Dominic Chianese
{{short description|American actor (born 1931)}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2024}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Dominic Chianese (cropped).jpg
| caption = Chianese in 2011
| image_size = 220px
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1931|02|24}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|singer|musician}}
| years_active = 1952–present
}}
Dominic Chianese ({{IPAc-en|k|iː|ə|'|n|eɪ|s|iː}}; {{respell|kee|ə|NAY|say}}; born February 24, 1931) 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 Whitlock in Boardwalk Empire (2011–2013).
Early life
Chianese was born in the Bronx borough of New York City on February 24, 1931. His father was a bricklayer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/36/Dominic-Chianese.html|title=Dominic Chianese Biography (1934?-)|website=Filmreference.com|access-date=August 5, 2020}} His paternal grandfather was Italian and left Afragola for New York in 1904.[https://research.library.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1153&context=baahp_oralhist Chianese, Dominic] Fordham Research Commons Chianese graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1948.{{Cite web|url=https://bronx.com/jon-favreau-e-l-doctorow-at-bronx-science-gala/|title=Jon Favreau & E.L. Doctorow At Bronx Science Gala|date=2013-04-25|website=Bronx.com|access-date=2020-03-31}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.looktothestars.org/news/9939-bronx-high-school-of-science-celebrates-75-years-with-gala|title=Bronx High School Of Science Celebrates 75 Years With Gala|date=2013-03-29|website=Looktothestars.org|access-date=2020-03-31}} He first attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh, New York, but the university was closed due to the start of the Korean War. He later graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in speech and theater.{{Cite web |title=Dominic Chianese - SouthJersey.com |url=https://www.southjersey.com/article/2969/Dominic-Chianese |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=www.southjersey.com}}{{Cite web |title=Dominic Chianese |url=https://edgemagonline.com/article/dominic-chianese/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Edge Magazine |language=en-US}}
Career
After a decade of attending college and appearing in off-Broadway theater, 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 theater. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2017/09/musicians-recall-dylans-first-big-gig-and-25-years-of-music-history-at-gerdes-folk-city/|title=Musicians Recall Dylan's First Big Gig and 25 Years of Music History at Gerde's Folk City|date=September 29, 2017|website=Bedfordandbowery.com|access-date=August 5, 2020}}
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.{{cn|date=November 2024}}
File:Junior Soprano (The Sopranos Family Tree).jpg on The Sopranos]]
Chianese's most prominent acting role was as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO hit show The Sopranos, where he played a central role in the DiMeo crime family. For the performance, Chianese was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
In terms of singing, Chianese is a tenor.{{cite web|access-date=1 June 2011|url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233018|work=BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)|date=September 18, 2001|title=News: "Dominic Chianese Scores A Hit With 'Hits'"}} He released an album titled Hits in 2000, featuring him singing American and Italian songs.{{Cite web |title=Country Beat: Alecia Elliott, Dominic Chianese, Chet Atkins ... |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/usouwg/country-beat-alecia-elliott-dominic-chianese-chet-atkins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914115425/https://www.mtv.com/news/usouwg/country-beat-alecia-elliott-dominic-chianese-chet-atkins |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=MTV |language=en}} 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.{{Cite magazine|last=Angell|first=Roger|title=This Old Man|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/17/old-man-3|access-date=2020-09-20|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}
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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Twelve-Angels/Dominic-Chianese/9781642930306 |title=Twelve Angels | Book by Dominic Chianese, Matthew Sargent | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster |access-date=March 15, 2019 |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128134000/http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Twelve-Angels/Dominic-Chianese/9781642930306 |url-status=dead }}
Most recently, he starred in the short film [https://filmfreeway.com/BreatheTruth Breathe Truth] (2024), a comedy directed by Thomas Vallely, screenplay by Rebecca Scarpati, about an elderly actor auditioning to play Shakespeare for the first time.
Personal life
In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.{{cn|date=November 2024}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class = "wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1972
| Fuzz | Panhandler | |
| 1974
| |
| 1975
| Mr. Wortzik | |
| 1976
| |
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| Fingers | Arthur Fox | |
| On the Yard
| Mendoza | Uncredited |
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| Orlov | |
| ...And Justice for All
| Carl Travers | |
| 1981
| Mr. Corelli | |
| 1989
| Father Dominic | |
| 1990
| Q&A | Larry Pesch / Vito / Lorenzo Franconi | |
| 1991
| Mr. Madano | |
| 1992
| Spoleto | |
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| Rivalen des Glücks – The Contenders | Father of the bride | |
| The Night We Never Met
| Nosy Neighbor | |
| rowspan="4" | 1996
| Al | |
| Love Is All There Is
| Italian Consul | |
| The Mouse
| Al the Trainer | |
| Looking for Richard
| Himself | Documentary |
| 1997
| Judge Impelliteri | |
| 1998
| Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five | Mickey | |
| 1999
| Silvano | |
| 2002
| Frank Wilson | |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Count Tommaso Lupo | |
| King of the Corner
| Stan Marshak | |
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| Lenny Sugarman | |
| Adrift in Manhattan
| Tommaso Pensara | |
| 2011
| Reader | |
| 2013
| Vinnie Caprese | |
| 2017
| Bart | |
| 2024
| Breathe Truth | Dominic | |
=Television=
| class = "wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1964
| Charley | Episode: "The Street" |
| 1976
| Kojak | George Mallick | Episode: "A Hair-Trigger Away" |
| 1980
| Promoter | Television movie |
| 1981
| Alexei Vartova | 40 episodes |
| 1986
| 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
| Dan Rubell | Episode: "Sonata for Solo Organ" |
| 1995–1997
| Judge Paul Kaylin | 2 episodes |
| 1996
| Gotti | Television movie |
| 1997
| Cosby | {{n/a}} | Episode: "Lucas Raymondicus" |
| 1999– 2007 | 55 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Irv Miller | Episode: "Trade Show" |
| Crimes of Fashion
| George | Television movie |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Damages | Stuart Zedeck | 7 episodes |
| Blue Bloods
| Jack 'Happy Jack' Vintano | Episode: "Officer Down" |
| 2011
| The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Vic | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2013
| 12 episodes |
| 2012–2015
| Judge Michael Marx | 5 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Enzo | Main cast |
| Inspector Montalbano
| John Zuck | Episode: "Un diario del '43" |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|156940}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- A conversation with Dominic Chianese, The Sopranos' Uncle Junior in {{cite book|last1=Lavery|first1=David|last2=Howard|first2=Douglas L.|last3=Levinson|first3=Paul (eds.)|title=The Essential Sopranos Reader|date=July 29, 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfP243s2dTkC&pg=PA339DATE|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-3012-5|pages=339–362}}
- [https://soundcloud.com/american-theatre-wing/episode36 Dominic Chianese] - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chianese, Dominic}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:Singers from New York City
Category:Brooklyn College alumni
Category:American rhythm guitarists
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:Male actors from the Bronx
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:Guitarists from New York City
Category:American male guitarists
Category:20th-century American guitarists
Category:20th-century American male musicians