Before deciding to study acting, Alessio Boni had a number of different professions, including working as a tiler in his father's business, and as a babysitter, newsboy, and dispatch rider in California. Upon returning to Italy at 22, Boni enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, supporting himself by working as a waiter in pizza restaurants. While studying, he shared a house with fellow actors Luigi Lo Cascio and Fabrizio Gifuni. Before he even finished school, he landed his first acting role in the Italian television show "Il mago" in 1990. For the rest of the decade, he acted sporadically, mostly taking small roles in television movies and miniseries. In 2002, however, he played Quincy Moritz in the television miniseries "Dracula." This role led to further work throughout the 2000s, most notably playing one of the two leads in "The Best of Youth," a highly acclaimed Italian miniseries which was so succesful that it was released as a two-part movie, playing all over the world. Boni has since appeared in the Oscar-nominated film "Don't Tell," as well as television series such as "War and Peace," "Caravaggio," and "Puccini." In 2010, he portrayed Sergente Cerato in "The Tourist," alongside Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.