Dominic Chianese

Dominic Chianese
Chianese in 2011
Born	(1931-02-24) February 24, 1931 Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Alma mater	Bronx High School of Science Brooklyn College
Occupation	Actor, singer, musician
Years active	1952–present

Dominic Chianese (/ˌkiːəˈnɛzɛ/; born February 24, 1931) 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.

Early life

Chianese was born in the borough of the Bronx in New York, 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.

Career

After a decade of attending college and appearing in off-broadway theatre, Chianese attended his first professional acting class at HB Studios 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 crimes.

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:

• The Godfather Part II (1974) - as Johnny Ola
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - as Sonny's Father
• ...And Justice For All (1979) - as Carl Travers
• Looking for Richard (1996) - as Himself

Chianese is an accomplished tenor and musician, having released a CD 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 Neapolitan 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

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	Fuzz	Panhandler
1974	Godfather Part II	Johnny Ola
1975	Dog Day Afternoon	Father
1976	All the President's Men	Eugenio R. Martinez
1978	Fingers	Arthur Fox
1978	On the Yard	Mendoza	Uncredited
1979	Firepower	Orlov
1979	...And Justice for All	Carl Travers
1980	A Time for Miracles	Promoter	TV
1981	Fort Apache, the Bronx	Corelli's Father
1975, 1981	Ryan's Hope	Uncle Ben	TV
1989	Second Sight	Father Dominic
1990	Q&A	Himself
1990	The Lost Capone	Gabriel Capone	TV
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	Gotti	Joe Armone	TV
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
1999–2007	The Sopranos	Corrado Soprano	TV
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
2004	Crimes of Fashion	George	TV
2006	The Last New Yorker	Lenny Sugarman
2007	Adrift in Manhattan	Tomasso Pensara
2010	Damages	Stuart Zedeck	TV
2011	Mr. Popper's Penguins	Reader
2011	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Vic	TV
2011	Boardwalk Empire	Leander Cephas Whitlock	TV

External links

• Dominic Chianese at the Internet Movie Database
• Dominic Chianese at the Internet Broadway Database
• A conversation with Dominic Chianese, The Sopranos' Uncle Junior in Lavery, David; Howard, Douglas L.; Levinson, Paul (eds.). The Essential Sopranos Reader. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 339–362. ISBN 978-0-8131-3012-5. 
• Dominic Chianese - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org