James Gandolfini Tributes:
List of celebrities who paid tribute to James Gandolfini.
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Michael Gandolfini was born on 10 May 1999 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Daredevil: Born Again (2025) and Warfare (2025).- Actress
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- Director
Lorraine was voted the "ugliest girl in the 6th grade" at her Long Island grade school. She moved to France in 1974 where she became a fashion superstar for Jean-Paul Gaultier. Her sister is Elizabeth Bracco. Has two daughters, Stella Keitel by ex-boyfriend Harvey Keitel and Margaux Guerard by ex-husband Daniel Guerard.- Actor
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Imperioli was born Michael Imperioli in Mt. Vernon, New York on March 26, 1966. His film work began in the late 1980s. An early part that brought him recognition was in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), as Spider, a local kid who works for the gangsters and has a run-in with a psychopathic mob soldier played by Joe Pesci. He worked throughout the 1990s in the New York independent film industry, especially as a regular in Spike Lee's movies, appearing in Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Clockers (1995), Girl 6 (1996) and Summer of Sam (1999), generally playing working-class Italian-Americans from the "outer boroughs." While rooted in the New York movie scene, Imperioli also worked in Hollywood in the mid-'90s, in the formulaic movies Bad Boys (1995) and Last Man Standing (1996).
In 1999, Imperioli was cast in the HBO series The Sopranos (1999) as Christopher Moltisanti, a mafia soldier in the Soprano crime organization whose family connections to street boss Tony Soprano move him up the ladder in the organization. Imperioli's multi-layered portrayal of such an unappealing character is a real highlight of the series and earned him an Emmy and a SAG award.
Imperioli has long been active in the New York theater scene as well, having written, directed, produced or starred in numerous plays. He was a founder, along with Lili Taylor (his then-girlfriend and co-star in Household Saints (1993)) of the downtown theater company Machine Full. He has also written several episodes of "The Sopranos" and was a writer on Lee's "Summer of Sam," which he also executive-produced. Although most famous for his prominent part in "The Sopranos," Imperioli has worked on other television programs as well, including Law & Order (1990), New York Undercover (1994) and NYPD Blue (1993). He is married and has two children and one stepdaughter.- Tony Sirico was born in New York City on July 29, 1942 to a family of Italian descent. He grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East Flatbush and Bensonhurst. His brother, Father Robert Sirico, is a Catholic priest and co-founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. The Institute has been described as an "American research and educational institution, or think tank," in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles."
Sirico was convicted of several crimes and was arrested 28 times, including for disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery, before taking up acting. On February 27, 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant, and found with a .32 caliber revolver on his person. In 1971, he was indicted for extortion, coercion, and felony weapons possession, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison, of which he served 20 months at Sing Sing.
Tony Sirico died on July 8, 2022, from undisclosed causes, aged 79.1942-2022 - Actor
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Pastore was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx, New York City, and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Following his graduation from high school, he enlisted as a sailor in the United States Navy and then attended Pace University for three years, before eventually going into the acting industry after befriending Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon. On June 3, 2015, during an appearance on Good Day New York, Pastore said he was in the club business for close to 30 years, and got into acting in his forties.- Actor
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- Soundtrack
Steven Ralph Schirripa is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos and Detective Anthony Abetemarco on Blue Bloods. Schirripa is a producer and host of two Investigation Discovery series: Karma's A B*tech! and Nothing Personal. He was a regular cast member of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the voice of Roberto in the Open Season series.- Actor
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- Soundtrack
Joseph R. Gannascoli (born February 15, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series The Sopranos. Prior to acting, Gannascoli was a professional chef. Gannascoli was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In the 1980s, he attended St. John's University for two years, majoring in communications. He began his cooking career at Manhattan Market in 1981, before leaving to work at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, and then at various restaurants around the country.- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, producer, actor, activist and author. He is best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He is also known for his roles in several television drama series, including as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos (1999-2007) and as Frank Tagliano in Lilyhammer (2012-2014). Van Zandt has his own solo band called Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, intermittently active since the 1980s. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band. Van Zandt has produced music, written songs, and had his own songs covered by Bruce Springsteen, Meat Loaf, Nancy Sinatra, Pearl Jam, Artists United Against Apartheid, and the Iron City Houserockers, among others.- Actress
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Jamie-Lynn Sigler has been acting and singing since the age of 7. She got her start in New York regional theater, and has since starred in over two dozen theatrical productions including "Annie," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Sound of Music," "The Wiz," and "Gypsy." In the summer of 2001, she starred in the touring production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's "Cinderella," playing the lead opposite Eartha Kitt. Jamie made her Broadway debut starring as Belle in Disney's Broadway production of "Beauty and the Beast" from October of 2002 through February 2003.
