''Borgia'' is a historical drama television series created by

Tom Fontana Tom Fontana (born September 12, 1951) is an American screenwriter, writer, and television producer. Fontana worked on NBC's '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and created HBO's ''Oz.'' Early life and education Fontana was born on the west si ...

for

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

, ZDF, ORF, and

Sky Italia Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agre ...

. The show recounts the

Borgia The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...

family's rise to power and subsequent domination of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

.Seriál BORGIA dnes večer na Barrandově - Natáčel se v Praze i s českými herci
/ref> ''Borgia'' debuted in Italy on

Sky Cinema 1 Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema o ...

on 10 July 2011. It was since renewed for a second season, which premiered in France on

on 18 March 2013.Borgia - Une création originale Canal+
/ref> A third and final season premiered in France on Canal+ on 15 September 2014. The series finale aired in France on Canal+ on 27 October 2014 as the 38th episode overall.

Production

The series is produced by Atlantique Productions, a subsidiary of Lagardère Entertainment, for French premium-pay TV

in association with EOS Entertainment, and was filmed in the Czech Republic and Italy. Czech production was held by company Etic films. International distribution is handled by Beta Film GmbH. Season 3 was filmed between 27 May 2013 and 27 January 2014.

International production

Despite being a French-German-Czech-Italian production, the whole setup is very international. The series creator, producer, and lead writer

, as well as other writers including Sean Whitesell, Gina Gionfriddo, and Larry Cohen are all

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Season 2 sees French writer Audrey Fouché join the writing team. The directors come from several different parts of Europe:

Oliver Hirschbiegel Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 29 December 1957) is a German film director. His works include ''Das Experiment'' and the Oscar-nominated '' Downfall''. Life and career Hirschbiegel was born in Hamburg, Germany. A Waldorf graduate, Hirschbiegel stu ...

and

Christoph Schrewe Christoph Schrewe (born August 19, 1964) is a German film director. Schrewe began his career directing television films in Germany. In 2004 he directed his first international feature film, '' Post Impact'', followed by the well-received ''The ...

are German,

Dearbhla Walsh Dearbhla Walsh is an Irish film and television director who has worked on drama series for several television channels in Ireland and the United Kingdom, including episodes of ''EastEnders'', '' Shameless'' and ''The Tudors''. She won the 2009 ...

is Irish,

Metin Hüseyin Metin Hüseyin is a Turkish-Cypriot-British television and film director. Career Hüseyin's debut film, ''Tight Trousers'', was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Short Film in 1989, and in 1998 he received an RTS award and a Britis ...

is British and Thomas Vincent is French. Each director is in charge of directing at least two consecutive episodes before handing the series over to a new director. The main character, Rodrigo Borgia, is portrayed by American actor

John Doman John Doman (born January 9, 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Maryland State Police Superintendent, Deputy Police Commissioner and Major William Rawls on HBO series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Colonel Edward Galson on '' Oz'' (2 ...

. The rest of the cast hails from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic, but the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, and Spain and several other countries are also represented.

Cast and characters

Main

as Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia / Pope Alexander VI *

Mark Ryder Mark Ryder (born December 7, 1989) is an actor from Northern Ireland who was educated at Methodist College Belfast. He is most noted for his television role as Cesare Borgia in the historical drama series, ''Borgia The House of Borgia ( , ; ...

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex-cardinal and ''condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major i ...

Stanley Weber Stanley Weber (born 13 July 1986) is a French actor and theatre director. He is known for his performance as Juan Borgia in the television series ''Borgia'', and for his roles in films '' The First Day of the Rest of Your Life'' and '' Thérèse ...

Juan Borgia ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanis ...

and

Francesco Borgia Francis Borgia ( ca-valencia, Francesc de Borja; es, Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After th ...

(Season 1, guest seasons 2-3) *

Isolda Dychauk Isolda Dychauk (born 4 February 1993) is a German actress of Russian descent. Career Isolda Dychauk was born in 1993 in Surgut (West Siberia) and moved to Berlin in 2002 with her mother. In addition to her native language Russian, she learn ...

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Gover ...

