Bronx-born and raised, Chazz Palminteri was a natural choice to continue the long line of prominent Italian actors in the film industry. In the tradition set forth in the 1970s by such icons as director Martin Scorsese and actors Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, Palminteri has brought grit, muscle and an evocative realism to the sidewalks of his New York neighborhood, violent as they are and were.
Born in 1952, Palminteri grew up in a tough area of the Bronx and it gave young Calogero, Palminteri’s given first name, the life lessons that would later prove useful to his career. He started out pursuing his craft by studying at the Actor’s Studio with Lee Straussberg. He appeared off-Broadway in the early 1980s while paying his dues as a singer in his own band.
Well known for “A Bronx Tale,” Palminteri originally wrote the script for the stage and performed it as a one-man show in Los Angeles. It became a hot property in Hollywood at the time since the film “Rocky.” Palminteri was offered over one million dollars to walk away from the project, and with $200 dollars left in the bank, he refused. He wanted to play Sonny and write the screenplay.
One night DeNiro walked in to see the show and, as they say, the rest is history. The production moved to New York, where it played for four sold-out months and earned Palminteri nominations for the New York Outer Critics Circle for both acting and writing.
While in New York, he completed the screenplay of “A Bronx Tale” and soon found himself starring opposite DeNiro, who chose the script for his directorial debut. Most recently, “A Bronx Tale” was on Broadway at the Longacre Theater, where it finished a successful run and Palminteri closed out the show in the role of Sonny.
Now Chazz Palminteri’s “A Bronx Tale” will head to Long Island, with two shows scheduled at The Paramount on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Palminteri has more than 50 movies to his credit, including “The Usual Suspects,” “Bullets over Broadway” (Academy Award nomination), “Analyze This,” “Hurlyburly,” “Mulholland Falls,” “Faithful” (screenplay also written by Palminteri), “Poolhall Junkies,” “The Perez Family,” “Jade,” “Diabolique,” “Down to Earth” and “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.”
Recent films include “Final Recourse,” “Mighty Fine,” starring Andie MacDowell, “Yonkers Joe,” “Jolene” and “The Dukes.” He has also directed the HBO series “Oz” (episode, “Unnatural Disasters”), Showtime’s “Women vs. Men,” and the feature film “Noel,” starring Susan Sarandon, Penelope Cruz, Robin Williams and Paul Walker.
Palminteri appeared on the New York stage in the play “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” starring Pacino, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Billy Crudup. He is a member of the Actors Studio in New York City.
Palminteri received the 1996 Leadership in Entertainment Award from the Coalition of Italo-American Association, Inc., and was honored by President Clinton with a Special Achievement Award for the Performing Arts from the National Italian American Foundation in Washington, DC.
Palminteri resides in Westchester with his wife and two children.
