Dominic Chianese
Encyclopedia
Dominic Chianese is an American
film
, television
and theatre
actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano
on the HBO TV
series, The Sopranos
.
in New York City
, the son of a bricklayer. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science
in 1948. He worked as a bricklayer with his father and attended night school during the 1950s, graduating with a bachelor's degree in speech and theater from Brooklyn College
in 1961. His earliest stage work occurred in 1952 with a Gilbert and Sullivan
repertory company of singers, actors and musicians called The American Savoyards
, under the direction of Dorothy Raedler.
in Manhattan
, with renowned teacher Walt Witcover
. Drama and musical theater became Chianese's passion. His first Broadway show was Oliver!
in 1965. He has continued to perform in Broadway theatre, Off Broadway, and regional theatre
. To supplement income in the dry periods, he played rhythm guitar
and sang in taverns and restaurants. Chianese's first television credit occurred when George C. Scott
recommended him for a role in the acclaimed series East Side, West Side. In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola
cast Chianese as Johnny Ola
in The Godfather Part II
, which sparked a film
career, culminating in several films (and plays) with Al Pacino
.
Before being cast in Godfather II, Chianese was working for the Drug Commission of New York State as a recreational worker in a rehabilitation center. He taught guitar to women who were serving time for drug-related crime
s.
In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
Chianese has appeared in 4 movies with his friend, Al Pacino:
Chianese is an "accomplished tenor" and musician, having released a CD
(fittingly titled Hits) in 2000, on which he sings American and Italian songs. He performed Salvatore Cardillo
's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart"), on the third-season finale of The Sopranos (episode 3x13, "Army of One"). In 2003, Chianese, along with AOL Music, released a second CD titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neopolitan songs.
His son, Dominic Chianese Jr., is also an actor and appeared in the final season of The Sopranos as a member of the fictional Lupertazzi crime family.
Chianese can currently be seen in the second season of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire as Leander Whitlock, a retired Atlantic City alderman.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano
Junior Soprano
Corrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun", he is the mentor and surrogate father for capo Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played by Rocco...
on the HBO TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
Early life
Chianese was born in the borough of The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of a bricklayer. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
in 1948. He worked as a bricklayer with his father and attended night school during the 1950s, graduating with a bachelor's degree in speech and theater from Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in 1961. His earliest stage work occurred in 1952 with a Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
repertory company of singers, actors and musicians called The American Savoyards
American Savoyards
American Savoyards was an Off-Broadway and touring repertory theatre company that produced light operas, principally the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, in New York City between 1948 and 1967.-Beginnings:...
, under the direction of Dorothy Raedler.
Career
After a decade of doing college and Off Broadway theatre, Chianese attended his first professional acting class at HB StudiosHB Studios
HB Studios is a video game development company, founded in July 2000 by Jeremy Wellard, and located in Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:HB's headquarters are located in the small town of Lunenburg on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. The company started with nine developers working on Cricket 2002 for...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, with renowned teacher Walt Witcover
Walt Witcover
Walter Witcover Scheinman is an actor, director, and acting teacher. His parents were Louis J. Scheinman, a sculptor and composer, and Juliette T. Benton, a critic and lecturer...
. Drama and musical theater became Chianese's passion. His first Broadway show was Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
in 1965. He has continued to perform in Broadway theatre, Off Broadway, and regional theatre
Regional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
. To supplement income in the dry periods, he played rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and sang in taverns and restaurants. Chianese's first television credit occurred when George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
recommended him for a role in the acclaimed series East Side, West Side. In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
cast Chianese as Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola is a fictional character appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather Part II. Ola was portrayed by actor Dominic Chianese....
in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
, which sparked a film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
career, culminating in several films (and plays) with Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
.
Before being cast in Godfather II, Chianese was working for the Drug Commission of New York State as a recreational worker in a rehabilitation center. He taught guitar to women who were serving time for drug-related crime
Drug-Related Crime
In the United States, Illegal drugs are related to crime in multiple ways. Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse...
s.
In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor was founded by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations and intended to pay homage to the immigrant experience. The medals honor the contribution made to America by immigrants and the legacy they left behind in the successes of their children and grand-children...
in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
Chianese has appeared in 4 movies with his friend, Al Pacino:
- The Godfather Part II (1974) - as Johnny OlaJohnny OlaJohnny Ola is a fictional character appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather Part II. Ola was portrayed by actor Dominic Chianese....
- Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(1975) - as Sonny's Father - ...And Justice For All...And Justice for All (film)...And Justice For All is a 1979 courtroom drama film, directed by Norman Jewison. The movie stars Al Pacino, John Forsythe, Jack Warden, Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson and Thomas G. Waites. It was also 75-year-old character actor Sam Levene's final film...
(1979) - as Carl Travers - Looking for RichardLooking for RichardLooking for Richard is a 1996 documentary film and the first film directed by Al Pacino. It is both a performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture...
(1996) - as Himself
Chianese is an "accomplished tenor" and musician, having released a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
(fittingly titled Hits) in 2000, on which he sings American and Italian songs. He performed Salvatore Cardillo
Salvatore Cardillo
Salvatore Cardillo was the Italian songwriter whose richly scored sentimental Napuletano classic "Core 'N'grato" written in 1911 for Enrico Caruso, has remained a staple of the Italian tenor concert repertoire, having been recorded by Corelli, Domingo, and Pavarotti.-Bibliography:*Laird, Ross, et...
