Chazz Palminteri first came to the attention of the movie going world in 1993 when his autobiographical one-man off-Broadway show A Bronx Tale, was made into a film by Robert De Niro. Palminteri wrote the screenplay for the film and starred opposite De Niro, who directed. Two of Palminteri's best known film roles since then are as for his performances as Dave Kujan, the US Customs Agent in Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects and as Cheech, a gangster with a surprising instinct for play writing, in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, an Independent Spirit for Best Supporting Male Actor, and numerous other awards.
Palminteri's other film credits as an actor include The Perez Family, The Last Word, Jade, Mulholland Falls, Diabolique, Faithful (also wrote), Dante and the Debutante (also wrote and produced), Scar City, Hurlyburly, Analyze This, Down to Earth, Boss of Bosses, One Eyed King, Poolhall Junkies, Just Like Mona, One Last Ride, In the Mix, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Running Scared, Push, Little Man, Body Armour, The Dukes (also co-produced), Yonkers Joe (also executive producer), Jolene, Once More With Feeling, Hollywood &Wine, and, The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Safe (also produced) and The Stone Pony. Palminteri has also voiced many characters in animated films, including Stuart Little, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (video), Dilbert (TV), Hoodwinked! Arthur and the Invisibles, and Henry & Me. Palminteri made his directorial debut in 2004 with Christmas-themed Noel, which he also starred in opposite Susan Sarandon, Penelope Cruz and Alan Arkin. He followed that by directing an episode of Oz and the TV movie Women vs. Men.
Born in Bronx, New York, Palminteri attended Theodore Roosevelt High School and studied acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio. While appearing in off-Broadway plays, he supported himself as a bouncer and doorman in nightclubs. In 1986 he moved to Los Angeles, where he found ample work, playing a series of tough guy roles in movies like Oscar and TV shows like Hill Street Blues, Matlock, Peter Gunn and Wiseguy. Unsatisfied with the roles he was being offered, Palminteri returned to New York, where he created A Bronx Tale, based on his rough childhood on the streets of New York, where he played eighteen roles on stage. In addition to the De Niro film, the show was transferred to Broadway in 1989 and ran for over four months. Palminteri has guest-starred on numerous TV series, Rizzoli & Isles and Modern Family. In 2004, Palminteri received the Indie Hero Award from the Method Fest Independent Film Festival for his artistic achievements in film.
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