Federico Castelluccio

Federico Castelluccio
Born (1964-04-29) April 29, 1964
Naples, Italy
Residence New York City, New York
Occupation Actor, painter
Years active 1986–present
Spouse(s) Yvonne Maria Schaefer

Federico Castelluccio (born April 29, 1964) is an Italian American actor and professional visual artist, who is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.

Early life

Born in Naples, Italy, his family moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1968.[1] In 1982, Castelluccio was awarded a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he earned a BFA in painting and media arts.[2] Just prior to winning the scholarship, he received an opportunity to create a painting for veteran actor George Burns.[3]

Acting

Castelluccio began his career as an actor in 1986. Some of his film credits include Made with Jon Favreau, Fire with Paul Campbell and 18 Shades of Dust with Danny Aiello. In television, his credits include NYPD Blue and his best known role in the HBO hit series, The Sopranos, as the Neapolitan enforcer Furio Giunta.

He also appeared in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints which debuted in 2006 at the Sundance Film Festival and received two awards, one for best dramatic directing and another for best dramatic ensemble, headed by Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri, and Rosario Dawson.

Castelluccio's recent film projects include the biographical El Cantante starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Aftermath, a crime-thriller starring Michael Anthony Hall, Chris Penn and directed and written by Thomas Farone, The Obscure Brother, filmed in southern Italy, a short film that he executive produced and acted in. He starred with David Zayas and Otto Sanchez in 2003's La Araña directed and written by Vincent Zambrano and Jose Patino. Capers, a comedic film, was released in 2008 and starred Danny Masterson. Lucky Days is a full-feature film that recently completed filming in New York City. The 2009 film Forget Me Not, directed by , starring Yvonne Maria Schaefer, had international success. In television, Castelluccio was recently seen as the lead role in Dragon Dynasty,[4] a made-for-television film which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. He also appeared in the episode of Kenny Vs. Spenny titled "Who Can Produce The Best Commercial" in a role strongly echoing his Sopranos work.

Painting

Castelluccio is an internationally renowned painter, art collector and connoisseur of old master, baroque paintings. From an early age it was evident that he had talent and innate ability for drawing and painting and was determined to pursue a life in art. In 1982, he received a full presidential scholarship to the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, earning a BFA in painting and media arts.

Castelluccio has traveled extensively to Europe for the sole purpose of drawing and painting. He has spent time working in France, Italy and Germany, inspired all along by the European old masters and contemporary realists. Castelluccio's focus has been mainly on painting the figure and still life as well as trompe l'oeil and landscape. He works strictly from life and has drawn praise for his paintings and for his exceptional quality and high level of technical ability.

Castelluccio's paintings have been exhibited in prestigious galleries throughout the United States and Europe. His works are held in the collection of Palazzo Chigi, in Ariccia, Italy; Yale University Museum of Art, in New Haven, Connecticut; Kresge Art Museum, in East Lansing, Michigan; and Tisch Fine Art Collection, NY. His works can be found in major private collections throughout the United States, South America and Europe. In addition, many well known actors and celebrities own his original work, including Whoopi Goldberg, Caroline Rhea and Joe Pantoliano. During the fourth season of Celebrity Apprentice, Castelluccio was asked by Donald Trump to judge which celebrity designed the best hat. Castelluccio eventually chose La Toya Jackson. She was awarded $25,000 for her charity, the AIDS Project Los Angeles.[5]

Personal life

In 2008, Castelluccio began a romantic relationship with actress Yvonne Maria Schaefer when they met at a premiere in New York City. They married in 2011.

References

  1. ↑ "For the Cast, a Touch of Authenticity", The New York Times, March 4, 2001. Accessed December 4, 2007. "He was born in Naples and came to Paterson when he was almost 4."
  2. ↑ "«I Sopranos? No agli stereotipi ma non facciamone un dramma» - Federico Castelluccio, il Furio Giunta della celebre serie tv, a Toronto per incontrare gli zii", Corriere Canadese, May 11, 2005. Accessed December 4, 2007. "Nel 1982, Castelluccio vince una borsa di studio alla School of Visual Arts di New York, dove si laurea in pittura."
  3. ↑ "The Sopranos: Cast & Crew". HBO. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  4. ↑ "Dragon Dynasty (TV 2006)". IMDB. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  5. ↑ http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2011/04/celebrity_apprentice_recap_ric.html

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.