Beyond her theatrical appearances, she starred as Meadow Soprano in the critically acclaimed HBO original series The Sopranos (1999). For her work on the show, she received the 1999 and 2000 Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards for Best Young Actress in a Dramatic Television Series and both 2001 and 2002 ALMA nominations. She also has a SAG Award for The Sopranos (1999) Best Ensemble Cast.
Jamie has also starred as former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss in the USA Network's two-hour original movie Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss (2004). She recently completed her first feature film, Extreme Dating (2004), and starred in the music video for Mariah Carey's single, "Through the Rain."
Jamie, who battled an eating disorder in the late 1990s while starring on The Sopranos (1999), is now a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorders Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org). In 2002, she published her revealing autobiography, "Wise Girl" (Pocket Books) to rave reviews. A few years ago, she was paralyzed from the waist down for several days with Lyme Disease. Her recovery has given her a fresh outlook on her work and her life.
Jamie is originally from Jericho (Long Island, New York) and currently resides in New York City. She married her manager, A.J. Discala, in July of 2003. However, that marriage has since ended.- Actress
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Edith Falco, called Edie, was born on July 5, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith Anderson, an actress, and Frank Falco, a jazz drummer. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, English, and Cornish (mother) descent. Edie grew up on Long Island and attended SUNY Purchase, where she was trained in acting at the prestigious Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film. She moved to Manhattan after graduation, auditioning for roles and supporting herself as best she could; for example, working parties for an entertainment company where she would wear a Cookie Monster costume and urge people to get on the dance floor. Falco began getting film roles, mostly smaller supporting parts, starting in the late 1980s. Her first notable role was a supporting part in Bullets Over Broadway (1994).
Ironically, it was in television where the conservatory-trained Falco's career first flowered. She obtained her first recurring roles in 1993, on the acclaimed police dramas Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), as the wife of a blinded police officer, and Law & Order (1990) as a Legal Aid attorney. Next came a recurring role on the prison drama Oz (1997), as a sympathetic corrections officer. All the while she continued to work in film, still in small supporting roles.
Supporting herself in acting continued to be a challenge until at last Falco found success in 1999, when she was cast in the HBO series The Sopranos (1999), as Carmela, the wife of New Jersey Mafia street boss Tony Soprano. "The Sopranos" gained her a great deal of visibility and praise for her exceptionally strong dramatic skills. In 2000 Falco became one of the few actresses in history to sweep all of the major television awards (the Emmy, the Golden Globe and the SAG Award) in one year for a dramatic role. She is also the first female actor ever to receive the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama.
Interestingly, her roles have frequently put her on one side of the law or the other--a defense attorney, a corrections officer, a cop's wife, a mobster's wife, a police officer (in a pilot for a television adaptation of the movie Fargo (1996)). She has also worked frequently on the stage, such as her award-winning work in the play "Sideman," in "The Vagina Monologues," and in revivals of "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune" (which was hugely successful) and "'night Mother."