* Marta Gastini as

Giulia Farnese Giulia Farnese (1474 – 23 March 1524) was an Italian noblewoman, a mistress to Pope Alexander VI, and the sister of Pope Paul III. Known as ''Giulia la bella'', meaning "Julia the beautiful" in Italian, Giulia was a member of the noble Farnese ...

* Diarmuid Noyes as Cardinal Alessandro Farnese *

Art Malik Athar ul-Haque Malik (born 13 November 1952), known professionally as Art Malik, is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant Ivory tel ...

as Francesc Gacet, Rodrigo Borgia's secretary *

Assumpta Serna María Asunción Rodés Serna (born 16 September 1957), better known as Assumpta Serna, is a Spanish actress and author. Born in Barcelona, Serna has performed in 20 countries in six languages and is the recipient of more than 20 internationa ...

as Vannozza Cattanei *

Christian McKay Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film '' Me and Orson Welles'', for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards includ ...

as Cardinal

Ascanio Sforza Ascanio Maria Sforza Visconti (3 March 1455 – 28 May 1505) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Generally known as a skilled diplomat who played a major role in the election of Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, Sforza served a ...

(seasons 1–2) * Scott Winters as Cardinal Raffaele Riario-Sansoni * Dejan Čukić as Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere

Recurring

* Victor Schefé as

Johann Burchard Johann Burchard, also spelled Johannes Burchart or Burkhart (c.1450–1506) was an Alsatian-born priest and chronicler during the Italian Renaissance. He spent his entire career at the papal Courts of Sixtus IV, Innocent VIII, Alexander VI, Piu ...

* Paul Brennen as Agapito Geraldini, Cesare's secretary * Andrea Sawatzki as Adriana de Mila, Lucrezia's governess * Michael Fitzgerald as Cardinal

Oliviero Carafa Oliviero Carafa (10 March 1430 – 20 January 1511), in Latin Oliverius Carafa, was an Italian cardinal and diplomat of the Renaissance. Like the majority of his era's prelates, he displayed the lavish and conspicuous standard of living that was ...

Miroslav Táborský Miroslav Táborský (born 9 November 1959 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech actor who has appeared on Czech television series, as well as in American movies. Táborský studied physics at the University of Hradec Králové, and then graduat ...

as Cardinal

Giambattista Orsini Giambattista Orsini (died February 22, 1503) (also called Giovanni Battista Orsini or Jean-Baptiste des Ursins) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He served as papal legate to the Marches of Ancona. Biography Giambattista Orsini was born in ...

* Alejandro Albarracín as Alfonso di Calabria * Sean Campion as Virginio Orsini *

Karel Dobrý Karel Dobrý (born 2 May 1969) is a Czechs, Czech film, television and stage actor. He is known for playing Liet-Kynes in the ''Frank Herbert's Dune, Dune'' 2000 miniseries, and Korba (Dune), Korba in the 2003 sequel ''Frank Herbert's Children of ...

as Cardinal Giovanni Colonna * Andrew Hawley as

Alfonso d'Este Alfonso d'Este (21 July 1476 – 31 October 1534) was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai. Biography He was the son of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Eleanor of Naples and became duke on Ercole's death i ...

* Predrag Bjelac as Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini * Nicolás Belmonte as Shahzadeh Djem * Adam Misík as

Goffredo Borgia Gioffre Borgia (1481/82–1516/17), also known as Goffredo (Italian), or Jofré Borja (Valencian), was the youngest son of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei, and a member of the House of Borgia. He was the youngest brother of Cesare, ...

* Raimund Wallisch as

Alfonso II of Naples Alfonso II (4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495) was Duke of Calabria and ruled as King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 23 January 1495. He was a soldier and a patron of Renaissance architecture and the arts. Heir to his father Fer ...

* Richard Southgate as Marcantonio Colonna * Marc Duret as Cardinal Guillaume Briçonnet * Petr Vanek as Miguel de Corella *

Sebastian Urzendowsky Sebastian Urzendowsky (born 28 May 1985) is a German actor. He has appeared in more than thirty films since 1998. Selected filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urzendowsky, Sebastian 1985 births Living people Male a ...

as Cardinal Juan Borgia Lanzol * Manuel Rubey as

Giovanni Sforza Giovanni Sforza d'Aragona (5 July 1466 – 27 July 1510) was an Italian condottiero, lord of Pesaro and Gradara from 1483 until his death. He is best known as the first husband of Lucrezia Borgia. Their marriage was annulled on claims of his impote ...

