He was born in Grumo Appula (Apulia) but soon moved to Rome to study acting. After some roles in theater, he debuted in a feature film with Figlio mio infinitamente caro (1985), which was followed by Desiderando Giulia and Il caso Moro. In 1987 he played in Federico Fellini's Intervista.
In 1989 Rubini debuted also as director with La stazione, written with his friend Umberto Marino. The film won a Silver Ribbon and a David di Donatello as best debut work. In 1994 he was again actor in Carlo Verdone's Al lupo al lupo, while in the following year he directed himself and Nastassja Kinski in La bionda. In 1994 he co-wrote Giuseppe Tornatore's Una pura formalità.
In 1997 he played in Gabriele Salvatores' Nirvana, and he same year he directed Il viaggio della sposa, with Giovanna Mezzogiorno, considered by many his finest work. In 2000 Rubini was directed again by Salvatores in Denti.
Rubini latest and most appreciated work is La terra (2006), a violent history about a family feud set in southern Italy.
