Michael Imperioli | |
|---|---|
.png) Imperioli in 2024 | |
| Born | (1966-03-26)March 26, 1966 (age 58) Mount Vernon,New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966)[1] is an American actor, novelist, screenwriter and musician. He is best known for his roles asChristopher Moltisanti in theHBO crime drama seriesThe Sopranos (1999–2007), which earned him thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004, and as Dominic Di Grasso in the HBO comedy drama seriesThe White Lotus in 2022.
In the early part of his career, he played the role of Spider inMartin Scorsese'sGoodfellas (1990). He went on to play many supporting roles in films such asJungle Fever (1991),Bad Boys (1995),The Basketball Diaries (1995),Shark Tale (2004),The Lovely Bones (2009), andOne Night in Miami (2020). Imperioli co-wrote the screenplay forSummer of Sam (1999) withSpike Lee, and wrote five episodes ofThe Sopranos. He made his directorial feature film debut withThe Hungry Ghosts (2008), which he also wrote.
For his role as Dominic Di Grasso in the second season of HBO seriesThe White Lotus (2022) he was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. On stage, he made hisBroadway debut in the revival of theHenrik Ibsen playAn Enemy of the People (2024).
Imperioli was born on March 26, 1966, inMount Vernon, New York.[2] His father, Dominic Ralph Imperioli, was a bus driver and amateur actor, and his mother, Claire Linda (Luzzi), was a department store worker and amateur actress.[3][4][5] His ancestors immigrated to New York City fromLazio,Sicily, andOriolo,Cosenza,Calabria in Italy.[6][7]
At age 11, Imperioli and his family moved toBrewster, New York, and in high school he began watchingBroadway plays.[3] After graduating fromBrewster High School in 1983,[8] Imperioli planned on studyingpre-med at theState University of New York at Albany. The night before he was set to begin college, he confided in his parents that he sought to be an actor. At age 17, Imperioli then moved toManhattan's East Village, where he enrolled atLee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute to study acting. While there, he metJohn Ventimiglia, who later portrayedArtie Bucco onThe Sopranos, and the two became roommates.[3][4]
In the early 1990s, Imperioli performed as lead vocalist of theNew Jersey-basedjangle pop bandWild Carnation, departing to focus on his acting career prior to the release of their debut recordings in 1993.[9]
Imperioli has been nominated for twoGolden Globe Awards and fiveEmmy Awards for his work asChristopher Moltisanti onThe Sopranos. He won one Emmy for the fifth season ofThe Sopranos in 2004.[10]
In addition to his role onThe Sopranos, Imperioli has appeared in a number of films, includingGoodfellas,Jungle Fever,Bad Boys,Malcolm X,The Basketball Diaries,Clockers,Dead Presidents,Girl 6,My Baby's Daddy,Lean on Me,I Shot Andy Warhol,Last Man Standing,Shark Tale,High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, andSummer of Sam, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. He alsowrote five episodes forThe Sopranos.[11]
Imperioli served as artistic director of Studio Dante,[12] anOff-Broadway theater he formed with his wife. He is an active member of TheJazz Foundation of America and co-hosted their May 2009 annual benefit concert, "A Great Night inHarlem", at theApollo Theater, which celebrated the foundation's 20th anniversary.[13] He was a guest on the "San Giuseppe" episode ofMario Batali'sFood Network television showMolto Mario. In 2010, Imperioli signed on to play the lead in the ABC television showDetroit 1-8-7.[14] Working with the writerGabriele Tinti, he wrote the text "Pride" for Tinti's bookNew York Shots, and participated in a reading ofThe Way of the Cross at theQueens Museum of Art in 2011.
