Vinny Vella
Vinny Vella (born October 3, 1950) is an American actor and part-time comedian.
Early life
Vella was born Vincent Franco Vellacerra in New York City. He worked as a fish peddler to buy a scale for his pushcart, then opened a fish store. Vella's father was from Bari, Italy and his mother was from Naples, Italy [1][2]
Career
Vella is probably best known for the role of "Artie Piscano" in Martin Scorsese's Casino. He was also the subject of a 67-minute 2000 documentary called Hey, Vinny by director John Huba.
He played Jimmy Petrille on the HBO show The Sopranos.
In New York City, he hosts a public-access television cable TV show on MNN, the Vinny Vella show.[3]
Partial filmography
Vellas films include:[4]
- Kill the Irishman (2011) ....Frank Brancato
- Chasing the Green (2008) ....Vincent [5]
- The Roadhouse (2008) ...."Old Sal"
- Find Me Guilty (2006) .... Graziedei
- Home (2006) ....Himself
- Spy (2005) ....Harry 'Red' Dellarose
- In the Cut (2003) ....Concerned Bystander
- Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) ....Vinny
- This Thing of Ours (2003) ....Carmine
- The Bakery (2003) ....Vinny
- Analyze That (2002) ....Mello
- High Times' Potluck (2002) ....Vinny
- Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) ....Cab Driver
- Wannabes (2000) ....Carmine
- Ghost Dog (1999) ....Sammy the Snake
- Spenser: Small Vices (1999) ....Vinnie
- Rounders (1998) ....Card Player at KGB's
- Destination Anywhere (1997) ....Angry Window Man
- Sausages (1997) ....Luigi
- Casino (1995) ....Artie Piscano
Personal life
He is married to Margaret Ann Hernandez; they have one son, Vincent Louis Vellacerra, Jr.
Vella was at one time the "Mayor of Elizabeth Street".[6]
In 2007, he opened his own pizzeria in Williamsburg which is the neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.[7][8]
In June 2008, Vella was involved in controversy around a lottery ticket according to some sources threatened to sue over it.[9]
References
- ↑ Bada-Boom Times
- ↑ Unstoppable
- ↑ Manhattan Neighbourhood Network
- ↑ Vinny Vella at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Russ Emanuel. "Chasing the Green - A Russ Emanuel Film". chasingthegreen.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ↑ Mayor mention
- ↑ Archived June 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Former Sopranos actor Vinny Vella's pizzeria is a 'hit' in Williamsburg". NY Daily News. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
- ↑ "'Sopranos' star threatens to sue lottery". Digital Spy. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2014-05-20.