Richard Brancatisano
Richard Peter Brancatisano, also known by his stage name Richie Branco, is an Australian television actor and musician, best known for his roles as Xander Bly, the Green Mystic Ranger, in Power Rangers: Mystic Force and Dominic Russo on the ABC Family drama series, Chasing Life.
Early life and education
Brancatisano was born in Sydney to a Calabrese-Italian father and an Australian mother. His interest in the dramatic arts began at an early age, and he appeared in several musicals and plays at his high school, The King' School in Parramatta.He studied acting for three years at Sydney's Theatre Nepean.
Career
Acting
Brancatisano played Corey in the 2005 season of Boyband: The Musical, staged by Ricochet Working Productions, which premiered at Sydney's Seymour Centre. It opened a return season in 2006, but he did not reprise the role. He also performed in the theatre production Vin, as the lead character, Vin.In 2006, he came to prominence portraying Xander Bly, the Green Mystic Ranger in the children's series Power Rangers Mystic Force.
He next appeared as Caleb in the second season of the international children's TV series The Elephant Princess and as Prince Vittorio Secca in Home and Away. He had previously appeared twice, in the latter series. He had roles in Underbelly: Razor, White Collar Blue and Forensic Investigators. He also played a doctor, Rick, on the adventure drama series Reef Doctors, alongside Lisa McCune.
In 2013, Brancatisano secured his first American role in the drama series Chasing Life after the pilot, Terminales was given the green light by America's ABC network. He played Dominic, the male lead. The same year, he played Rhys in the third season of Dance Academy.
Brancatisano was the main protagonist in the 2015 big screen adaptation of the hit Australian stage play Alex & Eve, written by Alex Lykos – a modern take on Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Peter Andrikidis, it depicted a synchronous multicultural dating landscape between a Greek Orthodox Alex and a Muslim Lebanese Eve, played by Andrea Demetriades. The film also starred Tony Nikolakopoulos, Zoe Carides and George Kapiniaris.
In 2022, Brancatisano appeared in miniseries After the Verdict as Dom, and in feature film Carmen as Pablo. The same year, he played Michael Sleiman in drama series The Twelve.
Music
In music circles, Brancatisano uses his stage name, 'Richie Branco'.He played in a four-member indie rock covers band called Black Diamond Hearts, followed by a band called Flux.
He toured with New Zealand artist, Gin Wigmore.
He released his debut single "Fight Me" on 10 July 2018. He later released a single titled "Don’t Hold Your Love In".
Public appearances
Brancatisano was one of the guests of the Power Morphicon, the first Power Rangers convention, in Los Angeles in June 2007 and August 2014.He also appeared at the 2023 Supanova Expo, a comic and gaming convention in Melbourne.