6 Things to Know About Edgar Ramirez, the Man Who Transformed Into Gianni Versace

By Monica Sisavat Solís
Getty | Dimitrios Kambouris
Getty | Dimitrios Kambouris

The second season of American Crime Story is fast approaching, and by now you've probably heard that Edgar Ramirez will be taking on the role of Gianni Versace. If you haven't yet familiarized yourself with the actor, here's your chance to get to know him before American Crime Story returns in early 2018.

  1. He was born in Venezuela. The 40-year-old heartthrob was born Edgar Filiberto Ramirez Arellano on March 25, 1977, in San Cristóbal, Venezuela.
  2. He's fluent in five languages. Edgar spent a large part of his childhood visiting different countries, and as a result, he learned Spanish, German, English, French, and Italian.
  3. You've probably seen him before. He's appeared in several films, including Gold, Joy, The Girl on the Train, and Zero Dark Thirty.
  4. He has a heart of gold. In addition to being a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Edgar delivered an impassioned speech about gender equality at a HeForShe event back in September 2016. "In the journey for equality, women and men are like two strands of DNA wrapped together in an embrace," he told the crowd. "Our burdens are as intertwined as our common destiny. The constraints that burden me will eventually burden you. And the same is true in reverse: as long as you are burdened, I am too."
  5. He's more than just a pretty face. Edgar has a degree in journalism and politics from Venezuela's Andrés Bello Catholic University. "I wanted to be a diplomat and journalist," he previously told Latina magazine. "I have a deep fascination with human nature, with all its virtues and all its defects."
  6. He has an interesting habit. In a 2016 interview with the New York Times, Edgar revealed that he has a compulsion, which his friend coined "micropapelomania." "It means to reduce every piece of paper to its minimum proportion," he explained. "A friend came up with the name, because whenever I see a piece of paper, I start to do this [rips a napkin and starts to fold and twist]. If I had talent, it would become origami. But I don't."