Born in Bari, in southern Italy, Cucciolla gained a degree in law, then made his stage debut in an amateur production in his home city.

[4] Cucciolla made his film debut in 1953, in Anton Giulio Majano's Good Folk's Sunday.

[4] Cucciolla came to national and international recognition with the leading role in Montaldo's Sacco e Vanzetti, for which he was awarded best actor at Cannes and won a Silver Ribbon.

In the wake of that sudden popularity, he intensively worked throughout the decade, alternating notable films with others of more modest quality and ambition.

[4] As a dubber, he provided voice-overs for Roger Moore, Claudio Villa, Erland Josephson, John Cazale, Jonathan Pryce, Richard Egan, James Caan, Robert Duvall and more.