in 1984. Knowing very little English, Sabato spent his time watching American television and taking ESL courses. He attended Beverly Hills High, where he took acting classes as a way to practice his new language and make friends. At 16, Sabato left school and temporarily moved to New York in an effort to experience life on his own.
In 1989, after earning his G.E.D., Sabato decided to concentrate on acting. With his father's help, he secured a role in the 1990 Italian film Karate Rock. That same year, he appeared stateside as the topless hunk in Janet Jackson's video for "Love Will Never Do Without You." This led to Sabato's television debut as Jagger Cates, a good-hearted, hash-slinging boxer on General Hospital. For his performance in one of daytime's most memorable and brooding roles -- Jagger's moody leitmotif was Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" -- Sabato earned Soap Opera Digest Award nominations for Hottest Male and Outstanding Newcomer. Banking on his newfound fame, the actor began moonlighting in movies of the week, starring opposite Dallas' Linda Gray as a deadly Casanova in Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? (1993) and Beverly Hills 90210's Shannon Dougherty as an escaped convict in Jailbreakers (1994).
Sabato shocked fans when he abruptly left General Hospital in 1994 (though they did temporarily forgive him when he returned to the show for a brief cameo a year later). He subsequently joined the cast of NBC's Earth 2, a prime-time science fiction series about a group of humans who must flee Earth when it becomes uninhabitable. Developed by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and produced by Michael Dugan (Law & Order), Carol Flint (China Beach), and Mark Levin (The Wonder Years), the show had an impressive pedigree and was expected to be a smash hit. Yet, audiences did not buy into its futuristic premise, which featured Sabato as a rocket pilot; NBC canceled Earth 2 after only one season. Hesitant to commit himself to another series, Sabato signed on to appear as Amanda's (Heather Locklear) abusive ex-husband in six episodes of FOX's Melrose Place before starring in a succession of television films. In Her Hidden Truth (1995), he played a smitten cop who helps wrongfully convicted Kellie Martin clear her name. In If Looks Could Kill: From the Files of America's Most Wanted (1996), he portrayed real-life con artist and murderer John Hawkins. In Thrill (1996), he starred as an engineer who must put aside his fear of heights to rescue his daughter from a roller coaster that is rigged with a bomb.
Meanwhile, fashion designer Calvin Klein saw If Looks Could Kill on television and personally requested to meet with Sabato. By the summer of 1996, the actor was the spokesperson for Calvin Klein Underwear, the company's first celebrity model since Mark Wahlberg four years earlier. During his tenure with Calvin Klein, Sabato appeared in a campaign photographed by Herb Ritts and on a 90-foot billboard in the middle of Times Square.
In 1998, Sabato made his big-budget American debut opposite Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Bokeem Woodbine as a hired gun in The Big Hit. The following years saw Sabato headlining several low-profile television movies and independent films in the United States and Italy. He also guest starred on FOX's Ally McBeal and landed a recurring role on the WB's Charmed.
Acting and modeling are not Sabato's only claims to fame. A fitness enthusiast, he published the best-selling exercise book No Excuses: Workout for Life in 1999. Sabato also owns his own production company, NAMTAB Productions (Batman spelled backwards), and is the celebrity spokesperson for the SAP United States Grand Prix Formula One race. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
Having admitted to over 300 murders, Henry Lee Lucas was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Lucas's story has held particular fascination for filmmakers and has been loosely told in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Confessions of a Serial Killer, but director Michael Feifer (who has also made films about Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Richard Speck, BTK, and the Boston Strangler) takes a more factual approach with this disturbing biopic. Antonio Sabato Jr. turns in a chilling performance as Lucas, who, after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his sadistic mother, embarks on a coldblooded killing spree with the help of fellow drifter Ottis Toole (Kostas Sommer). ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Kostas Sommer, (more)
- 2008
Joey Fatone hosts this high flying series, throwing popular celebrities under the big-top to test their skills in various circus specialties. Each week, stars study with an expert in an area such as trapeze, high-wire, or wheel-of-death, and then showcases their latest jaw-dropping routine with their professional partner in front of a live audience. A panel of circus performing experts critique each team, and viewers at home call in to vote for their favorite circus celebrity, as the cast is slowly but surely whittled down to the winner of Celebrity Circus. