1. Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri was born on May 15,1952 and is an American actor.
31 Facts About Chazz Palminteri
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Chazz Palminteri is best known for his film roles in A Bronx Tale, based on his play of the same name, Bullets Over Broadway for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and The Usual Suspects, as well as his recurring role as Shorty in Modern Family.
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Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri was born on May 15,1952, in The Bronx, New York.
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Chazz Palminteri is the son of Rose, a homemaker and Lorenzo Palminteri, a bus driver.
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Chazz Palminteri was raised in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx.
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At the age of nine, Chazz Palminteri allegedly witnessed the murder of a mobster in front of his apartment building; the police questioned him, but he maintained that he did not see the incident.
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Chazz Palminteri struggled to become an actor, splitting his time between acting in off-Broadway plays and moonlighting as a bouncer, alongside Dolph Lundgren.
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In 1988, Chazz Palminteri was working at a New York nightclub where a party was being thrown for Hollywood talent agent and dealmaker Irving Paul "Swifty" Lazar.
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When Lazar tried to enter, Chazz Palminteri stopped him as he did not know who he was.
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Lazar got him fired which led to the broke Chazz Palminteri writing A Bronx Tale for himself to star in since he was not being offered any work.
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Chazz Palminteri starred on Broadway in A Bronx Tale, the autobiographical one-man show based on his childhood that he first performed at Theatre West in Los Angeles in 1989.
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Chazz Palminteri plays 18 roles in A Bronx Tale, which depicts a rough childhood on the streets of the Bronx.
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Chazz Palminteri starred opposite Kenny D'Aquila in D'Aquila's play, Unorganized Crime.
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Chazz Palminteri always appreciated the shot that Robert De Niro gave him, so he in turn agreed to star in D'Aquila's mafia-themed drama.
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Chazz Palminteri performed in the Broadway musical version of A Bronx Tale in 2018.
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Robert De Niro saw Chazz Palminteri's Broadway show of A Bronx Tale in 1990, and the two partnered together to adapt the play into a film.
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Chazz Palminteri created the screenplay and starred as Sonny, the gangster Calogero meets, while De Niro directed the film, making his directorial debut, and co-starring as Lorenzo, Calogero's father.
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In 1994, Chazz Palminteri played mob henchman Cheech in the black comedy film Bullets Over Broadway, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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Chazz Palminteri had performances in films such as The Usual Suspects, The Perez Family, Jade, and Diabolique, as well as comedic roles in films such as Oscar, Analyze This and Down to Earth.
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Chazz Palminteri has voiced characters in various animated films, the most notable being Smokey in Stuart Little and Woolworth in Hoodwinked.
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Chazz Palminteri made his directorial debut with an episode of Oz, then the television film Women vs Men and the 2004 feature film Noel.
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Chazz Palminteri's recent acting efforts include A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Running Scared, and Arthur and the Minimoys.
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On January 20,2010, Chazz Palminteri guested on Modern Family and played the same character on the November 2,2011, episode.
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Chazz Palminteri has reprised the role twice more in season 5.
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Chazz Palminteri guest starred twice on the CBS drama Blue Bloods as Angelo Gallo, a mob lawyer and childhood friend of main character Frank Reagan.
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Chazz Palminteri portrayed deceased mobster Paul Castellano in the 2001 TV film Boss of Bosses.
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In 2011, Palminteri opened a restaurant, Chazz: A Bronx Original, in Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood; their main foods are coal-fired pizza and Italian food.
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Also, Chazz Palminteri did the voice acting for the Call of Duty: Black Ops II character Sal De Luca in the zombies map Mob of the Dead, and his likeness was used for the character as well.
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On February 15,2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Palminteri launched The Chazz Palminteri Show podcast on YouTube.
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Chazz Palminteri describes himself as a "very spiritual", devout Roman Catholic.
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Chazz Palminteri married Gianna Ranaudo in 1992, and together they have two children.