* John Bradley West as Giovanni de' Medici * Josef Jelínek as Cardinal Federico Sanseverino * Tereza Voříšková as Fiametta Michaelis, Cesare's lover * Josef Badalec as Cardinal Pedro Luis Borgia Lanzol *

Joseph Beattie Joseph Beattie (born 1978) is an English actor, known for portraying Malachi in the second season of '' Hex'' (2004) and Henry Crawford in ''Mansfield Park'' (2007). Background Beattie attended King Alfred School in Hampstead and later traine ...

as King

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the time ...

Paloma Bloyd Paloma Bloyd Dubra (born March 6, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Spanish and American actress. She is best known for playing the lead role in the romantic comedy “Perdona si te llamo Amor” based on the best selling novel written by Federi ...

as Princess Carlotta d'Aragona * Rafael Cebrián as Rodrigo Borgia Lanzol, 'el pequeño' * Matt Di Angelo as Cardinal Francesco Alidosi * Peter Hosking as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Savelli *

Babsie Steger Babsie Steger (born 1968) is an Austrian television actress, dancer, singer and television presenter. Biography Babsie Steger was born in Waidhofen an der Ybbs in Lower Austria. She left her native Austria at age 18 after studying classical d ...

as Giovanna Farnese

Guest starring

* Tom Wlaschiha as Philip of Habsburg *

Vadim Glowna Vadim Glowna (; 26 September 1941 – 24 January 2012) was a German actor and film director. Since 1964 he appeared in more than 150 films and television shows. He directed the 1983 film ''Dies rigorose Leben'', which won an Honourable Ment ...

as Cardinal

Jorge da Costa Dom Jorge da Costa (1406 – 18 September 1508) was a Portuguese cardinal. Biography Born in Alpedrinha, Fundão, he is often called the Cardinal of Alpedrinha. He was one of many children of Martim Vaz and wife Catarina Gonçalves. He m ...

* Mónica Lopera as Maria Enriquez de Luna * Jiri Madl as Francesco Remolino d'Ilerda * Eliska Krenková as Sancia of Squillace *

Scott Cleverdon Scott Cleverdon (born 31 July 1969) is a Scottish actor best known as the angel Pyriel in the film '' The Prophecy 3: The Ascent''. He has also done significant voice acting. He was born and brought up in Edinburgh, attending Broughton High ...

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread p ...

* Davide Lipari as Sigismondo d'Este * Alexandra Oppo as

Isabella d'Este Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whos ...

César Domboy César Domboy (born 10 March 1990) is a French actor best known for '' The Walk'' and his recurring role as Fergus Claudel Fraser in the Starz television drama '' Outlander.'' Early life Domboy was born on 10 March 1990 in France, the middl ...

as Guy de Laval * Bohdan Petrovic Esek as Cardinal

* Michael Bilington as Orsino Orsini Migliorati *

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...

* Dave Legeno as

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Guidobaldo (Guido Ubaldo) da Montefeltro (25 January 1472 – 10 April 1508), also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508. Biography Born in Gubbio, he succeeded his father Federico da Montefe ...

* Jirí Ornest as Cardinal Ardicino della Porta *

Marek Vasut Marek is the West Slavic (Czech, Polish and Slovak) masculine equivalent of Marcus, Marc or Mark. The name may refer to: * Marek (given name) * Marek (surname) * Marek, the pseudonym of Bulgarian communist Stanke Dimitrov (1889–1944) * The titl ...

Fabrizio Colonna Fabrizio Colonna (c. 1450 – 18 March 1520) was an Italian condottiero, a member of the powerful Colonna family. He was the son of Edoardo Colonna and Filippa Conti. Fabrizio was born sometime before 1452. He was married to Agnese da Mont ...

* Amber Rose Revah as Maacah bat Talmai, Juan's lover * Simon Larvaron as King

Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (french: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.Paul Murray Kendall, ''Louis XI: The Universal Spider'' (Ne ...