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Director/screenwriter Stewart Raffill interweaves the modern world tales of ancient mystical cults by detailing the mysterious relationship between a wealthy film producer and the hypnotically beautiful siren who seems to drift between his dreams and his waking consciousness. Startled to find an ethereal beauty pushed onto the shore of his vast beach estate by a friendly dolphin, film producer Michael Pace brings the girl to safety before phoning the local doctor and police. Later, after all involved determine that the unidentified woman is in good health, she awakens without any knowledge of either her past or identity. That night, after Michael and his strange visitor engage in a rapturous night of sensual bliss, the enamored producer invites the girl to join him for brunch on his friend's yacht. The heated relationship between the passionate pair quickly takes an unexpected turn, however, when Michael's wife shows up at the brunch and the producer is forced to leave the girl in the care of his salacious friend Harry Sugar. Upon awakening the following morning, it appears to Michael as if the events of the previous day had been nothing but a vivid dream. Though he begins to suspect that his encounter with the girl was all a figment of his imagination, Michael is troubled to learn that Harry's yacht has been discovered drifting far into the ocean waters - it's missing captain nowhere to be found. When Michael discovers a video of Harry making out with the woman on the boat, a quick investigation reveals that there has recently been a series of unexplained disappearances involving beautiful women. A film producer who is constantly on the lookout for inspiration, Michael is subsequently inspired to turn his bizarre, seemingly supernatural experience into a movie. As the auditions get underway, an actress who is the spitting image of the disappearing beauty tries out for the role and Michael quickly finds the film reaching deep into his family past, and far into an unknown future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Brolin, Antonio Sabato, Jr., (more)
- 2005
Jane Doe:'Til Death Do Us Part is one of several Hallmark Channel TV-movies starring Lea Thompson as suburban housewife and mom Kathy Davis (Lea Thompson), who unbeknownst to her family occasionally moonlights as an undercover special agent and "problem solver" for the NSA. This time around, Armand Nostrum (Tom Castranova), a notorious illegal arms dealer serving a life term in prison, apparently dies of heart failure just before he was to blow the whistle on the others in his operation. Kathy--code name "Jane Doe"--is brought into the case when Nostrum's body disappears from the prison hospital, despite the tightest of security measures. As she tries to figure out what has happened and why, the possibility arises that the "dead" man was anything but! This is the episode in which Kathy is finally permitted to tell her husband Jack (William R. Moses) of her covert activities--and in the bargain, our heroine honors us with a lengthy and very broad imitation of a "typical" Mafia princess! Jane Doe: 'Til Death Do Us Part first aired March 11, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When a keen-eyed scientist discovers that a large asteroid is currently on a deadly collision course with the planet Earth, she must seek the help of a military outcast to jump into action and save humanity from annihilation in a tense, end-of-the-world thriller starring Rae Dawn Chong, Antonio Sabato, Jr., and Michael Moriarty. Dr. Madison Kelsey (Chong) has made a terrifying discovery, but time isn't on her side and in order to prevent the largest disaster ever known to man she is going to have to act fast. Though ex-military scientist Richard Donovan (Sabato, Jr) may be able to help, he is still reeling after being ejected from the armed forces due to his homosexuality. There's little time for old grudges in these final days, however, and when Dr. Kelsey and Donovan agree to work together for the good of mankind, the rest of the world waits with baited breath to receive word of their ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, (more)
Based on a novel by Melissa Senate, this made-for-cable romantic comedy stars Charisma Carpenter as Jane Grant, a New York bachelorette with a moderately successful job at a publishing company. At the behest of her Aunt Ina (Linda Dano), Jane must find a suitable date to escort her to her cousin's wedding in four weeks. Our heroine experiences a number of romantic misadventures with a steady parade of "Mr. Wrongs" (one of whom is played by Joe Millionaire's Evan Marriott) before hitting upon a man who might be "the One" -- and then again, might not. Making Jane's task all the more difficult is the presence of her former high school nemesis Natasha Nutley (Holly Marie Combs), now a soap opera diva whose autobiography Jane has been assigned to edit. See Jane Date debuted August 16, 2003, on the ABC Family Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charisma Carpenter, Cameron Mathison, (more)
Plagued by memories of his mysteriously departed boyfriend, a man travels all the way to Argentina for some closure in this comedic thriller. TV's David Sutcliffe plays Dean, a comic book artist living in relative comfort in Los Angeles, until an accidental fire destroys his domicile. With no place to live and an egregious case of writer's block, Dean decides to flee the States for South America, where his former lover Pablo (Antonio Sabato Jr.) has retreated without an explanation. Tracking down Pablo's aristocratic mother (Sonia Braga) only brings the attention of the police; Dean has better luck with Pablo's enigmatic neighbor Sofia (Celina Font) and her loose-cannon brother, although even they aren't what they seem. Testosterone co-stars Jennifer Coolidge as Dean's brassy editor. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Perhaps inspired by the finale of the 1954 horror film Them!, the made-for-cable chiller Bugs explores the consequences stemming from a swarm of giant insects gathering in a major metropolitan subway systems. These bugs not only eat human beings, but tear their bodies apart and leave the fragments scattered to and fro. It is up to entomologist Emily Foster (Angie Everhart) and civil engineer Matt Pollock (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) to save humanity from the oversized scourges. Bugs made its Sci-Fi Channel debut September 4, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Angie Everhart, (more)
