Adamo Angelo Ruggiero (born December 14, 1986), better known as Adamo Ruggiero, is a Canadian actor. He is Italian by his parents' side, and he has a brother named Adriano. Ruggiero was born in Mississauga, Ontario.

Ruggiero became famous when he was chosen to play Marco in the Canadian television hit program Degrassi: The Next Generation, in 2002.

Contrary to most other actors in the series, Ruggiero had no previous show business experience before he got the chance to act in the Degrassi series.

His character is a homosexual boy who leads a heterosexual lifestyle, but suffers inside because he is scared he won't be accepted by his friends if he "comes out". Therefore, he dates girls, hangs out with a group of guy friends, and keeps his homosexuality a secret for a long time. Once he confesses to be gay, he faces criticism by one of his buddies, and is actually beaten up by a group of gay-haters while walking on his way to a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game. Lately he has been dating Paige's older brother Dylan. There first date was a horror show but other than that things seem to be going pretty well.

Ruggiero joined Degrassi in the show's second season. That same year (2002, when Ruggiero began working on the show), American rights to Degrassi: The Next Generation were bought by American television company ABC, which, in turn, decided to air the series on its teenage oriented channel, The N.

The show became a hit in the United States as well, helping Ruggiero gain some fame there as well.

Quotes from Adamo

"I like to go dancing and clubbing. I also watch a lot of movies and relax with friends. I also love going to theater performances with my mom. But when I’m not doing all that, I go rollerblading and biking, and I love talking on the phone and listening to oldies."

"I love pop and dance music. I listen to singers like Britney Spears, N*sync and Destiny’s Child. But I also love oldies. I spend a lot of time listening to artists like Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin, Petula Clark, Judy Garland and many more."

"I love playing tennis and soccer, but I enjoy rollerblading, biking and swimming the most."

"My character is not this huge complicated guy, but he has his problems, just like every other teenager does. In that aspect, I feel my character is nothing far from real. Thus I feel I can relate to him a lot. I like the way my character acts because he is a sensitive type of guy that is not afraid to show feelings and emotion. And in my opinion, that is true strength."

"No, I wouldn’t change a thing about my character. What makes my character unique are his multiple attributes, good and bad. Plus, my character has cool style in clothing, and he is sensitive and caring… and isn’t that what ladies like in guys? LOL!"

"In grade three my elementary school did a musical. I loved to sing and dance, so I auditioned and got one of the lead roles as a young kid. After doing the show and hearing the applause of the audience, I realized that I had a passion for theater, and I wanted to pursue it. And I did. I have been acting, singing and dancing since I was 7 or 8. I have traveled to many places in the United States and in Canada for multiple competitions. I now go to an arts high school which allows me to learn more about theater everyday, making every day of the week an enjoyable and exciting one. Because there is nothing I would rather spend my time doing than performing."

From Adamo's Number One U.s. Fan

(P.S. Did I mention his amazing good looks?