Giannini was born in Northamptonshire in 1958; his father was born in Rome, his mother was English. He was educated in England, Italy and in Luxembourg, where his father worked for the European Commission. He was the lead singer, as Sandy Fontaine, of the band
Coast to Coast, which appeared on
Top of the Pops; the group disbanded in 1982. He was inspired to become an actor on reading
Steven Berkoff's play
East, and later graduated from
East 15 Acting School. ==Filmography==