A couple risks their lives in the name of all things fabulous in this comedy of errors, set against the backdrop of West Hollywood's annual Halloween Parade. Wasabi Tuna's title refers to the ho-hum sushi costumes that boyfriends Harvey (Barney Cheng) and Evan (Jason London) have dreamed up for themselves and their friends to wear to the big bash. But when their sassy pall Emme (Alanna Ubach) offers up another suggestion -- that they dress as hardcore East L.A. gangstas -- the couple jumps at the chance. However, when the boutiques on Rodeo Drive don't yield the authentic ghetto fashions they need, the friends hit the streets to beg, steal, or borrow what it takes to "look the part," and end up the unwitting carriers of an illegal cache of gang weaponry. Co-starring Antonio Sabato Jr., SNL funnyman Tim Meadows, and reality-TV widow Anna Nicole Smith (playing herself), Wasabi Tuna received a limited West Coast release in the spring of 2004. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Jason London, (more)
A race with a 25-million-dollar prize is at the center of this action film starring Antonio Sabato Jr. Tensions are rising as the big event draws near, and with a monster hurricane threatening to strike, the potential for a violent confrontation between man and nature is growing. Produced and directed by Phillip Roth, Hypersonic also stars Adam Baldwin and William Zabka. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr.
The legacy of a deceased high school misfit lives on as his tormentors slowly falls prey to a vengeful spirit from beyond the grave in this fright feature from veteran television director Chuck Bowman. Jeff Lucas (Josh Hammond) is already an outcast, but when he makes a horror film instead of a documentary for a class project, the ridicule his classmates inflict upon him soon turns to outright abuse. After being forced into an auto race with one of his more sadistic classmates, Jeff's car careens over a cliff and the troubled student is presumed to be dead. When a new family moves into the home previously inhabited by Jeff and his family, a series of bizarre occurrences lead the family's high-school-age son to believe that Jeff has returned to inflict revenge upon those who wronged him in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Ann Hadley, Keri Lynn Pratt, (more)
Spencer Northcut (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) quite reasonably never forgot the day he witnessed his family being mauled and eventually killed by a prehistoric shark on what was meant to be an innocent boat trip. Obsessed, Spencer builds himself a submarine in hopes of setting out to find and kill the bloodthirsty shark. At first, it looks as if he'll never have the chance--the research group in charge of the sub refuses to let him board his own creation, until they themselves are killed by the same shark responsible for the death of Spencer's parents. Unhindered, Spencer leaves in anticipation of finding the shark and ending a very personal grudge.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
When we first meet beautiful, psychic private investigator Tracy Wellman (Emmanuelle Vaugier), she's confronting a psycho pedophile in a junkyard in a nearly fatal effort to rescue a young boy being held prisoner. Luckily, FBI agent Dan Oliver (Antonio Sabato Jr.) is nearby to help. But he's not around for her next case, in which she meets her mental match in mysterious cult leader David Mendez (Eric Roberts) as she tries to free a senator's daughter from his oily clutches. Naturally, agent Oliver leads the charge against the fortified cult compound -- with Tracy inside. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Emmanuelle Vaugier, (more)
- 2000
The titular "final ascent" in this made-for-cable thriller begins as a group of inexperienced backpackers are shepherded through a particular treacherous stretch of the Rockies by an experienced pair of guides. Among the "greenhorns" is a pack of thieves who are searching for money they had stolen and lost. Once the villains are revealed, it becomes obvious that they aren't about to allow the guides or the other tourists to return from the mountain alive, and thus a deadly cat-and-mouse game develops between two of the main characters, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. and Patrick Muldoon. The striking similarities between this film and the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger are underlined by a subplot involving a climber who cannot get over the fact that he caused the death of his daughter in previous ascent. Hampered by too much dialogue and too many blatantly obvious studio "exteriors", Final Ascent was first telecast November 11, 2000 on the Lifetime network, where it has since been rerun under the all-purpose title Final Descent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this tense military thriller, intelligence officer Jack Poynt (Antonio Sabato Jr.) discovers evidence of a CIA-backed raid on a medical facility in Cambodia in 1972, which led to the torture and slaughter of a number of innocent civilians. Poynt decides it's high time that the men responsible were exposed and brought to justice, but the deeper he digs in search of the truth, the more he finds himself in danger. The Chaos Factor also stars Fred Ward, R. Lee Ermey, and Kelly Rutherford. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Fred Ward, (more)
