Who is Tao Ruspoli? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Prince Tao Ruspoli

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Olivia Wilde (m. 2003 – div. 2011)

father: Alessandro Ruspoli - 9th Prince of Cerveteri

mother: Debra Berger

siblings: 10th Prince of Cerveteri, Bartolomeo Ruspoli, Francesco Ruspoli, Mathilda Mélusine Ruspoli, Théodore Alexandre Ruspoli

Born Country: Thailand

Directors American Men

Ancestry: Austrian American, Italian American

City: Bangkok, Thailand

More Facts

education: University Of California, Berkeley

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Career

Tao Ruspoli is known for his progressive filmmaking and unique storytelling skills. He made his debut in direction with the short documentary ‘Just Say Know’ in 2002. The documentary featured his parents and described many of their family problems, including their drug addictions.

His next two short videos, ‘El Cable’ and ‘This Film Needs No Title: A Portrait of Raymond Smullyan’, were released in 2004. The first short video was about the flamenco way of life and the second one was about the great American mathematician, logician, and concert pianist Raymond Smullyan. Ruspoli is a huge fan of flamenco and also made a documentary titled ‘Flamenco: A Personal Journey’. The documentary describes the world of the gypsies in a specific part of Spain and their flamenco lifestyle.

His popular documentaries ‘Being in the World’ and ‘Monogamish’ were released in 2010 and 2017, respectively. ‘Being In the World’ featured a group of philosophers who are inspired by Martin Heidegger and his philosophies.

Ruspoli made his feature film debut as a director with ‘Fix’ (2008), which featured his then-wife Olivia Wilde along with Megalyn Echikunwoke, Dedee Pfeiffer, Shawn Andrews, and Andrew Fiscella. The film won The Grand Chameleon Award at the 11th Brooklyn International Film Festival and the Best Film Award at the Vail Film Festival as well as at the Twin Rivers Media Festival. Ruspoli was awarded the Heineken Red Star Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for his innovative and progressive filmmaking.

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Family & Personal Life

Tao Ruspoli was born in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 7, 1975, and grew up in Rome, Italy, and later moved to California. He is the second son of the aristocrat Prince Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri, who was also a part-time actor, and the Austrian-American actress, Debra Berger. Ruspoli has a degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, which he earned in 1998.

He married actress Olivia Jane Cockburn, popularly known as Olivia Wilde, on 7 June 2003, in Virginia. The couple ended their marriage almost eight years later in 2011 after Olivia Wilde filed for a divorce citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. The two parties reached a private agreement on the division of their assets and Wilde didn’t seek any spousal support from Ruspoli.

Tao Ruspoli Biography