's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart"), on the third-season finale of The Sopranos (episode 3x13, "Army of One"). In 2003, Chianese, along with AOL Music, released a second CD titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neopolitan songs.
His son, Dominic Chianese Jr., is also an actor and appeared in the final season of The Sopranos as a member of the fictional Lupertazzi crime family.
Chianese can currently be seen in the second season of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire as Leander Whitlock, a retired Atlantic City alderman.
Filmography
- FuzzFuzz (film)Fuzz is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Tom Skeritt, and Jack Weston. The screenplay was written by Evan Hunter, based on the 1968 novel of the same name that was part of the "87th Precinct" series he wrote under...
(1972) - The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
(1974) - Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
(1975) - All the President's MenAll the President's Men (film)All the President's Men is a 1976 Academy Award-winning political thriller film based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post...
(1976) - FingersFingers (1978 film)Fingers is a 1978 drama film directed by James Toback.-Synopsis:The film features Harvey Keitel as a pianist who also works for his loan shark father as a "collector"...
(1978) - On the Yard (1978)
- FirepowerFirepower (film)Firepower is a 1979 British action film directed by Michael Winner and starring Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O.J. Simpson and Eli Wallach. It was the final film in the career of actor Victor Mature.-Synopsis:...
(1979) - ...And Justice for All...And Justice for All (film)...And Justice For All is a 1979 courtroom drama film, directed by Norman Jewison. The movie stars Al Pacino, John Forsythe, Jack Warden, Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson and Thomas G. Waites. It was also 75-year-old character actor Sam Levene's final film...
(1979) - A Time for MiraclesA Time for MiraclesA Time For Miracles is a 1980 made for TV film chronicling the life story of America's first native born saint, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. It was produced by ABC Circle Films for the American Broadcasting Company and telecast December 21, 1980 as a Christmas special. The film was created by...
(1980) (TV) - Fort Apache, the BronxFort Apache, The BronxFort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 crime drama film made by Producers Circle, Time-Life Television Productions Inc., and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Daniel Petrie and produced by Martin Richards, Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer...
(1981) - Ryan's HopeRyan's HopeRyan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
(1975 & 1981) TV series - Second Sight (1989)
- Q&AQ&A (film)Q & A is a 1990 crime film co-written and directed by Sidney Lumet, based on a novel by New York judge Edwin Torres. It stars Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton and Armand Assante.-Plot summary:...
(1990) (as himself) - The Lost Capone (1990) (TV)
- Out for JusticeOut for JusticeOut for Justice is a 1991 action film directed by John Flynn and starring Steven Seagal.- Plot :Gino Felino is an NYPD detective from Brooklyn who has strong ties within his neighborhood...
(1991) - The Public Eye (1992)
- Rivalen des Glücks - The Contenders (1993)
- The Night We Never Met (1993)
- If Lucy Fell (1996)
- Love Is All There Is (1996)
- Gotti (1996) (TV)
- The Mouse (1996)
- Looking for RichardLooking for RichardLooking for Richard is a 1996 documentary film and the first film directed by Al Pacino. It is both a performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture...
(1996) (documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
) - Night Falls on ManhattanNight Falls on ManhattanNight Falls on Manhattan is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, set and filmed on location in New York City. Its screenplay is by Lumet, based on a novel by author Robert Daley entitled: Tainted Evidence...
(1997) - Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by FiveWent to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by FiveWent to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five is a 1998 film directed by Richard Schenkman and written by Schenkman and Jon Cryer. It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1998) - The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
(1999–2007) TV series - Cradle Will RockCradle Will RockCradle Will Rock is a 1999 drama film which chronicles the process and events that surrounded the production of the original 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein...
(1999) - Unfaithful (2002)
- When Will I Be Loved (2004)
- King of the CornerKing of the CornerKing of the Corner is a 2004 film featured at the Newport Film Festival. It stars Peter Riegert and Isabella Rossellini, and includes Eric Bogosian, Dominic Chianese, Beverly D'Angelo and Rita Moreno. It was released in 2004. Peter Riegert also co-wrote and directed the film.It is a story of a...
(2004) - Crimes of FashionCrimes of FashionCrimes of Fashion is a 2004 telefilm that aired on July 25, 2004 on ABC Family. It stars Kaley Cuoco and Megan Fox and was directed by Stuart Gillard.-Plot:Orphaned Brooke, is a student at a fashion school who hopes to become a fashion designer...
(2004) (TV) - The Last New Yorker (2006)
- Adrift in ManhattanAdrift in ManhattanAdrift in Manhattan is a 2007 film directed by Alfredo De Villa and written by Nat Moss. The film features an ensemble cast, including Heather Graham, Victor Rasuk, Dominic Chianese, Elizabeth Peña, and William Baldwin....
(2007) - DamagesDamages (TV series)Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...
(2010) (TV) - Mr. Popper's PenguinsMr. Popper's Penguins (film)Mr. Popper's Penguins is a live-action family comedy film distributed by 20th Century Fox starring Jim Carrey, based on the children's book of the same name. The film was originally slated for a release on August 12, 2011, but was moved up to June 17, 2011....
(2011) - The Secret Life of the American TeenagerThe Secret Life of the American TeenagerThe Secret Life of the American Teenager is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton. It first aired on ABC Family on July 1, 2008. The show was renewed for a second season consisting of 24 episodes on February 9, 2009, which began airing on June 22, 2009...
(2011) (TV) - Boardwalk Empire (2011) (TV)
External links
- Dominic Chianese - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.orgAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...