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Antonio Sabàto Jr. (born February 29, 1972) is an Italian-American model and actor. He rose to 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 | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Sabàto in 2018 | |
| Born | February 29, 1972 Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, model, politician |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Partners |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Antonio Sabàto Sr. Yvonne Kabouchy |
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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 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.[8] His parents divorced, and his mother remarried, to California-based businessman George F. Kabouchy, in 1997.[9][10]
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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 to 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 Kristy Swanson, Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, and Scott Baio.[17]
Other work
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.[18]
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.[19]
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,[20] and they finished in 8th place.[21]
Since 2014, Sabàto has served as the host of a 30-minute long syndicated home remodeling show Fix It & Finish It.[22][23]
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.[24]
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]
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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]
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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. In March 2020, Sabàto moved to Florida, and now works for a construction company.[52]
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Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Il ragazzo delle mani d'acciaio | Kevin Foster | |
| 1991 | Fuga da Kayenta | Emiliano | |
| ...Se non avessi l'amore | Pier Giorgio Frassati | TV movie | |
| 1993 | Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? | A.J. Treece | TV movie |
| 1994 | Jailbreakers | Tony Falcon | TV movie |
| 1995 | Her Hidden Truth | Detective Matt Samoni | TV movie |
| 1996 | If Looks Could Kill | John Hawkins | TV movie |
| Padre papà | Don Giuseppe | TV movie | |
| Thrill | Jack Colson | TV movie | |
| Code Name: Wolverine | Harry Gordini/Wolverine | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Circles | Jeremy Bonner | |
| 1998 | The Perfect Getaway | Randy Savino | TV movie |
| The Big Hit | Vince | ||
| High Voltage | Johnny Clay | ||
| 1999 | Fatal Error | Dr. Nick Baldwin | TV movie |
| Goosed | Dr. Steven Stevenson | ||
| 2000 | The Chaos Factor | Jack Poynt | |
| Vola Sciusciù | Tony | TV movie | |
| Guilty as Charged | Sergeant Hawks | TV movie | |
| Final Ascent | David | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Mindstorm | Dan Oliver | |
| Shark Hunter | Spencer Northcut | ||
| Longshot | Tommy Sutton | ||
| 2002 | Hyper Sonic | Grant Irvine | Video |
| Seconds to Spare | Paul Blake | TV movie | |
| Dead Above Ground | Sergeant Dan DeSousa | ||
| 2003 | See Jane Date | Timothy Rommelly | TV movie |
| Wasabi Tuna | Fredrico | ||
| Bugs | Matt Pollack | TV movie | |
| Testosterone | Pablo Alesandro | ||
| 2005 | Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part | Joey Angelini | TV movie |
| Crash Landing | Major John Masters | ||
| 2006 | Deadly Skies | Richard Donovan | TV movie |
| 2007 | Stolen Life | Greg Vlasi | TV movie |
| Destination: Infestation | Ethan Hart | TV movie | |
| Sirens of the Caribbean | Michael Pace | TV movie | |
| 2008 | Ghost Voyage | Michael | TV movie |
| 2009 | Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas | Henry Lee Lucas | |
| Princess of Mars | John Carter | ||
| 2011 | Balls to the Wall | Sven | |
| God Reschedules Rapture | - | Short | |
| Secrets from Her Past | Dr. Shawn Tessle | TV movie | |
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Handsome Guy #1 | |
| Little Women, Big Cars | A.J. | ||
| Little Women, Big Cars 2 | A.J. | ||
| 2014 | All I Want for Christmas | Mike Patterson | TV movie |
| 2015 | Intikam | Varol | |
| 2016 | Dark Paradise | Dario | TV movie |