Unlike her brashly assertive alter-ego Carmela Soprano, Falco is self-described as shy, but is clearly a witty and down-to-earth person. She sometimes travels with her beloved dog Marley, driving so that the dog does not have to travel in the baggage compartment. At one point Falco had a relationship with her "Frankie and Johnny" co-star Stanley Tucci. She was treated for breast cancer in 2004 and her prognosis is very good. In December 2004, Falco adopted a baby boy, whom she named Anderson, after her mother's surname. Another adoption, of a baby girl named Macy, followed in 2008.- Actress
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Aida Turturro is an American actress best known for playing Janice Soprano on the HBO drama series The Sopranos. Aida Turturro was born in Brooklyn, New York, daughter of a Sicilian mother, Dorothy, a homemaker, and an Italian-American father, Domenick Turturro, an artist. After graduating from high school, Turturro earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the State University of New York at New Paltz.- Robert Iler was born on March 2, 1985, in New York, New York, USA. He started his show business career at the age of six, when he was discovered by his manager, Jeff Mitchell of J. Mitchell Management, walking down the street in Manhattan with his dad. He immediately was hired to appear in a commercial for Pizza Hut. Afterwards he took some time off to concentrate on school. Then at the age of ten, Robert returned to the business and appeared in his first feature film The Tic Code (1998), and several more commercials for IBM, AT&T, VH1, and ESPN, as well as an episode of Saturday Night Live (1975) appearing with Rosie O'Donnell. In 1999, he made his breakthrough performance playing Anthony 'A.J.' Soprano, Jr. in HBO's hit drama series The Sopranos (1999). In 2001, he appeared in the film Tadpole (2000)_.
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Dominic Chianese is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos (1999-2007), Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II (1974), and Leander in Boardwalk Empire (2011-2013). Chianese was born in the Bronx, New York. His father was a bricklayer. His paternal grandfather immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1904 and settled in the Bronx. Chianese graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1948.- Actor
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John Ventimiglia is an American actor. He portrayed Artie Bucco in the HBO television series The Sopranos and had a recurring role as Dino Arbogast, an Organized Crime Control Bureau Chief for the NYPD, on the American police procedural/drama series Blue Bloods on CBS. Ventimiglia was born in Ridgewood, Queens to Sicilian immigrants and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey. He graduated from Teaneck High School in 1981 where he played on the football team.- Actor
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David Proval launched his acting career with a starring role in Mean Streets (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese, and has been working nonstop ever since. Notable features in which he has appeared include The Phantom (1996), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) Four Rooms (1995) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He is currently set to appear in the independent film White Boy (2002).- Actress
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Andrea Donna de Matteo, called Drea (pronounced "dray"), was born on January 19, 1972 in Queens, New York, into an affluent family, the youngest of three children and the only girl. She is the daughter of Donna, a playwright and playwriting teacher at HB Studio in New York, and Albert A. De Matteo, a furniture manufacturer. She is of Italian descent. De Matteo spent her early childhood in Queens, and the family then moved to the Upper East Side in Manhattan, into Aretha Franklin's former townhouse.
De Matteo decided to pursue a directing career at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, perhaps because of the brief moment when, as a girl, she was brought onstage out of the audience and dazzled by the stage lights when she was seeing the play "Cats," perhaps because of her mother's involvement in the entertainment business. Once she was in school, however, it was the acting classes which attracted her greatest interest, and she decided on an acting career. After a screen debut in an obscure independent and a small part in a small movie, Meet Prince Charming (1999), de Matteo auditioned for a one-episode part in the HBO series The Sopranos (1999). She impressed the producers enough that they expanded the role, as Adriana La Cerva, girlfriend to up-and-coming Soprano family soldier Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), and she eventually became a regular on the show. De Matteo had the right sultry beauty to portray Adriana, but her acting skills greatly fleshed out the character, making her as rich and complex a character as a slightly ditzy gangster's girlfriend can be in the first place - humorous, even charming in a way and, ultimately, tragic. She won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Adriana in 2004.
