Chazz Palminteri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chazz Palminteri
Palminteri in 2011
Born	Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri (1952-05-15) May 15, 1952 (age 73) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor filmmaker playwright
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Gianna Ranaudo ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2

Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri (born May 15, 1952) is an American actor, writer, and filmmaker. He is well-known for his movie roles in A Bronx Tale (1993), which was based on his own play. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Bullets Over Broadway (1994). Another famous movie he starred in is The Usual Suspects (1995).

Chazz Palminteri also played a character named Shorty in the TV show Modern Family from 2010 to 2019. He has appeared in many other films and TV series throughout his career.

Early Life

Chazz Palminteri was born on May 15, 1952, in the Bronx, a part of New York City. His mother, Rose, was a homemaker, and his father, Lorenzo, was a bus driver. He grew up in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. His family comes from Sicily, an island in Italy. His grandparents moved to the United States from Sicily in 1910.

Before becoming a famous actor, Chazz worked very hard. He acted in plays that were not on Broadway (called off-Broadway plays) and also worked other jobs, like being a bouncer at a club. One night, he was working at a club and didn't let a famous Hollywood agent, Irving Paul "Swifty" Lazar, enter. This led to Chazz losing his job. Being unemployed inspired him to write his own play, A Bronx Tale, so he could star in it himself.

Career

Theater Work

Chazz Palminteri became famous for his one-man show called A Bronx Tale. This play is about his own childhood growing up in the Bronx. He first performed it in Los Angeles in 1989. The play became so popular that it moved to Broadway in New York City in 1988.

In A Bronx Tale, Chazz plays 18 different characters! The story shows what it was like to grow up in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx. He also performed in the Broadway musical version of A Bronx Tale in 2018.

Film Career

In 1990, the famous actor Robert De Niro saw Chazz Palminteri's play, A Bronx Tale. De Niro liked it so much that he decided to work with Chazz to turn the play into a movie. Chazz wrote the movie script and played the role of Sonny, a gangster character. Robert De Niro directed the movie and also played Lorenzo, the father character. The movie was a big success with both audiences and critics.

In 1994, Chazz Palminteri played a character named Cheech in the movie Bullets Over Broadway. For this role, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which is a very important award in movies. He also appeared in other well-known films like The Usual Suspects, Mulholland Falls, and Analyze This.

Chazz has also lent his voice to animated movies. He was the voice of Smokey in Stuart Little and Woolworth in Hoodwinked. He even directed some films, including Noel in 2004.

Television Appearances

Chazz Palminteri has been a guest star on many popular TV shows. From 2010 to 2019, he played the character Shorty in the comedy series Modern Family. He also had a recurring role as Frank Rizzoli, Sr. in the crime drama Rizzoli & Isles from 2010 to 2014.

He also appeared in Blue Bloods as Angelo Gallo, a lawyer who was a childhood friend of the main character. In 2001, he played a real-life mobster named Paul Castellano in the TV movie Boss of Bosses.

Other Projects

In 2011, Chazz Palminteri opened an Italian restaurant called Chazz: A Bronx Original in Baltimore. Later, he opened another Italian restaurant, Chazz Palminteri Ristorante Italiano, in New York City.

He also provided the voice and likeness for a character named Sal De Luca in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chazz started his own podcast on YouTube called The Chazz Palminteri Show. He has interviewed many famous guests on his podcast, including actors and athletes.

Personal Life

Chazz Palminteri lives in Westchester County, New York, in a town called Bedford. He is a Roman Catholic and describes himself as a "very spiritual" person. He married Gianna Ranaudo in 1992, and they have two children together. He is also a big fan of the New York Yankees baseball team.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

Theatre Work

Broadway

• 2007 – A Bronx Tale: The Musical – performer
• 2016 – A Bronx Tale: The Musical – writer and performer

Off-Broadway

• 1989 – A Bronx Tale – writer and performer

Images for kids

• 

  Palminteri with his wife Gianna Ranaudo in New York City, 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Chazz Palminteri para niños