Adamo Angelo Ruggiero (born June 9, 1986 in Mississauga, Ontario) is an Italian Canadian actor. Ruggiero's father, Tony, was born in Italy, in Coreno Ausonio (Frosinone, Lazio). Ruggiero's mother's name is Amalia. He has an older brother named Adriano.

Biography

Ruggiero has been acting since the age of 7 or 8. Ruggiero has travelled throughout Canada and the United States for multiple competitions. He has starred in many plays including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Bye-Bye Birdie, and others, but he is mostly known for his role of Marco Del Rossi in Degrassi: The Next Generation. On Degrassi, his character Marco is a gay teenager who struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality. Ruggiero joined Degrassi in the show's second season in 2002. He originally auditioned for the role of Craig Manning (a role currently played by Jake Epstein) on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The same year, Degrassi began airing in the United States on The N cable channel. Adamo attended St. Dunstan Elementary School and graduated from Cawthra Park Secondary School, both in Mississauga, Ontario. Adamo is currently the host of The Next Star.

Personal life

Ruggiero came out in January 2008, saying "I come from a traditional Italian family but they aren't so traditional that me being gay was a deal breaker." He also landed the cover of the January 23-February 5, 2008 issue of fab magazine.fab, #338, January 23-February 5, 2008, "High school confidential", Nelson Branco [1].