Born in Palermo, Salvino made his film debut at 23 years old, with a main role in Franco De Rosis' Il magnaccio. In the 1970s he was very active in genre films, often in main roles. In the 1980s he focused his activities on television, appearing in a number of series and television films of some success. He died in Rome on 12 January 1999, at the age of 54.