Chuck Zito
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| Chuck Zito | |
| Born | Charles Zito Jr. March 1, 1953 The Bronx, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actor, Voice actor, Radio personality |
| Years active | 1991 - present |
Chuck Zito (born Charles Zito Jr. on March 1, 1953) is an actor, amateur boxer, martial artist, celebrity bodyguard, stuntman, former boxing trainer and former president of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels.[1]
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[edit] Early Life
Chuck Zito was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, the second of three children, to Charles Zito and Gloria Frangione.[2]The son of a professional welterweight boxer, Zito was taught at an early age how to fight and defend himself.[3]At the age of seventeen, Zito dropped out and married his high school sweetheart, Kathy. His involvement with the Hells Angels motorcycle club, eventually led to their divorce.[4]
[edit] Hells Angels
A motorcycle aficionado, Zito established the New Rochelle Motorcycle Club which later merged with the Ching-a-Ling Nomads.[5]Zito would later leave the Nomads and join the Hells Angels. In 1984, Zito help establish the Hells Angels New York Nomad Chapter and become chapter's President. In 2005, Zito left the Hells Angels, after twenty-five years, to focus on his acting career. [6]
[edit] Career
Following in his father's footsteps, Zito became an amateur boxer and fought in New York Golden Gloves while working manual labor. In 1980, following assisting the bodyguards of actor Robert Conrad at a motorcycle convention, Inspired, Zito began his own bodyguard agency. Named, Charle's Angels Bodyguard Services, Zito initially provided for actress Lorna Luft and later her was hired by her half-sister Liza Minnelli.[7] The actress recommended Zito's service to her plethora of celebrity acquaintances, allowing Zito to quickly develop contacts throughout Hollywood. Zito's clientele included celebrities such as Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, Charlie Sheen, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Parlaying his connection, Zito began a career as a stuntman working on films such as Year of the Dragon, Hudson Hawk, and The Rock. In 1996, after a meeting with producer Tom Fontana, Zito joined the HBO prison drama OZ as Italian wise guy Chucky Pancamo. Over the years Zito has alternated with stunt work and acting with credits in films stunt work in films like Fifteen Minutes and acting roles in This Thing of Ours (film). Zito is scheduled to appear in The Grasslands and the American remake of the French drama 13, starring friend and former client Mickey Rourke.
In 2003, Chuck Zito released his autobiography, Street Justice, co-authored with Joe Layden. In 2006, Zito expanded into radio with the show Chuck Zito's View on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite radio station. [8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Thomas Gerbasi (March 25, 2003). "Chuck Zito: Friend of the Game". MaxBoxing. http://www.maxboxing.com/Gerbasi/gerbasi032503.asp. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ Chuck Zito and Joe Layden (2003). "Street Justice". Macmillan. http://books.google.com/books?id=xKMseFs5xqYC&pg=PA8&lpg=PP1&dq=street+justice&output=html. Retrieved on 2009-02-05.
- ^ Dennis Hamill (January 5, 2003). "FOREVER FLEXING HIS REPe". Macmillan. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2003/01/05/2003-01-05_forever_flexing_his_rep___ch.htmll. Retrieved on 2009-02-05.
- ^ http://www.google.com/books?id=xKMseFs5xqYC&pg=PA197&lpg=PP1&dq=street+justice&output=html
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA87&lpg=PA86&dq=new+rochelle+motorcycle+club&sig=YVGcNqfKT5Ksv3827vqDDCfm46s&ei=tbiLSYzQDpmatwfI8eGrCw&ct=result&id=xKMseFs5xqYC&ots=65xU_97XZ3&output=html
- ^ http://www.chuckzito.com/articles/images/article_fall_angel.gif
- ^ "A Stuntman Is Ready For a Leap to Stardom". New York Times. August 23, 1998. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE4DE1F3DF930A1575BC0A96E958260. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/11132006/gossip/pagesix/voice_for_men_pagesix_.htm
[edit] Further reading
- Zito, Chuck; Joe Layden (2003). Street Justice. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0312320218.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Chuck Zito at the Internet Movie Database
- Street Justice: Autobiography
- Eddie Goldman interviews Chuck Zito
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