Empresario alessandro proto biography

R Chiang / Splash News; Coleman-Rayner/Kika

Could this be the man behind the famous Christian Grey?

Italian real estate agent Alessandro Proto has been named the inspiration behind the male lead in E L James' steamy erotica trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, who will be portrayed on the big screen by Jamie Dornan.

Proto, who met the British author in (a year before the first book was published) when James was touring Italy writing about international celebrities snapping up properties in the country, explains the parallels between his life and the book's character.

"The firm Grey runs in the book is called Grey Enterprise Holding.

Mine is called Proto Organization Holding," the year-old businessman told New York Daily News.