A military leader has taken the notion of discipline in the services too far in this action-drama. Lt. John Murphy (Antonio Sabato Jr., taking over the role played by Mark Dacascos in the first film) is sent in to investigate when a large number of American soldiers are reported missing from a remote military installation. Going undercover, Murphy pays a call to Lt. Col. Strauss (James Remar), and discovers a shocking secret -- Strauss has turned his base of operations into a kangaroo court, with the Lieutenant Colonel and his men serving as judge, jury, and executioners against soldiers who they feel are not living up to the high standards of military behavior. Murphy must now find a way to bring Strauss and his henchmen to justice and save the lives of the unjustly accused soldiers without tipping his hand in the process. Also released as Guilty As Charged, The Base II also features Melissa Lewis, Duane Davis, and Yuji Okumoto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., James Remar, (more)
A technological nightmare becomes a terrifying reality in this sci-fi-thriller. When a group of computer experts and executives from a high-tech firm based in Seattle die suddenly and unexpectedly during a conference call, Samantha Craig (Janine Turner), a government agent who specializes in disease tracking, is brought in to investigate. Craig finds herself having to work alongside Dr. Nick Baldwin (Antonio Sabato Jr.), a local physician trying to live down a professional disgrace, and together they make a shocking discovery: a deranged genius has developed a computer virus that has evolved from destroying databases into an organic virus that can claim human lives. But who would create such a contagion, and how can it be stopped? Fatal Error also stars Robert Wagner and Malcolm Stewart. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Kirk Wong directed this comedy actioner about mild-mannered, beleaguered hitman Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg), who very much wants to be liked. However, the naive Mel is being taken advantage of by both his girlfriends and associates (who cheat him out of his bonuses). Mel and his "Odd Squad" -- Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), Crunch (Bokeem Woodbine), Vince (Antonio Sabato Jr.), and Gump (Robin Dunne) -- work for Paris (Avery Brooks), head of an international crime cartel and a contractor for hit jobs. Mel's mistress Chantel (Lela Rochon), who views him as a meal ticket, lives rent-free in his house, misspends his money, and is continually thinking of ways to get more from him. Her latest scheme is concocting tales about overdue mortgage and car payments, but she really wants the money to run away with her lover Sergio. Mel and his team head into a big shootout to waste some rival mobsters. One person kills the electricity; the others don night-vision goggles. Melvin handles most of the action, including shooting while bungee-bouncing near a staircase, finally making a spectacular bungee-exit from the top floors of the building just as it explodes in flames. A quick and easy weekend job backfires when their kidnap victim, a rich industrialist's teenage daughter Keiko Nishi (China Chow), turns out to be the godchild of their boss, crime czar Paris. When Cisco, mastermind of the plan, is summoned by Paris, he manages to shift blame to Mel. Meanwhile, Chantel absconds with Mel's earnings just as the disapproving parents (Elliott Gould, Lainie Kazan) of Mel's fiancee Pam (Christina Applegate) are due for a visit. Since Pam gave her parents $50,000 from Mel's bank account, they're on their way to thank him and hopefully benefit from another financial windfall. As his professional and domestic woes collide, Mel finds himself dodging bullets while trying to impress his potential in-laws. Throw in an overzealous video-store clerk demanding the return of an overdue tape (King Kong Returns), and it's not long before Mel's life starts to unravel. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, (more)
When a desperate convict determines to break out of prison at any cost, his cunning escape plan finds him taking one of his best friends as a hostage and authorities mistakenly assuming that his pal is a willing participant as director Armand Mastroianni recounts one of the most daring prison escapes ever attempted. Randy Savino (Antonio Sabato Jr.) can't take life behind bars another day, but in order to escape from his fortress-like prison he'll have to take to the sky. The only way out is to hijack the helicopter of his life-long friend Colt Erikson (Adrian Pasdar) and take his old pal hostage. As authorities close in and the friendship between the pair is put to the ultimate test, Randy is about to find out there's a high price to pay for being a free man when you've wronged society in the eyes of the law. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A band of gangster wannabees find themselves in over their heads after they rob a bank that has been laundering money for a powerful East Asian drug cartel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Shannon Lee, (more)
