Chazz palminteri biography for kids
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In films he started off playing a 1930s-style gangster in Sylvester Stallone's Oscar (1991). He acted in small plays and also worked as a bouncer at clubs to make money. In the play, he acted out 18 different characters from his childhood in the Bronx.
DeNiro, wanting to direct for the first time, saw the potential of this project and brought both it and the actor/writer to the screen. He played the ill-fated brute in Diabolique (1996) and wrote a second screenplay, Faithful (1996), in which he again plays a hit man, terrorizing both Cher and Ryan O'Neal. True to form his trademark flesh-lipped snarl was spotted in gritty urban settings playing a "Hell's Kitchen" cop in One Eyed King (2001) starring actor/producer Armand Assante; a pool hustler and mentor in Poolhall Junkies (2002); a mob boss in In the Fix (2005); a dirty cop in Running Scared (2006); the titular scam artist as Yonkers Joe (2008); a karaoke-loving Italian psychiatrist in Once More with Feeling (2009); and an abusive husband and father in Mighty Fine (2012).
Palminteri is a big fan of the New York Yankees baseball team.
See also
In Spanish: Chazz Palminteri para niños
Biography
Bronx-born and raised Chazz Palminteri was a natural choice to continue the Italianate torch in film.
At age 41 Palminteri had become an "overnight" star. With no job and little money, he decided to write a play for himself to star in.
Chazz was born Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri in 1952 in the Bronx, New York, the son of Rose, a homemaker, and Lorenzo Palminteri, a bus driver. He married actress Gianna Ranaudo, and together they raised a son, Dante Lorenzo, and a daughter, Gabriella Rose. This film was based on his own play about his childhood.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1994 movie Bullets Over Broadway.
He had a recurring role as Frank Rizzoli, Sr. in the crime show Rizzoli & Isles from 2010 to 2014.
Many people know him as "Shorty" on the hit comedy series Modern Family. He grew up in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx.
Palminteri's family comes from Sicily, an island in Italy. Palminteri agreed, but only if he could write the script and play the role of Sonny, the gangster.
He appeared off-Broadway in the early 1980s while paying his dues as a bouncer and doorman in nightclubs, among other jobs.
In 1986 he headed west and found that his ethnic qualifications was well-suited for getting tough-talker parts. A Bronx Tale (1993), which featured his actress/producer/wife Gianna Palminteri, earned strong reviews.
His performance was so good that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He also appeared in other popular movies, including:
- The Usual Suspects (1995), where he played a U.S. Customs Agent.
- Analyze This (1999), a comedy about a mob boss.
- Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001), where he was the voice of the dog Buster.
- Hoodwinked! (2005), where he voiced the character Woolworth the sheep.
- Little Man (2006), a comedy film.
- Legend (2015), where he played a real-life crime boss.
Work in Television
Palminteri has also been a familiar face on television.
All four of his grandparents were born in Sicily and moved to the United States. This event later became a major part of his famous play, A Bronx Tale.
Starting His Career
Palminteri worked hard to become an actor. He also played the part of Palminteri's father, Lorenzo.
The movie A Bronx Tale was released in 1993 and was a big success with both audiences and critics.
De Niro agreed and decided to direct the movie himself, which was his first time directing. This got Palminteri fired.