Although De Matteo's role on the HBO series ended in 2004, in that same year she got a leading role in Joey (2004), a spin-off of the long-running NBC sitcom Friends (1994). She has also appeared in several movies since starting on "The Sopranos" - regardless of the caliber of the production, de Matteo has consistently shown her strong acting skills, such as her award-winning lead in Abel Ferrara's 'R Xmas (2001) and her supporting role in Prey for Rock & Roll (2003).
Although De Matteo describes herself as shy, she also says she was and remains a wild, multi-tattooed party-girl who peppers her conversation with strong language and prefers jeans to dressing up. She owned a rock and roll vintage clothing store in the East Village called "Filth Mart" for several years but has closed it and is considering re-opening it in the Los Angeles area. She has said that she considers actor Vince Vaughn to be like a brother to her.- Actor
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Federico Castelluccio is a driven and talented individual maintaining careers, as a professional artist, established actor and director. Born in Naples, Italy, Federico moved with his family to Paterson, New Jersey, in 1968. In 1982 he was awarded a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he earned a BFA in painting and media arts.
As an actor, Federico began studying acting in New York City with renowned teachers, such as, Donald Buka, Molly McCarthy and Charlie Laughton. He performed with several repertory companies in New York,, doing classic, contemporary and original plays. Federico has been in many off, and off, off Broadway plays, as well as regional theatre and Shakespeare festivals.
Early on in his career, while doing "Savage in Limbo", a play by John Patrick Shanley, Federico was approached by agents from Barry-Haft- Brown, who saw his work and asked if they could represent him. Federico signed and almost immediately started booking, TV shows, Films and commercial spots. Some of his early, day player roles, were on, "As The World Turns", "The Guiding Light" and "Another World".
After pounding the "proverbial pavement", for nearly twelve years, Federico was called in to audition for a new HBO series, at the time, called The Sopranos. In the first season, Federico originally auditioned for the New York Boss, Johnny Sack. In the second season and at the height of the show's popularity, Castelluccio was brought in to read for the role of Furio Giunta. He auditioned for casting directors, then for David Chase and producers and finally a screen test with James Gandolfini. After three intense and nerve wracking auditions, Federico won the role and the rest, as they say, is TV history.
With Federico's unmistakable presence as Furio, his old world Neapolitan charm, coupled with the ruthless and dangerous street aspect, made for a multi-dimensional, complex character, who quickly became popular and well loved with fans all over the world. Federico's portrayal of Furio left an indelible mark in the consciousness of the viewing public.
Because of Castelluccio's outstanding work and convincing Italian accent on The Sopranos, people in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, thought Castelluccio was an Italian actor, ( from Italy) who spoke broken English. In fact, most people and fans who watched the show, were surprised to hear Federico speak in his normal voice. This presented a problem for him, since roles with Italian accents were limiting and far and few between. So, Castelluccio had to essentially reintroduce himself to Hollywood, by taking meetings with casting directors, producers, agents, etc... he redirected the path of his acting career and showed versatility by taking on roles where he could speak in different types of accents, as well as his normal English/American speaking voice.
Castelluccio has been making his mark by writing, directing and producing film projects. His 2016 feature film directorial debut, "The Brooklyn Banker," written by, Michael Ricigliano, starring Troy Garity, David Proval, Paul Sorvino and Arthur Nascarella, is based on the award winning short film "Lily of the Feast". Other films written and directed by Castelluccio include the shorts, "Keep You Enemies Closer" starring Peter Greene, William Sadler and Manny Perez. "Forget Me Not", with Yvonne Maria Schaefer and Peter Greene. And the award winning short film "Tracks of Color",starring Manny Perez, Elizabeth Rodriguez and David Castro.
