Anthony LaPaglia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) LaPaglia in 2013 | |
| Born | (1959-01-31)31 January 1959 (age 66) Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse(s) | Cherie Michan (divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Jonathan LaPaglia (brother) |
Anthony LaPaglia (/ləˈpɑːliə/lə-PAH-lee-ə,Italian:[laˈpaʎʎa]; born 31 January 1959)[1] is an Australian actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen he has received several accolades including threeAACTA Awards, aPrimetime Emmy Award, and aTony Award.
For his starring role asJack Malone on the American television crime drama seriesWithout a Trace (2002–09), he received aGolden Globe Award in 2004. For his role asSimon Moon on theNBC sitcomFrasier (2000–04) he won thePrimetime Emmy Award. On stage, he starred in the 1997 Broadway revival of theArthur Miller playA View from the Bridge for which he won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
He has won threeAACTA Awards,Best Actor in a Leading Role forLantana (2001) andBalibo (2009), andBest Actor in a Supporting Role forNitram (2021). He acted in many feature and TV films, among themSo I Married an Axe Murderer (1993),Empire Records (1995),Sweet and Lowdown (1999), andRoad to Perdition (2002). He voiced askua inHappy Feet (2006) andits 2011 sequel.
LaPaglia was born inAdelaide, South Australia, the son of Maria Johannes (née Brendel), a secretary and model, and Egidio "Eddie" LaPaglia, an auto mechanic and car dealer.[2] LaPaglia's mother was Dutch, and his father emigrated fromBovalino,Calabria, Italy, at the age of eighteen.[2] His younger brother,Jonathan LaPaglia, is also an actor, and his other brother, Michael, is a car wholesaler in Los Angeles. LaPaglia attendedRostrevor College andNorwood High School.
LaPaglia was working in Adelaide as a shoe salesman forFlorsheim Shoes in the early 1980s. He asked to be transferred to the US and continued working there while studying acting as he was rejected by the prestigious Sydney drama school NIDA. LaPaglia first began his venture into dramatic art in his late teens, when he enrolled in an acting course at the South Australian Castings Agency (SA Castings) in Adelaide. The two-and-half-year course was to be supplemented with a further three months, which would have included a "boot camp" and a trial listing with SA Castings. After completing one-and-a-half years of the course, LaPaglia left Adelaide for Los Angeles.
LaPaglia's earliest credit was a 1985 part in an episode of the television seriesSteven Spielberg's Amazing Stories. His first feature film wasCold Steel in 1987, followed that same year by the title role ofFrank Nitti in the telemovieNitti: The Enforcer. LaPaglia had a supporting role as amobster in the minor hitBetsy's Wedding (1990).
He starred alongsideDanny Aiello andLainie Kazan in29th Street, a fact-based comedy/bio-pic, as the firstNew York State Lottery winner, Frank Pesce Jr. This was followed by roles in the vampire/Mafia storyInnocent Blood (1992), the comedy thrillerSo I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), the legal thrillerThe Client (1994), and the comedyEmpire Records (1995). LaPaglia appeared in the role of Jimmy Wyler, lead character in the TV seriesMurder One, during its second and final season. LaPaglia made his debut in an Australian production oppositeHugo Weaving inThe Custodian (1993). He played a hit man inBulletproof Heart (1994) withMimi Rogers and starred alongside future wifeGia Carides in the romantic comedyPaperback Romance (1994).
During 1997–98, LaPaglia appeared in aBroadway production ofArthur Miller'sA View from the Bridge with theRoundabout Theatre Company and later received aTony Award for his portrayal of the protagonist, Eddie Carbone. LaPaglia also played Tito Merelli inKen Ludwig'sLend Me a Tenor on Broadway. BeforeA View From the Bridge opened, LaPaglia was sent a script for the pilot ofThe Sopranos and met its creator,David Chase, to discuss the role of protagonistTony Soprano.[3] However, various factors, includingFox and his Broadway role, prevented LaPaglia from obtaining the role.[4]
Spike Lee cast LaPaglia as a New York police detective inSummer of Sam (1999). During 2000–04, LaPaglia appeared in eight episodes of the sitcomFrasier, including the finale, playingDaphne Moon's brotherSimon.[2] The role won him anEmmy Award for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series".