David Atrakchi David Atrakchi (born 10 December 1977) is an actor best known for his role of Malcolm Manville in ''Transporter 3''. He played Lanyon in the 2011 thriller '' Faces in the Crowd''. He was an actor and co-producer of '' Frank & Lola'', a 2016 no ...

as Yves D'Allegre, French captain * Marco Cassini as

Pietro Bembo Pietro Bembo, ( la, Petrus Bembus; 20 May 1470 – 18 January 1547) was an Italian scholar, poet, and literary theorist who also was a member of the Knights Hospitaller, and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As an intellectual of the ...

* Antoine Cholet as Cardinal

Georges D'Amboise Georges d'Amboise (1460 – May 25, 1510) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His father, ...

* Thibaut Evrard as

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...

* Josef Karas as Domenico Doria, Papal Guard commander *

Valentina Cervi Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress. Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austri ...

Caterina Sforza Caterina Sforza (1463 – 28 May 1509) was an Italian noblewoman, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, firstly with her husband Girolamo Riario, and after his death as a regent of her son Ottaviano. Caterina was a noblewoman who lived a l ...

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy t ...

Girolamo Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, , ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498) or Jerome Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar from Ferrara and preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He was known for his prophecies of civic glory, the destruction of ...

Richard McCabe Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Career McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare ...

as King

Frederick IV of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last Kingdom of Naples, King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the seco ...

* Daisy Lewis as Maria Diaz Garlon, Cesare's lover * Rudolf Martin as

Franceschetto Cybo Franceschetto Cybo (baptized Francesco) (c. 1450 – July 25, 1519) was an Italian nobleman, noteworthy for being the illegitimate son of Pope Innocent VIII (Giovanni Battista Cybo). Later naturalized by his father into becoming his legitimate h ...

Javier Godino Javier Godino (born March 11, 1978 in Madrid) is a Spanish actor. Biography Godino began his studies at Juan Carlos Corazza's School of Interpretation. He is a Spanish actor, having worked in both Spanish and international cinematic product ...

as Dionigi di Naldo * Paul Hamy as Simon d'Auxerre * Lorenzo Richelmy as Sidonius Grimani *

Luka Peroš Luka Peroš (born 28 October 1976) is a Croatian actor best known for the role of Marseille in ''Money Heist''. Peroš is a polyglot and multilingual, being able to speak eight different languages. He speaks fluent English. Early life Peroš gra ...

as Imola man * Ellie Darcey-Alden as

Felice della Rovere Felice della Rovere (c. 1483 – 27 September 1536), also known as Madonna Felice, was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II. One of the most powerful women of the Italian Renaissance, she was born in Rome around 1483 to Lucrezia Norma ...

Episodes

Season 1 – ''Borgia: Faith and Fear'' (2011)

(March 1492 – June 1493)

Season 2 – ''Borgia: Rules of Love, Rules of War'' (2013)

(February 1494 – September 1494)

Season 3 – ''Borgia: Triumph and Oblivion'' (2014)

(1495 – 1507) The third season premiered on Netflix on 1 November 2014.

References

External links

*
Lagardère Entertainment and Canal+ Press Release March 2009

Article about Borgia on Austrian public TV website "ORF"
{{Sky Atlantic Historical television series Television series set in the 15th century Television series set in the 16th century German drama television series ZDF original programming House of Borgia Monarchy in fiction Incest in television Television shows set in Italy Television shows set in Vatican City 2011 French television series debuts 2011 German television series debuts 2014 German television series endings 2010s Italian television series 2010s French drama television series Czech drama television series Television shows about Catholicism 2011 Czech television series debuts 2014 Czech television series endings Films shot in the Czech Republic Films about popes Cultural depictions of Cesare Borgia Cultural depictions of Lucrezia Borgia Cultural depictions of Pope Alexander VI Cultural depictions of Niccolò Machiavelli Cultural depictions of Girolamo Savonarola Cultural depictions of Caterina Sforza Television series created by Tom Fontana Canal+ original programming Sky Atlantic (Italy) television programmes Czech historical television series

Production

International production

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest starring

Episodes

Season 1 – ''Borgia: Faith and Fear'' (2011)

Season 2 – ''Borgia: Rules of Love, Rules of War'' (2013)

Season 3 – ''Borgia: Triumph and Oblivion'' (2014)

See also

References

External links