| Inspired to Kill | Paul | TV movie | |
| 2017 | Hometown Hero | Jason | TV movie |
| 2019 | Dance Night Obsession | Miguel | |
| Santa in Training | Eddie | ||
| 2020 | One Nation Under God | Senator Viera | |
| 2021 | God's Not Dead: We the People | Mike McKinnon | [53] |
| Carolina's Calling | Martin Haas | ||
| 2022 | Trail Blazers | John | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1995 | General Hospital | Jagger Cates | Regular Cast |
| 1994–1995 | Earth 2 | Alonzo Solace | Main Cast |
| 1995 | Melrose Place | Jack Perezi | Recurring Cast: Season 4 |
| 1996 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Bob Stanford | Episode: "Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark" |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Mario (voice) | Episode: "Thumbelina" |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Kevin Wyatt | Episode: "The Green Monster" |
| Wasteland | Jack | Episode: "Double Date" | |
| Tribe | Jack Osborne | Main Cast | |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Chad Warner/Sid Camden | Episode: "Skin Deep" |
| Charmed | Bane Jessup | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2001 | The Test | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "The Sex Etiquette Test" |
| Wild On! | Bane Jessup | Episode: "Wild on the Islands" | |
| 2003 | Pet Star | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Episode #2.10 & "#2.13" |
| E! True Hollywood Story | Himself | Episode: "Melrose Place" | |
| 2004 | MTV Cribs | Himself | Episode: "September 22, 2004" |
| Half & Half | Carlo | Episode: "The Big Double Date with My Mate Episode" | |
| Becker | Linda's Boyfriend | Episode: "DNR" | |
| The Help | Dwayne | Main Cast | |
| 2005 | But Can They Sing? | Himself/Contestant | Main Cast |
| Joey | Kyle | Episode: "Joey and the Tonight Show" | |
| 2005-06 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dante Damiano | Regular Cast |
| 2006 | E! True Hollywood Story | Himself | Episode: "Tori Spelling" |
| 2008 | Celebrity Circus | Himself/Contestant | Main Cast |
| Whatever Happened To? | Himself | Episode: "Playboys" | |
| General Hospital: Night Shift | Jagger Cates | Main Cast: Season 2 | |
| NCIS | Dale Kapp | Episode: "Road Kill" | |
| 2009 | My Antonio | Himself | Main Cast |
| Ugly Betty | Himself | Episode: "The Fall Issue" | |
| Scrubs | Himself | Episode: "Our Drunk Friend" | |
| 2010 | Iron Chef America | Himself/Judge | Episode: "Flay vs. Smith: Avocado" |
| CSI: NY | Davi Santos | Episode: "The Formula" | |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Ross Matthews | Episode: "Episode #18.89" | |
| Rizzoli & Isles | Jorge | Episode: "I Kissed A Girl" | |
| Bones | Terror | Episode: "The Maggots in the Meathead" | |
| 2011 | The Traveler's Guide to Life | Himself | Episode: "Secret Lives" |
| After Lately | Himself | Episode: "Finding Jordan" | |
| Hot in Cleveland | Leandro | Episode: "Dancing Queens" | |
| 2012 | Celebrity Wife Swap | Himself | Episode: "Mick 'Mankind' Foley/Antonio Sabato Jr." |
| Femme Fatales | Bart | Episode: "Gun Twisted" | |
| 2013 | Hell's Kitchen | Himself/Restaurant Patron | Episode: "5 Chefs Compete: Part 3 of 3" |
| Chopped | Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Celebrity Holiday Bash" | |
| Baby Daddy | Gerard | Episode: "All's Flair in Love and War" | |
| Castle | Ramon Russo | Episode: "Need to Know" | |
| The League | Father Zaragosa | Recurring Cast: Season 5 | |
| 2013-14 | From the Mouths of Babes | Himself | Recurring Guest: Season 1 |
| 2014 | Oprah: Where Are They Now? | Himself | Episode: "Candy Spelling, Knots Landing Reunion/Antonio Sabato, Jr." |
| Dancing with the Stars | Himself/Contestant | Contestant: Season 19 | |
| Heartbreakers | Billy Mac Fleming | Episode: "Shot Through The Heart" | |
| 2014–2016 | Fix It and Finish It | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2016 | Cupcake Wars | Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Celebrity: Twister" |
| The Encounter | Dr. Max Huber | Episode: "Just Believe" | |
| 2017 | Malibu Dan the Family Man | Frane Calloway | Episode: Filthy Poor |
| 2017–2018 | Hilton Head Island | Jude Trisk | Main Cast |
Music Videos
| Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" | Janet Jackson |
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