He continued to live mainly in Los Angeles, returning occasionally—especially from about 2000—for roles in major Australian films such asLooking for Alibrandi (2000),Lantana (2001),The Bank (2001),Happy Feet (2006),$9.99 (2008),Balibo (2009), andHappy Feet Two (2011). In 2002, LaPaglia co-starred as a fire captain opposite Sigourney Weaver inThe Guys, a film about New York firemen who died in theWorld Trade Center. He also played the role onstage, rotating withBill Murray and others. "We did it as a tribute to the men," said LaPaglia. "I've been so lucky to do it, to be part of this experience. But I can't go back to that morning or watch the video. It's too painful."[5] He also played fictional Australian actor Anthony Bella (who played Nicky Caesar in the fictitious seriesLittle Caesar) in the comedy movieAnalyze That, but was uncredited in his role.[6]
In addition to playing the central character inWithout a Trace during 2002–09, LaPaglia co-wrote an episode entitled "Deep Water".[7] In 2009, LaPaglia played the part ofRoger East, a real-life Australian journalist, in the political thrillerBalibo, about the killing in 1975 offive Australian journalists by theIndonesian Army in the town ofBalibo,East Timor. The opening scene depicts East's ownsummary execution, during theIndonesian invasion.[2][8]
LaPaglia was originally cast inQuentin Tarantino's 2012 filmDjango Unchained,[9] but eventually left the project, calling the production "out of control."[10]
In 2012 LaPaglia starred in the ABC drama pilotAmericana,[11] but it was not picked up.[12] He next appeared in the feature adaptation ofStephen King'sA Good Marriage withJoan Allen.[13] In 2014, LaPaglia appeared in a CBS terrorism drama pilot titledRed Zone starring as a retiredCIA operative and current high school football coach who returns to active duty after a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C.[14] It was renamedField of Play but never aired.[15][16][17]
From about 2012, LaPaglia began accepting work in Australia more frequently. Following major roles inUnderground (2012) (a biopic aboutJulian Assange) and the comedyMental (2012), LaPaglia had a supporting role in theNeil Armfield's Australian romantic-drama filmHolding the Man, as Bob Caleo. The 2015 film starsRyan Corr andCraig Stott, with supporting performances from LaPaglia,Guy Pearce andGeoffrey Rush.Holding the Man was adapted fromTimothy Conigrave's 1995memoir of the same name. For his role within the film, LaPaglia was nominated for anAACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the5th AACTA Awards in 2015. In that year LaPaglia returned to his home city, Adelaide, to star inA Month of Sundays as Frank, a miserable real estate agent who finds solace and redemption in a chance friendship with an elderly woman (played byJulia Blake) who reminds him of his mother. In 2016, he appeared in his first Australian TV series:The Code, a political thriller set against rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China. The following year he starred in the four-part miniseriesSunshine, an Australian crime drama series screened onSBS,[18] set in the westernMelbourne suburb of the same name, playing the role of mentor to a promising young Sudanese-Australian soccer player. The four-part miniseries is an Essential Media production, directed by Daina Reid and written by Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie.[19] In 2018, LaPaglia appeared in the fifth season of the comedyRake, based loosely on the life and misadventures ofCharles Waterstreet.
In 2017, LaPaglia playedVito Rizzuto in theSimon Barry Canadian TV seriesBad Blood, which aired onCitytv, in French on ICI Radio-Canada.[20] From 2017 to 2020, he starred in Neil Jordan's seriesRiviera. Set in theFrench Riviera, the series follows Georgina Clios, amidwestern artcurator whose life is turned upside down after the death of her billionaire husband Constantine Clios (LaPaglia) in a yacht accident. Georgina becomes immersed in a world of lies, double-dealing and crime, as she seeks to uncover the truth about her husband's death.[21]
In 2023, LaPaglia appeared in the ABC TV seriesThe Black Hand, which explores the activities of the Italian'Ndrangheta in the cane fields of Queensland, Australia, in the 1920s and 1930s.[22] The same year, he appeared in his Australian stage debut asWilly Loman inArthur Miller's playDeath of a Salesman atHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, directed byNeil Armfield.[23]
LaPaglia currently lives inSanta Monica, California. He has said that he adopted an American accent to help him get acting work after moving to the US. His current accent is neither distinctly American nor is it Australian, but, rather, a combination of both.[24] According to an offhand remark by LaPaglia, he has employed an American accent since 1982.[25] LaPaglia is the godfather ofPoppy Montgomery andAdam Kaufman's son, Jackson. LaPaglia's first marriage was to actress Cherie Michan. His second marriage was to actressGia Carides, whom he met at a party;[2] the two starred in the 1994 Australian moviePaperback Romance (a.k.a.Lucky Break) and married in 1998.[citation needed] Their daughter Bridget was born in January 2003. In April 2015, newspapers reported that LaPaglia and Carides had split after 17 years.[26] He married Alexandra Henkel (his third marriage), who is 30 years younger, on 28 April 2018.[27]
In the 1980s, LaPaglia was agoalkeeper in theNational Soccer League, playing forAdelaide City andWest Adelaide.[2] LaPaglia was part owner ofA-League clubSydney FC until 2008;flying from California to Sydney to attend their matches since their inception in 2005. He was the narrator andexecutive producer ofThe Away Game, a critically acclaimed television documentary exploring the experiences of Australian men's soccer players in Europe.
