Born Leonardo Gassmann, born in Rome on 22 November 1998, Leo is the son of the actor Alessandro Gassmann and the actress Sabrina Knaflitz, as well as the nephew of the legendary Vittorio Gassman and the French actress Juliette Mayniel.
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Origins and success
He approached music as a child, studying classical guitar at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, and then moving on to singing. In 2018 he took part in He returns to the Ariston stage in 2023, this time among the Bigs, with the song “Terzo cuore”, placing eighteenth. From an academic point of view, he graduated in Art and Communication at John Cabot University in Rome.
Privacy
On the sentimental front, Leo is very reserved. After a flirtation with the Argentine-American actress Maia Reficco, known for the reboot of “Pretty Little Liars”, Leo Gassman is currently linked to the actress Arianna Di Claudio, protagonist of the 2025 Rai fiction “Champagne”.
He saved a tourist from harassment
Among the most unexpected chapters of his life there is an episode that went around Italy: one night in Rome, in via di Portonaccio, Leo Gassman rescued a 29-year-old American tourist who, having got off public transport after leaving a club, had been molested by a stranger who had touched her leg. The girl started screaming and moved away from the man, ending up meeting the singer and other boys in the area, who did not hesitate to intervene and immediately call the police. The young woman was transported to the Umberto I Polyclinic, where no signs of physical violence were found, and once she regained her lucidity she was able to reconstruct what happened with the investigators. A spontaneous and courageous gesture that showed a side of Leo Gassman away from the spotlight, confirming that behind the talent there is also a young man with his feet on earth.
Acting career
In parallel with music, Leo has built a solid film career. The role that gave him the greatest visibility was that of Franco Califano in the TV film “Califano” (Rai 1, 2024), for which he won the Nastro d’Argento as revelation of the year. He also participated in the series “Nudes” (second season) and in the films “A group therapy” by Paolo Costella and “Fuori la vera” by Davide Minnella. In February 2026 he arrived on Rai 1 in the miniseries “The Invisible – The Capture of Matteo Messina Denaro”, where he plays Ram, a young ROS radio technician.
The song in Sanremo 2026
For the 76th edition of the Festival – which will take place from 24 to 28 February 2026 – hosted by Carlo Conti, Leo brings “Naturale”, written together with Francesco Savini, Mattia Davì and Alessandro Casali. The song opens the doors to the new album “Vita vera Paradiso”, out on April 10th.
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Here are the full lyrics of the song:
Star who never cries
Not even when she’s alone
It slipped through my hands
Like a word from the mouth
I don’t know how to pack
And she wants to leave
I dreamed of open roads between tunnels
I wanted a French house on the Tuileries
But she hated paintings and pyramids
And us
We found each other, broke up then found ourselves with others
Filled with kisses that felt like slaps to me
And it’s not worth it, but it’s not worth it, but it’s not worth it…
But it doesn’t count if you look at me now
With those shiny eyes and you stain me
The sweatshirt with the black eyeliner
You who are more beautiful naturally
If we see each other again in twenty years
We will still want to split our hearts in half
But the truth is that making peace in the end is more natural
Star who never cries
Or at least not with me
But we spent five summers
On a scooter between the traffic lights and trams
That Rome in August seems like Antarctica
A postcard without an image
And how I loved her pale cheeks
They never blushed
And us
We found each other, broke up, then found ourselves with others
Filled with kisses that felt like slaps to me
And not…
But it doesn’t count if you look at me now
With those shiny eyes and you stain me
The sweatshirt with the black eyeliner
You who are more beautiful naturally
If we see each other again in twenty years
We will still want to split our hearts in half
But the truth is that making peace in the end is more natural
Stella now cries with her friends and with her mother
With strangers on the street and with his dog
That we hurt ourselves so bad, so bad, so bad
So, without wanting to
But it doesn’t count if you look at me now
With those shiny eyes and you stain me
The sweatshirt with the black eyeliner
You who are more beautiful
But it doesn’t matter if I miss you now, but it doesn’t matter if
If we find ourselves in twenty years making love which is ultimately more natural