Imperioli won the Tournament of Stars competition on the cooking showChopped in 2014, sending $50,000 to his designated charity the Pureland Project, an organization which builds and maintains schools in ruralTibet. In 2016, he guest starred as the angelUriel on the Fox showLucifer.[15]
On March 13, 2019, Imperioli was cast in the lead role of Rick Sellitto in theNBC drama seriesLincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.[16] Imperioli co-hosts apodcast withSteve Schirripa titledTalking Sopranos, which began on April 6, 2020. The two provide inside info as they followThe Sopranos series episode by episode.[17][18] By September 2020, the podcast had reached over five million downloads.[19]
On September 17, 2020, Imperioli and Schirripa signed a deal withHarperCollins book imprintWilliam Morrow and Company to write an oral history of the show;[19] the book titledWoke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos was released on November 2, 2021.[20] In July 2020, he hosted a show onNTS Radio called632 ELYSIAN FIELDS, which was inspired byA Streetcar Named Desire.[21] In September 2020, Imperioli provided narration forThe Whistleblower, a podcast about the2007 NBA betting scandal.[22] Imperioli is the guitarist and vocalist for the band Zopa.[23] In 2020, Zopa released their debut album entitledLa Dolce Vita.[24] In 2021, Zopa headlined the Freakout Festival in Seattle.[25]
Imperioli portrayedAndrew Cuomo in theShowtime limited seriesEscape at Dannemora (2018),Angelo Dundee in theRegina King directedOne Night in Miami (2020), and served as narrator in the 2021Sopranos prequel film,The Many Saints of Newark.[26] In January 2022, Imperioli was cast in a lead role in the second season of theHBO dark comedy seriesThe White Lotus.[27] For his performance he received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nomination. In 2023 it was announced that Imperioli would make hisBroadway debut in the 2024Sam Gold-directed adaptation of theHenrik Ibsen playAn Enemy of the People, acting alongsideJeremy Strong andVictoria Pedretti at theCircle in the Square Theatre.[28] He acted in thePaul Schrader directed filmOh, Canada which premiered at the2024 Cannes Film Festival.[29][30]
Imperioli married Victoria Chlebowski in 1996. They have homes in theUpper West Side ofManhattan and previously inSanta Barbara, California, and have three children. He and his family are avid practitioners ofTae Kwon Do.[31] In 2008, Imperioli became aBuddhist.[32]
Imperioli is a fan of the animated sitcomAmerican Dad!. He has stated thatAmerican Dad! is his favorite TV show in several interviews and even appeared in an episode voicing the character Roger's father Fred.[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Alexa | Acid Head | |
| Lean on Me | George | ||
| 1990 | Jacob's Ladder | Zeno's Assistant | |
| Goodfellas | Spider | ||
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | James Tucci | |
| 1992 | Fathers & Sons | Johnny | |
| Malcolm X | Reporter at Fire Bombing | ||
| Mac | Extra | ||
| 1993 | Joey Breaker | Larry Metz | |
| The Night We Never Met | Dry Cleaning Customer #1 | ||
| Household Saints | Leonard Villanova | ||
| 1994 | Touch Base | Bennie | Short film |
| Men Lie | |||
| Hand Gun | Benny | ||
| Amateur | Doorman at Club | ||
| Post Cards from America | The Hustler | ||
| 1995 | The Addiction | Missionary | |
| The Basketball Diaries | Bobby | ||
| Bad Boys | Jojo | ||
| Sweet Nothing | Angelo | ||
| Clockers | Detective 'Jo-Jo' | ||
| Flirt | Michael | ||
| Dead Presidents | D'ambrosio | ||
| Trouble | Ellis | Short film | |
| 1996 | Girls Town | Anthony | |
| I Shot Andy Warhol | Ondine | ||
| Girl 6 | Scary Caller #30 | ||
| Trees Lounge | George | ||
| Last Man Standing | Giorgio Carmonte | ||
| Blixa Bargeld Stole My Cowboy Boots | Johnny | Short film | |
| 1997 | Office Killer | Daniel Birch | |
| The Deli | Matty | ||
| River Made to Drown In | Allen Hayden | ||
| 1998 | Too Tired to Die | Fabrizio | |
| 1999 | On the Run | Albert DeSantis | |
| Summer of Sam | Midnight | Also co-writer | |
| 2000 | Auto Motives | Stud | Short film |
| 2002 | Love in the Time of Money | Will | |
| 2003 | High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story | Stu Ungar | |
| 2004 | My Baby's Daddy | Dominic | |
| Shark Tale | Frankie | Voice | |
| 2007 | The Inner Life of Martin Frost | Jim Fortunato | |
| The Lovebirds | Vincent | ||