He plays occasionally withHollywood United, an amateur organisation of which he is club president, with others in the entertainment industry includingFrank Leboeuf,Vinnie Jones,Steve Jones (of theSex Pistols) and others.
LaPaglia has a minority shareholding in the International Goalkeepers Academy. The Academy was founded and is operated byJames Fraser, who represented theAustralian national team leading up to the1974 FIFA World Cup.
LaPaglia has volunteered as an actor with theYoung Storytellers Program. He played in a charity soccer match in 2007 toraise funds forSouthern California wildfirerelief.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Cold Steel | "Spooky" | Feature film |
| 1988 | Nitti: The Enforcer | Frank Nitti | Television film |
| Police Story: Gladiator School | Sergeant Petrelli | Television film | |
| 1989 | Slaves of New York | Henry | Feature film |
| Mortal Sins | Vito | Feature film | |
| 1990 | Criminal Justice | David Ringel | Television film |
| Betsy's Wedding | Stevie Dee | Feature film | |
| 1991 | He Said, She Said | Mark | Feature film |
| One Good Cop | Detective Stevie Diroma | Feature film | |
| 29th Street | Frank Pesce Jr. | Feature film | |
| The Brotherhood | Salvatore's Brother | Television film | |
| Keeper of the City | Vince Benedetto | Television film | |
| 1992 | Whispers in the Dark | Larry Morgenstern | Feature film |
| Innocent Blood | Joe Gennaro | Feature film | |
| Black Magic | Ross Gage | Television film | |
| 1993 | So I Married an Axe Murderer | Tony Giardino | Feature film |
| The Custodian | Sergeant James Quinlan | Feature film | |
| 1994 | The Client | Barry 'The Blade' Muldano | Feature film |
| Lucky Break | Eddie Mercer | Feature film | |
| Bulletproof Heart | Mick | Feature film | |
| Past Tense | Larry Talbert | Television film | |
| Mixed Nuts | Felix | Feature film | |
| 1995 | Empire Records | Joe Reaves | Feature film |
| 1996 | Chameleon | Willie Serling | Feature film |
| Trees Lounge | Rob | Feature film | |
| Brilliant Lies | Gary Fitzgerald | Feature film | |
| Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story | Jimmy 'Jimmy V' Valvano | Television film | |
| 1997 | Commandments | Harry Luce | Feature film |
| The Garden of Redemption | Don Paolo Montale | Television film | |
| 1998 | Phoenix | Detective Mike Henshaw | Feature film |
| Mob Law: A Film Portrait of Oscar Goodman | Narrator (voice) | Documentary film | |
| The Repair Show | Television film | ||
| 1999 | Lansky | Charles "Lucky" Luciano | Television film |
| Black and Blue | Bobby Benedetto | Television film | |
| Summer of Sam | Detective Lou Petrocelli | Feature film | |
| Sweet and Lowdown | Al Torrio | Mockumentary film | |
| 2000 | Company Man | Fidel Castro | Feature film |
| Looking for Alibrandi | Michael Andretti | Feature film | |
| The House of Mirth | Sim Rosedale | Feature film | |
| Autumn in New York | John | Feature film | |
| 2001 | Jack the Dog | Jack's Attorney | Feature film |
| Lantana | Detective Leon Zat | Feature film | |
| The Bank | Simon O'Reily | Feature film | |
| On the Edge | Dr. Maas | Television film | |
| 2002 | The Salton Sea | Al Garcetti | Feature film |
| Dead Heat | Ray LaMarr | Feature film | |
| Road to Perdition | Al Capone | Uncredited; Feature film | |
| I'm with Lucy | Bobby Staley | Feature film | |
| The Guys | Nick | Feature film | |
| Analyze That | Anthony Bella / Nicky Caesar | Uncredited cameo; Feature film | |
| 2003 | Manhood | Jack's Attorney | Feature film |
| Happy Hour | Tulley | Feature film | |
| Spinning Boris | Dick Dresner | Feature film | |
| 2004 | Winter Solstice | Jim Winters | Feature film; Also executive producer |
| 2006 | The Architect | Leo Waters | Feature film |
| The Away Game | Narrator | TV documentary; Also executive producer | |
| Played | Detective Drummond | Feature film | |
| Happy Feet | Boss Skua (voice) | Animated feature film[29] | |
| 2008 | $9.99 | Jim Peck (voice) | Stop motion feature film |
| 2009 | Balibo | Roger East | Feature film; Also producer |
| 2010 | Overnight | Captain Brody | Feature film |
| Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Twilight (voice) | Animated feature film[29] | |
| 2011 | All-Star Superman | Lex Luthor (voice) | Animated feature film[29] |
| Happy Feet Two | Alpha Skua (voice) | Animated feature film[29] | |
| The Ride | Driver | Short film | |
| In Loco Parentis | Dad | Short film | |
| 2012 | Overnight | Tully | Feature film |