Federico began his career as an actor in 1986. Some of his film credits include Made (2001) with Jon Favreau, Fire (1996) with Robert Klein and Diary of a Hitman (1991) with Danny Aiello. In television, Federico's credits include NYPD Blue (1993). Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) received two awards - one for best dramatic directing and best dramatic ensemble headed by Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri and Rosario Dawson. Federico's recent film projects include the biographical _Cantante, El (2006)_ starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez; Aftermath (2002), a crime-thriller starring Anthony Michael Hall and Chris Penn and directed and written by Thomas Farone; Il male oscuro (1990), filmed in southern Italy, a short film that Federico executive-produced and in which he acted; Capers (2008), a comedy, is due for release in 2007 and stars Danny Masterson. Lucky Days (2006) recently completed filming in New York City. In television, Federico was seen as the lead role in Dragon Dynasty (2006), which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Castelluccio's most recent acting credits include, "Toy Gun", directed by Marco Serafini, "Exit 0"(Zero), directed by E. B. Hughes, "Sarah Q." directed by John Gallagher, He will be filming the upcoming feature " "The Fifth Borough" in the fall of 2018.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Federico Castelluccio, is an internationally renowned realist painter, art collector and connoisseur of old master baroque painting. He was born in Naples, Italy and moved to the US in 1968. From an early age it was evident that Federico had talent and an innate ability for drawing and painting and was determined to pursue a life in art. In 1982 he received a full presidential scholarship to the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, earning a BFA in painting and media arts. At age 17, prior to commencing his studies at SVA, an opportunity arose to paint a portrait for veteran actor, George Burns. Burns loved the painting and was impressed by Federico's ability to capture his likeness and felt compelled to help the young artists career, by introducing him to executives at PBS, NBC and ABC, all of whom hired the Federico to create paintings and illustrations for their TV programs and publications, .
Castelluccio has received many awards for his paintings and has appeared on national talk shows and radio programs regarding his art. He has been featured in numerous magazines and art publications, including American Artist and People Magazine. Various documentaries have been made on his work, including "Night of Hearts", which focuses on the process, making of and journey of a large figurative painting entitled "Vita". Federico was privately commissioned by art benefactor Christine E. Lynn and presented the painting to the Boca Raton Community Hospital in Florida. "Vita" was unveiled on November 16th, 2006 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Federico has traveled extensively to Europe for the sole purpose of drawing and painting. He has spent time working in France, Italy and Germany, inspired all along by the European old masters and contemporary realists. Castelluccio's focus has been mainly on painting the figure and still life, as well as, trompe l'oeil and landscape. He works strictly from life and has drawn praise for his paintings and for his exceptional quality and high level of technical ability.
Castelluccio's paintings have been exhibited in prestigious galleries throughout the United States and Europe. His works are held in the collections of Palazzo Chigi, in Ariccia, Italy, Yale University Museum of Art, in New Haven, Connecticut, Kresge Art Museum, in East Lansing, Michigan and Tisch Fine Art Collection, NY. His works can be found in major private collections throughout the United States, South America and Europe. In addition, many well known actors and celebrities own Federico's original work, including, Whoopi Goldberg, Caroline Rhea and Joe Pantoliano, to name a few.
The Kresge Art Museum showed Castelluccio's paintings in an exhibit titled "Masters of Illusion". The show highlighted paintings on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts, including paintings by 19th Century Trompe l'oeil masters, John Frederick Peto and William Harnett. One of Castelluccio's paintings titled, "Torn Titian Taped" was acquired after the exhibit and now hangs in the permanent collection of The Kresge Art Museum, in Michigan.
Castelluccio has lectured at art schools, public events and universities, including Michigan State University and a lecture on Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, at Stony Brook State University, New York. In 2009 he was Master of Ceremony, Honoring Nelson Shanks, at the
Federico is a passionate collector and connoisseur of Old master paintings, early European sculpture and Roman, Greek and Egyptian Antiquities. His collection of 17th century Italian, Baroque paintings, has been highly regarded by scholars, experts and professionals in the art world. He sometimes incorporates from his collection in his own work.
