Marco Borsato

Marco Borsato was born in the Netherlands to parents Mary de Graaf and Roberto Borsato. The whole family, including Marco's brother Armando and sister Sylvana, moved to Italy where Marco's father owned a restaurant at Lake Garda. Marco thus speaks fluently Italian. Upon returning to the Netherland, Marco tried to gain fame as a singer, singing mainly Italian songs. He was first noticed when he participated in the very popular Dutch TV Show Soundmixshow (1985), in which amateur singers portray an artist of their choice, singing live, and a panel of judges decides who does it the best. Marco performed as Billy Vera singing "At This Moment", and won the grand finale on April 7, 1990. He was signed to Polydor and released three albums, all three in Italian. Apart from the song "Emozioni", which reached number 4 in the Dutch charts, the albums weren't a big success. In 1993, his record company advised him to release some songs in Dutch because he still hadn't has his big break. Finally, in 1994, he released the song "Dromen zijn Bedrog" originally an Italian song which was translated into Dutch. The song shot to number 1 in the charts and remained there for 12 weeks, which gained him a spot in the Guiness World Records Book. A few months later his second single "Waarom nou jij" and his self-titled album "Marco" were also big hits. Since 1995, Marco Borsato is the highest paid singer in the Netherlands and most of his singles and albums always end up high in the charts. He has done a lot of collaborations with other singers, including Lucie Silvas, Sita, Trijntje Oosterhuis and Ali B.. He performed with Sita for Dutch Royals Crown Prince Willem Alexander and his then wife to be Máxima Zorreguita. He is one of the most famous ambassadors for War Child and he takes this job very seriously. In 2008, he debuted as an actor in the movie The Silent Army (2008) a story about a Dutch successful restaurant owner in Ghana, who wants to save his son's best friend from the hands of war rebels. Following her sons success, Marco's mother, Mary Borsato, appears regularly on Dutch TV as a bridal expert. Marco's mother owns a successful Bridal Shop in Alkmaar and is often seen as part of a stylist team or advisor on marriage shows. Marco himself married actress and TV-host Leontine Ruiters, who gained fame in the Dutch version of Wheel of Fortune (1983). In 2006, Marco's assets were an estimated 27 million Euros, which makes him the best paid singer in the Netherlands.