| Crazy Kind of Love | Gordie | Feature film | |
| Mental | Barry Moochmore | Feature film | |
| Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Detective Ken Roberts | Television film | |
| Americana | Robert Soulter | Television film | |
| 2013 | Boomerang | Bill Hamilton | Television film |
| 2014 | A Good Marriage | Bob | Feature film |
| Big Stone Gap | Spec Broadwater | Feature film | |
| Newcomer | Daniel | Feature film | |
| Red Zone | Television film | ||
| 2015 | A Month of Sundays | Frank Mollard | Feature film; Also executive producer |
| This Isn't Funny | Mike | Feature film | |
| Holding the Man | Bob Caleo | Feature film | |
| The Eichmann Show | Leo Hurwitz | Television film | |
| 2016 | The Assignment | John 'Honest John' Hartunian | Feature film |
| Toy Gun | Gaetano Lolli | Feature film | |
| 2017 | Annabelle: Creation | Samuel Mullins | Feature film |
| 2019 | Below | Terry | Feature film |
| Dark Whispers: Volume 1 | Driver | Feature film; Segment: "The Ride" | |
| 2020 | Pearl | Jack Wolf[30] | Feature film |
| 2021 | Nitram | Maurice[31] | Feature film |
| TBA | R.U.R. | TBA[32] | Feature film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember | British Flyer | Television Special (TV debut) |
| Amazing Stories | Mechanic | Episode: "The Mission" | |
| 1986 | Magnum, P.I. | Albert Stanley Higgins | Episode: "Who Is Don Luis Higgins... and Why Is He Doing These Terrible Things to Me?" |
| The Twilight Zone | Punk | Episode: "A Day in Beaumont/The Last Defender of Camelot" | |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Agent #1 | Episode: "The Child Broker" |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Jesse | Episode: "A Time and A Place" |
| Gideon Oliver | Raskin | Episode: "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver" | |
| Hardball | Randy Stoltz | Episode: "The Silver Scream" | |
| 1990 | Equal Justice | George Griffin | Episode: "The Price of Justice" |
| Father Dowling Mysteries | Paul Damon | Episode: "The Visiting Priest Mystery" | |
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Abel, The Cable Guy | Episode: "Spoiled" |
| 1996–97 | Murder One | Jimmy Wyler | 18 episodes |
| 1997 | Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer | TV miniseries; 6 episodes | |
| 2000 | Normal, Ohio | David | Unaired pilot |
| 2000–04 | Frasier | Simon Moon | 8 episodes |
| 2002 | Nature | Narrator | Episode: "Big Red Roos" |
| 2002–09 | Without a Trace | Jack Malone | 160 episodes; (also writer - 3 episodes) |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jack Malone | Episode: "Who and What" |
| 2008 | Tellement vrai | ||
| 2016 | The Code | Jan Roth | 6 episodes |
| Swedish Dicks | Jack | Episode: "#1.9" | |
| 2017 | Bad Blood | Vito Rizzuto | 6 episodes |
| Sunshine | Eddie | TV miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| 2017–19 | Riviera | Constantine Clios | 16 episodes |
| 2018 | Rake | Linus | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Halifax: Retribution | Tom Saracen[33] | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Florida Man | Sonny Valentine[34] | |
| The Black Hand | Presenter | ||
| 2024 | Boy Swallows Universe | Tytus Broz | 7 episodes[35] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Bouncers | Les | Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City |
| 1993 | On the Open Road | Angel | Joseph Papp Public Theater/Martinson Hall, New York City |
| 1995 | The Rose Tattoo | Alvaro Mangiacavallo | Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway |
| 1995–1996 | Northeast Local | Mickey | Lincoln Center Theater, New York City |
| 1997–1998 | A View from the Bridge | Eddie Carbone | Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway |
| 2002 | The Guys | The Flea Theater, New York City | |
| 2010 | Lend Me a Tenor | Tito Merelli | Music Box Theatre,Broadway |
| 2023 | Death of a Salesman | Willy Loman | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Australian |
| 2024 | Theatre Royal Sydney |
actor Anthony LaPaglia in 1959 (age 62)
Anthony LaPaglia, Australian,Without a Trace, CBS. After years in the movies and a memorable recurring role as Daphne's drunken Mancunian brother onFrasier, LaPaglia took the part of New York FBI agent Jack Malone onWithout a Trace. Because American accents vary greatly from region to region, and we don't know where Jack grew up, LaPaglia gets away with diction that sounds neither distinctly American nor Australian.