Castelluccio is a serious artist. His fine-art paintings have drawn praise for their high level of technical ability, finding influence in the Renaissance and 17th-century Italian and Dutch baroque masters. Over the years he has exhibited his paintings in galleries in New York City, Washington DC and Santa Fe, New Mexico. His works are held in the collection of the Yale Fine Art Museum and Kresge Art Museum as well as private collections throughout the United States, South America and Europe. In 2006 Federico and Paul Sorvino were privately commissioned for artwork to be donated for permanent installation to a new wing of the Boca Raton Community Hospital in Florida.- Actress
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Kathrine Narducci was born in East Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. Kathrine is an actor and producer, known for Euphoria (2019), The Alto Knights (2025) and Poker Face (2023).- Actor
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Vincent Curatola is an American actor and writer. Curatola's best-known role is of the New York gangster Johnny Sack from the HBO series The Sopranos (1999). He is also a singer and has appeared onstage several times with the band Chicago. Curatola was born in and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, where his boyhood paper route allowed him to meet many performers. By 2007, he had moved to Saddle River, New Jersey.- Daniel Grimaldi (born March 7, 1946) is an American actor and mathematics professor who is known for his roles as twins Philly and Patsy Parisi on the HBO television series The Sopranos, various characters on Law & Order (1991-2001), Don't Go in the House (1979), The Junkman (1983), Men of Respect (1990), and The Yards (2000).
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"Go home and get your shine box....", so said ill-fated Billy Batts in Goodfellas (1990). However, Billy Batts is better known to a legion of crime-film fans as the talented actor, musician, and comedian Frank Vincent. He was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, but was raised in the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey. Frank studied music at St. Pauls Grammar School and became a keen drummer at a young age, while his father introduced him to the dramatic arts. Vincent went on to became quite an accomplished musician and played with some of the key 1960s recording artists including Trini López, Del Shannon and Paul Anka. In 1975 Vincent appeared before the camera for the first time in the low-budget The Death Collector (1976) where he was noticed by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, who cast Frank in three iconic American films: the first saw Frank play the insolent Salvi in Raging Bull (1980), secondly as the aforementioned made man Billy Batts in Goodfellas (1990) being bumped off by Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro, and once again as Frank Marino in Casino (1995). Frank Vincent appeared in over fifty movies, and set the pace as one of the cinema's most versatile and resourceful character actors. With the recognition of his talents, various new opportunities work followed, and Frank lent his skills to contributing and appearing on video games, in television commercials and even rock-music clips with artists including DMX, T-Boz and Hype Williams. He also had the role of gangster Phil Leotardo in the legendary HBO series The Sopranos (1999).
Frank Vincent was also the proud recipient of the Italian American Entertainer of the Year Award, and was also acknowledged with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Back East Picture Show.1937-2017- Actor
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Ray Abruzzo was born in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Sopranos (1999), Transparent (2014) and The Practice (1997).- Producer
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Born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and raised in New Jersey, David Chase (born David DeCesare) dreamed of being a star drummer in a rock band! He spent many years playing drums and bass trying to be part of a successful rock band in the 1960s East Coast music scene. He also loved movies, such as The Public Enemy (1931) with James Cagney and TV shows like The Untouchables (1959) with Robert Stack. When not making music, he watched 1960s' Hollywood and foreign films avidly. After his music career ended, he got the inspiration to buy a movie camera and make his own movies. He studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and later the graduate film program at Stanford University. He began writing for network TV drama programs in the early 1970s. He eventually became a writer and producer on the classic NBC detective show The Rockford Files (1974) with James Garner. While on "Rockford", he penned many memorable episodes and pieces of dialog. He won his first Emmy in 1978, the year "Rockford" won the award for Best Dramatic Series. Many biographies incorrectly state that Chase won his first Emmy for writing the acclaimed TV movie, Off the Minnesota Strip (1980). Although it is