Michael Imperioli
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966 in Mount Vernon, New York) is an Italian-American actor who is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos. He also appears as Detective Ed Green's temporary replacement, Detective Nick Falco, in the popular TV drama series Law & Order.
In addition to his role on The Sopranos, Imperioli has also appeared in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Bad Boys, The Basketball Diaries, Clockers, Dead Presidents, Last Man Standing, Shark Tale, High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, in which he played the title role, and Summer of Sam, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. In addition, he has also written a number of episodes for The Sopranos. Perhaps not coincidentally, his character on the series has been an aspiring screenwriter.
In Goodfellas, Imperioli plays the character (Michael "Spider" Gianco) whom Joe Pesci's character shoots in the foot for not getting him a drink and later kills for talking back. In The Sopranos he gets to pass the favor on, shooting a shop assistant in the foot for "showing no respect."
Imperioli has been nominated for five Emmy Awards for his work on The Sopranos and won once, in 2004 for the show's fifth season.
He serves as artistic director of an off-broadway theater, Studio Dante.
He is the lead singer/guitarist for his rock band named La Dolce Vita (Italian for "the sweet life" and the title of a famous Federico Fellini film).
He was one of the customary three guests - along with Claudine Pépin - on Episode MB2E08 ("San Giuseppe") of Mario Batali's Food Network television show Molto Mario where the chef introduced him simply as "my friend Mike". Unlike the other guests, he neither spoke nor smiled during the half hour.
[edit] Filmography (partial)
- Lean on Me (1989) - George
- Goodfellas (1990) - Spider
- Jungle Fever (1991) - James Tucci
- Malcolm X (1992) - Reporter at Fire Bombing
- Postcards from America (1994) - The Hustler
- Bad Boys (1995) - Jojo
- The Basketball Diaries (1995) - Bobby
- Clockers (1995) - Detective Jo-Jo
- Dead Presidents (1995) - D'ambrosio
- Girl 6 (1996) - Scary Caller #30
- Last Man Standing (1996) - Giorgio Carmonte
- A River Made to Drown In (1997) - Allen Hayden
- The Sopranos (1999-Present) - Christopher Moltisanti
- Summer of Sam (1999) - Midnight
- High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003) - Stu Ungar
- My Baby's Daddy (2004) - Dominic
- Shark Tale (2004) - Frankie (voice)
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven (TV) (2004) - Captain
- Law & Order (2005) - Detective Falco
- The Simpsons: The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer (2006) - Dante Jr.
