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Giovanni Mazza, known for his violin skills, joined General Hospital as Giovanni "Gio" Palmieri. The actor debuted on the show on May 15, 2024. Mazza's original audition with the casting director Mark Teschner was supposed to be for a day-player role, but he ended up getting a contract role.
During their Daily Drama podcast on July 18, 2024, Mazza revealed that the decision was something he did not expect, especially since his audition didn't go as smoothly as planned.
"The next day, they called and told me that they wanted to give me a contract role, and they were writing this role for me," he added. "It blew my mind. Not what I expected at all!"
General Hospital: A closer look at Gio Palmieri's character
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Gio Palmieri, portrayed by Giovanni Mazza, is the biological son of Detective Dante Falconeri and Brook Lyn Quartermaine. He is also the adoptive son of the late Francis Palmieri and Camila Palmieri.
Gio grew up surrounded by the Cerullo and Falconeri families in Bensonhurst. Initially, he had no idea he was adopted—or that his biological parents were Dante and Brook Lyn.
When Brook Lyn gave birth to Gio, she and Lois agreed to put him up for adoption without telling anyone. After a year, she went on to live with her father, Ned Quartermaine, in Port Charles.
Despite being unaware that Gio is his grandson, Sonny Chorintos helped pay for his education. He also shouldered Gio's violin lessons, which honed his skills as a talented violinist.
Sonny is determined to secure Gio's future even after he moved in with the Quartermaines. Previously, he visited him at the mansion to have him sign an educational trust. Despite Tracy's opposition, Gio still signed the document.
More about General Hospital star Giovanni Mazza
Giovanni Mazza was born on May 22, 2005, in Illinois. Growing up, he's always been fond of music, particularly playing the violin. The General Hospital actor started playing the instrument when he was just three years old.
In 2015, Mazza, who was nine then, played the violin for the Chicago Bulls halftime show. He wasn't expecting much from it except for free tickets to the game. However, they were impressed by his skills that he was brought back to play again the following year. Since then, his music career took off.
"I played and performed at about 20 different arenas, 100 different halftime shows," the actor said in a June 2024 interview with Soap Opera Digest. "I think when I was really young, everyone thought it was so cute. Like, ‘Oh, look at this little nine-year-old who’s playing hip hop on the violin.’"
Prior to landing the role of Gio on General Hospital, Mazza auditioned for a role on Days of Our Lives six different times within a year. But it was with GH that ultimately gave him his big break.
Now, the actor couldn't be more delighted with his experience on the show. He declared that playing Gio means everything to him and that he's "incredibly grateful" for it.
Catch Giovanni Mazza as Gio Palmieri on General Hospital, weekdays on ABC.
