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Federico Castelluccio

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Federico Castelluccio
Castelluccio in 2011
Born (1964-04-29) April 29, 1964 (age 60)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSchool of Visual Arts (BFA)
Occupation
  • Actor
Years active1986–present

Federico Castelluccio (/fɛdəˈrk kæstɛˈl/; Italian pronunciation: [fedeˈriːko kastelˈluttʃo]; born April 29, 1964)[1] is an Italian-born American actor. He is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO series The Sopranos.

Early life

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Born in Naples, Italy, Castelluccio moved with his family to Paterson, New Jersey, when he was three years old. 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] Prior to winning the scholarship, he received an opportunity to create a painting for actor George Burns.[3]

Career

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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.

Other film projects include the biographical El Cantante; Aftermath, a crime thriller; and The Obscure Brother, filmed in southern Italy, a short film that he executive produced and acted in; 2003's La Araña; the 2008 comedy Capers; Lucky Days; and the 2009 Forget Me Not. In television, Castelluccio played the lead role in Dragon Dynasty, a telefilm that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. He also appeared in the episode of Kenny Vs. Spenny titled "Who Can Produce The Best Commercial".

In 2014, Castelluccio acted in Don Capria's short film Eulogy, acting alongside Michael Kaves.[4] With the rest of the cast, they won Best Ensemble at the Queens World Film Festival.[5]

In 2016, Castelluccio directed the feature film The Brooklyn Banker. In 2017, Castelluccio directed the TV pilot Outcall.

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.[6]

Painting discovery

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A painting by Guercino showing the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, which was discovered by Castelluccio

Castelluccio discovered a 17th-century painting by Italian baroque painter Guercino at a Frankfurt gallery and subsequently purchased it at auction in 2014 after it had been incorrectly identified as an 18th-century painting. He purchased the painting for approximately $68,000. After restoration, insurance, shipping, and other expenses, his total costs came to $140,000.[7] The work's actual value was subsequently placed at approximately $10 million.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Grind Bar Patron
1999 18 Shades of Dust Bouncer #1
2001 Made Doorman
2002 Fire Jack Video
2003 La Araña Bobby Short
2004 Return of Fire Jack Video
Volare Paolo Bongiovanni Short
2005 In Hot Water Father Sal Manella Short
2006 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Antonio's Father
Dragon Dynasty Marco TV movie
El cantante Jerry Massucci
2007 The Obscure Brother Father Short
The Hit Sal Short
2008 Lucky Days Vincent
Proud Iza Samuel Stein Short
The Bronx Balletomane Joey Short
The Brooklyn Heist R. Fadagucci
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace Louie the Bartender
2009 The Pink Panther 2 Turin Guide
Forget Me Not Samaratian Short
2010 Bicycle Lessons Himself (voice) Short
Lily of the Feast Santo Bastucci Short
For Customers Only Mr. Sierra Short
2011 Keep Your Enemies Closer Agent Lepari Short
The Decoy Bride Marco
The Orphan Killer Dr. Morris
2012 The Trouble with Cali Chassidic Bouncer
Pollination Father Short
Brutal Kastriot Morina
Delivering the Goods Enzo
2013 Stanley's Adventures - Short
Aftermath Darrell
Checkmate, Keep Your Enemies Closer Agent Lepari Short
House of Shadows Father Nicola de Mundo
2014 Euology Martin Short
2015 Dutch Book Mel
Leaves of the Tree Doctor Ferramanti
Fall 4 You Nicky Short
2016 Outcall Jerry
The Brooklyn Banker Zucci
2018 Toy Gun Sante Cassoria
Sarah Q Barry Homburg
2019 Exit 0 Detective Mueller
2020 5th Borough Agent Miguel Alvarez
2021 The War of the Worlds 2021 New Yorker Short
The Stakeout Detective Mancini Short
2023 The Families Feud Rider of the Valkyries
2024 Cabrini Senator Bodio

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1991-96 Another World Maltese Guard Regular Cast
2000-02 The Sopranos Furio Giunta Recurring Cast: Season 2, Main Cast: Season 3-4
2003 NYPD Blue Brian Vaughn Episode: "It's to Die For"
2004 The Bronx Bunny Show Himself Episode: "Episode #1.9"
2008 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Frank Chess Episode: "Contract"
2009 Celebrity Ghost Stories Himself Episode: "Episode #1.3"
2011 The Apprentice Himself/Guest Judge Episode: "The Art of the Deal"

Music Video

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Year Song Artist
2006 "Rockstar" Nickelback

Accolades

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  • 2015 - Best Ensemble - shared with the rest of the cast of Eulogy - Queens World Film Festival

References

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  1. ^ "For the Cast, a Touch of Authenticity". The New York Times. March 4, 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2007. The 36-year-old actor ... 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" Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, 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. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  4. ^ Greene, Jonathan (June 1, 2015). "Sopranos star Federico Castelluccio to attend Paterson Film Festival". Paterson Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "EULOGY by Don Capria - Short Narrative Film @ Queens World Film Festival". www.queensworldfilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: Richard Hatch fired for not raising money". Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. ^ "'Sopranos' Actor Discovers $10 Million Guercino". artnet news. September 30, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "'Sopranos' star Federico Castelluccio: How I found a $10M Guercino". West46th Mag. October 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
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