Dominic Chianese

Dominic Chianese
Chianese in 2011
Born	(1931-02-24) February 24, 1931 The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, singer, musician
Years active	1952–present

Dominic Chianese (born February 24, 1931) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II.

Early life

Chianese was born in the Bronx, New York. His father was a bricklayer. His grandfather emigrated to the United States from Naples in 1904 and settled in the Bronx.

Career

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. 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, and also served as the master of ceremonies at the open microphone night at Gerdes Folk City in Greenwich Village. 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 The Godfather Part II, Chianese worked 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 four 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 3.13, "Army of One"). In 2003, Chianese, along with AOL Music, released a second CD titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neapolitan songs.

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, Chianese and coauthor, Matthew Sargent, published the powerfully revealing biography of Chianese's improbable rise to the top, Twelve Angels: The Women Who Taught Me How to Act, Live, and Love, distributed by Simon & Schuster.'

Filmography

Film

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

Television

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. 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"
1995–97	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	"Happy" Jack Vintano	Episode: "Officer Down"
2011	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Vic	2 episodes
2011–13	Boardwalk Empire	Leander Cephas Whitlock	12 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012)
2012–15	The Good Wife	Judge Michael Marx	5 episodes
2019	The Village	Enzo	Main cast
2019	Inspector Montalbano	John Zuck	Episode: "Un diario del '43"

External links

• Dominic Chianese at IMDb
• 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. {{cite book}}: |first3= has generic name (help)
• Dominic Chianese - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org