| 2008 | Stóra Planið | Alexander | |
| 2009 | The Lovely Bones | Detective Len Fenerman | |
| 2010 | Love & Distrust | Stud | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Stuck Between Stations | David | |
| 2013 | The Call | Alan Denado | |
| Vijay and I | Micky | ||
| Oldboy | Chucky | ||
| 2014 | Foreclosure | Bill Landopolous | |
| The Scribbler | Moss | ||
| The M Word | Charlie Moon | ||
| Cantinflas | Michael Todd | [34][35] | |
| 2015 | Houses | ||
| The Wannabe | Alphonse | ||
| 2018 | Cabaret Maxime | Bennie Gazza | |
| 2019 | The Last Full Measure | Jay Ford | |
| Primal | Paul Freed | ||
| 2020 | Between Wars | Sarge | |
| One Night in Miami... | Angelo Dundee | ||
| 2021 | The Many Saints of Newark | Christopher Moltisanti | Voice |
| 2024 | Oh, Canada | Malcolm | |
| TBA | Song Sung Blue | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Duane Rollins | Episode: "Dead and Gone" |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Johnny Stivers | Episode: "Atonement" |
| 1997 | New York Undercover | Miles Gordon | Episode: "The Last Hurrah" |
| Firehouse | Lt. O'Connell | Television film | |
| 1998 | Witness to the Mob | Louie Milito | Television film |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Christopher Moltisanti | Main cast |
| 2000 | Disappearing Acts | Vinney | Television film |
| Hamlet | Rosencrantz | Television film | |
| 2001 | I Love the '90s | Himself | Episode: "I Love 1990" |
| 2002 | VH1 Big Awards | Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2004 | The Five People You Meet in Heaven | Captain | Television film |
| 2005–2006 | Law & Order | Detective Nick Falco | Recurring cast (season 15), guest (season 16) |
| 2006 | The Simpsons | Dante Jr. (voice) | Episode: "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" |
| 2007 | For One More Day | Charley "Chick" Benetto | Television film |
| 2008–2009 | Life on Mars | Detective Ray Carling | Main cast |
| 2010 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | Episode #2.1 |
| Mercy | Harold Pindus | Episode: "We're All Adults" | |
| The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Dr. Ottavi | Episode: "The Sound of Silence" | |
| 2010–2011 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Detective Louis "Lou" Fitch | Main cast |
| 2012 | Girls | Powell Goldman | Episode: "Leave Me Alone" |
| Necessary Roughness | Jimmy Folkes | Episode: "All the King's Horses" | |
| 2013 | The Office | Sensei Billy | Episode: "Livin' the Dream" |
| Nicky Deuce | The Doctor | Television film | |
| 2014 | Rake | Alberto Rinaldi | Episode: "Bigamist" |
| Californication | Rick Rath | Recurring cast (season 7) | |
| Chopped | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–2016 | Mad Dogs | Lex | Main cast |
| 2015–2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Odell Martin | Recurring cast (season 5), guest (season 6 & 8) |
| 2016–2017 | Lucifer | Uriel | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2016–2021 | Blue Bloods | Robert Lewis | Recurring cast (season 7), guest (season 11) |
| 2017 | Dice | Himself | Episode: "Fingerless" |
| 2018 | Alex, Inc. | Eddie | Main cast |
| Escape at Dannemora | Andrew Cuomo | Episode: "Part 7" | |
| 2019 | Watchmen | Video Testimonial Man | Episode: "Little Fear of Lightning" |
| 2019–2020 | Project Blue Book | Edward Rizzuto | Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2020 | Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector | Rick Sellitto | Main cast |
| 2022 | The White Lotus | Dominic Di Grasso | Main cast (season 2) |
| 2022–2023 | This Fool | Minister Leonard Payne | Recurring cast (season 1-2) |
| 2024 | Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Joe / Moe Dubelz (voice) | Main cast[36] |
| American Horror Stories | Daniel Hausman-Burger | Episode: "Backrooms" | |
| American Dad! | Fred (voice) | Episode: "Piece by Piece" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Talking Sopranos | Self (co-host) | 91 episodes; Video podcast |
| 2022 | Marvel's Wastelanders: Black Widow | Stanley (voice) | 10 episodes; Radio drama and podcast |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Chicken | Floyd | Studio Dante | [37] |
| 2024 | An Enemy of the People | Peter Stockmann | Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway | [38] |
Imperioli, 51, is a Mount Vernon native and 1983 Brewster High School graduate.
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