a sensitive and well observed story about a young runaway trying to make sense of her life after being returned to her Midwestern family from a life of prostitution in New York City, Chase actually won his second Emmy (and a Writer's Guild Award) for that project. He then spent the 1980s and early 1990s getting paid for writing various TV scripts while writing feature film projects that never got produced. He also began directing his TV scripts whenever possible. He often told people stories about the troubled relationship he shared back in New Jersey with his mother. Encouraged to write about it, he found a way to combine a story about his mother with a mob story and a story about psychotherapy, which Chase had also began during this time. This intersection of ideas and themes led Chase to write the landmark pilot script to a show that the Fox network developed, then passed on shooting. HBO then decided to roll the dice with Chase on this odd mixture of mother/son conflict, mobster danger and insecurities about psychological therapy. The result: The Sopranos (1999). Everybody connected with the project thought they would film a pilot episode, it would not go to series and that would be that. It has since gone on to become one of the most successful shows to ever come out of a cable network. Chase and his crew have collected Emmy, Golden Globe, Writer's Guild and Director's Guild Awards for the show. In terms of impact and subject matter, it has been compared to The Godfather (1972). Chase vows to get his feature film projects off the ground, as soon as "The Sopranos" ends its run.- Actor
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Michael Chiklis has been working professionally as an actor since he was thirteen. He started in the theater and after receiving his BFA in acting from Boston University's College Of Fine Arts, Michael moved to New York City where he continued acting on the stage until he got his big break playing the late, great John Belushi in the controversial bio-pic Wired. Since then, Michael has spent the last 30 plus years starring in historic television, celebrated films and stage productions as well as directing and recording music. The first 30 years of his career have been extremely rewarding and he's even more excited about the next 30! Michael lives in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle Chiklis. They have two daughters together, Autumn and Odessa Chiklis.- Actress
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Actress and activist Olivia Wilde is a modern day renaissance woman, starring in many acclaimed film productions, while simultaneously giving back to the community.
She was born on March 10, 1984 in New York City. Her parents are Leslie Cockburn (née Leslie Corkill Redlich) and Andrew Cockburn. Her mother is American-born and her father was born in London, England to an upper-class British family; he also later became a citizen of Ireland. Wilde is the middle child, having an older sister, Chloe Cockburn, and, a younger brother, Charlie Cockburn. She is of English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Manx descent.
She was raised in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and spent her summers in Ardmore, County Waterford, Ireland. She attended the private Georgetown Day School, as well as, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 2002. She was accepted to Bard College, another highly selective private school in Duchess County, New York but deferred her enrollment three times in order to pursue an acting career. She later studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.
Wilde is known for her television roles as Alex Kelly in The O.C. (2003) from 2004-2005 and Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley in the medical-drama television series, House (2004) when she joined the cast in 2007 and appeared on the show until the series end in 2012.
Wilde is a board member of the organization "Artists for Peace and Justice," which supports communities in Haiti through programs in education, health care, and dignity through the performing arts. She has served as executive producer on several documentary short films, including, Sun City Picture House (2010), which is about a community in Haiti that rallies to build a movie theater after the disastrous 2010 earthquake and Baseball in the Time of Cholera (2012), which explored the cholera epidemic in Haiti.
Wilde is known for her roles in Year One (2009), Tron: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), In Time (2011), People Like Us (2012), Her (2013), Rush (2013), Drinking Buddies (2013), The Longest Week (2014), Love the Coopers (2015), and Meadowland (2015).
Since 2011, Wilde had been in a relationship with Jason Sudeikis. They have two children together, Otis Alexander Sudeikis (born April 20, 2014) and Daisy Josephine Sudeikis (born October 11, 2016). In November 2020, they announced that they had ended their relationship.
Wilde made her Broadway debut in the play "1984" at the Hudson Theatre in New York City in 2017. She has recently starred in Life Itself (2018) and A Vigilante (2018).