Michael Rispoli (born November 27, 1960) is an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. He was a contender for the role of

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...

in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

television series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

,'' but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile, a recurring character in the show's first season. Rispoli reunited with ''Sopranos'' co-star

James Gandolfini James John Gandolfini (; September 18, 1961June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007 ...

in the 2009 thriller '' The Taking of Pelham 123''. He was a series regular on the HBO series '' The Deuce.''

Early life and education

Rispoli, a second-generation

Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

, was raised in

Tappan, New York Tappan ( ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, New York, United States. It is located northwest of Alpine, New Jersey, north of Northvale, New Jersey and Rockleigh, New Jersey, northeast of ...

, one of eight children, and attended Tappan Zee High School, where he played football.Rodriguez, Justin
"Actor trades Hollywood glitz for life in Pine Bush"
''

Times Herald-Record The ''Times Herald-Record'', often referred to as ''The Record'' or ''Middletown Record'' in its coverage area, is an American daily newspaper published in Middletown, New York, covering the northwest suburbs of New York City. It covers Orange, ...

'', July 26, 2014. Accessed October 27, 2018. "Rispoli actually first heard of Pine Bush as a senior at Tappan Zee High School in 1977.... Michael Rispoli fell in love with Pine Bush. It reminded him of home, it still does. He grew up in Tappan, where his parents ran a hardware store." He majored in theater at

State University of New York at Plattsburgh The State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The university is part of the State University ...

and graduated in 1982.

Career

The feature film '' Union Square'' (co-written and directed by

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Grand Jury Award winner Nancy Savoca) premiered in 2011 at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

: Rispoli co-stars with

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...

, Tammy Blanchard, Mike Doyle, and Daphne Rubin-Vega. He also starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play '' Between Riverside and Crazy'' by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rispoli, Michael 1960 births Living people People from Tappan, New York Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors American male television actors Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni State University of New York at Plattsburgh alumni American people of Italian descent