Dominic Chianese | |
|---|---|
 Chianese in November 2011 | |
| Born | February 24, 1931 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1952–present |
Dominic Chianese ( /kiːəˈneɪsiː/ ; kee-ə-NAY-see; born February 24, 1931) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Junior Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos (1999–2007), Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II (1974), and Leander Whitlock in Boardwalk Empire (2011–2013).
Chianese was born in the Bronx borough of New York City on February 24, 1931. His father was a bricklayer. [1] His paternal grandfather was Italian and left Afragola for New York in 1904. [2] Chianese graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1948. [3] [4]
After a decade of attending college and appearing in off-Broadway theatre, Chianese attended his first professional acting class at HB Studio in Manhattan with renowned teacher Walt Witcover. His first Broadway show was Oliver! in 1965. He has continued to perform on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theatre. To supplement income during the periods where he struggled to find roles, he played rhythm guitar and sang in taverns and restaurants while hosting open mic nights at Gerdes Folk City in Greenwich Village. [5]
Chianese's first television role came when George C. Scott recommended him for the series East Side/West Side . In 1974, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II , beginning a film career that would see him appear several times alongside Al Pacino in films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975), ...And Justice For All (1979), and Looking for Richard (1996). He also co-starred with Pacino onstage. Before being cast in The Godfather Part II, he worked for the Drug Commission of New York as a recreational worker in rehab, where he gave guitar lessons to women who were serving time for drug crimes.
In terms of singing, Chianese is a tenor. [6] He released an album titled Hits in 2000, featuring him singing American and Italian songs. [7] He performed Salvatore Cardillo's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart") on the third season finale of The Sopranos, "Army of One". In 2003, along with AOL Music, he released a second album titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neapolitan songs. In the 2000s, he played in a mandolin quartet every week at the Hotel Edison. [8]
Chianese appeared as a guest actor on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire for three seasons as Leander Whitlock, a retired lawyer and power broker. In December 2018, he and co-author Matthew Sargent published his biography Twelve Angels: The Women Who Taught Me How to Act, Live, and Love. [9]
In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Fuzz | Panhandler | |
| 1974 | The Godfather Part II | Johnny Ola | |
| 1975 | Dog Day Afternoon | Mr. Wortzik | |
| 1976 | All the President's Men | Eugenio R. Martínez | |
| 1978 | Fingers | Arthur Fox | |
| 1978 | On the Yard | Mendoza | Uncredited |
| 1979 | Firepower | Orlov | |
| 1979 | ...And Justice for All | Carl Travers | |
| 1981 | Fort Apache, the Bronx | Mr. Corelli | |
| 1989 | Second Sight | Father Dominic | |
| 1990 | Q&A | Larry Pesch / Vito / Lorenzo Franconi | |
| 1991 | Out for Justice | Mr. Madano | |
| 1992 | The Public Eye | Spoleto | |
| 1993 | Rivalen des Glücks – The Contenders | Father of the bride | |
| 1993 | The Night We Never Met | Nosy Neighbor | |
| 1996 | If Lucy Fell | Al | |
| 1996 | Love Is All There Is | Italian Consul | |
| 1996 | The Mouse | Al the Trainer | |
| 1996 | Looking for Richard | Himself | Documentary |
| 1997 | Night Falls on Manhattan | Judge Impelliteri | |
| 1998 | Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five | Mickey | |
| 1999 | Cradle Will Rock | Silvano | |
| 2002 | Unfaithful | Frank Wilson | |
| 2004 | When Will I Be Loved | Count Tommaso Lupo | |
| 2004 | King of the Corner | Stan Marshak | |
| 2007 | The Last New Yorker | Lenny Sugarman | |
| 2007 | Adrift in Manhattan | Tommaso Pensara | |
| 2011 | Mr. Popper's Penguins | Reader | |
| 2013 | The Family | Vinnie Caprese | |
| 2017 | Active Adults | Bart | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | East Side/West Side | Charley | Episode: "The Street" |
| 1976 | Kojak | George Mallick | Episode: "A Hair-Trigger Away" |
| 1980 | A Time for Miracles | Promoter | Television movie |
| 1981 | Ryan's Hope | Alexei Vartova | 40 episodes |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Correlli's father | Episode: "A Choice of Dreams" |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | Dr. Peter Lacker (uncredited) | Episode: "I'm in the Nude for Love" |
| 1990 | The Lost Capone | Gabriel Capone | Television movie |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Dan Rubell | Episode: "Sonata for Solo Organ" |
| 1995–1997 | Law & Order | Judge Paul Kaylin | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Gotti | Joe Armone | Television movie |
| 1997 | Cosby | — | Episode: "Lucas Raymondicus" |
| 1999– 2007 | The Sopranos | Corrado 'Junior' Soprano | 55 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2000) Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2000–01) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2001–03, 2005, 2007) |
| 2004 | Hope & Faith | Irv Miller | Episode: "Trade Show" |
| 2004 | Crimes of Fashion | George | Television movie |
| 2010 | Damages | Stuart Zedeck | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | Blue Bloods | Jack 'Happy Jack' Vintano | Episode: "Officer Down" |
| 2011 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Vic | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | Boardwalk Empire | Leander Cephas Whitlock | 12 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012) |
| 2012–2015 | The Good Wife | Judge Michael Marx | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | The Village | Enzo | Main cast |
| 2019 | Inspector Montalbano | John Zuck | Episode: "Un diario del '43" Chianese's voice is dubbed by Gianni Giuliano |
Alfredo James Pacino is an American actor. Considered one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century, Pacino has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, achieving the Triple Crown of Acting. He also received four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American epic crime film. The film is produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. It is both a sequel and a prequel to the 1972 film The Godfather, presenting parallel dramas: one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone, the new Don of the Corleone family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life; the prequel covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone, from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New York City. The ensemble cast also features Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill, and Lee Strasberg.
John Holland Cazale was an American actor. He appeared in five films over seven years: The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and The Deer Hunter (1978). Cazale started as a theater actor in New York City, ranging from regional, to off-Broadway, to Broadway acting alongside Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Sam Waterston. Cazale soon became one of Hollywood's premier character actors, starting with his role as the doomed, weak-minded Fredo Corleone opposite longtime friend Al Pacino in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather and its 1974 sequel, as well as Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon. In 1977, Cazale was diagnosed with lung cancer, but he chose to complete his role in The Deer Hunter. He died shortly after, in New York City on March 13, 1978.
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"Employee of the Month" is the 30th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the fourth episode of the show's third season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by John Patterson, and originally aired on March 18, 2001.
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"Funhouse" is the 26th episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos, and the season finale of the show's second season. It was co-written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and co-producer Todd A. Kessler, and directed by frequent The Sopranos director John Patterson, and originally aired in the United States on April 9, 2000, attracting about 9 million viewers.
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Gerdes Folk City, sometimes spelled Gerde's Folk City, was a music venue in the West Village, part of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, in New York City. Initially opened by owner Mike Porco as a restaurant called Gerdes, it eventually began to present occasional incidental music. It was first located at 11 West 4th Street, before moving in 1970 to 130 West 3rd Street. The club closed in 1987.
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