Vincent Frank Vella (January 11, 1947 – February 20, 2019) was an American actor, talk show host and comedian. He acted in more than forty films often in the role of a gangster. He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino and Jimmy Petrille in the HBO series The Sopranos.
Vinny Vella | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vincent Frank Vella January 11, 1947 |
| Died | February 20, 2019 (aged 72) New York City, New York, US |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, talk show host, comedian |
| Spouse | Margaret Ann Hernandez |
| Children | 5 |
Early life
editVella was born on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. His father was from Bari, Italy and his mother was from Naples, Italy.[1][2] Vella's father had a fish store in Little Italy.[1]
Career
editVella acted in more than forty films often in the role of gangster.[3] He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino.[4] He played Jimmy Petrille on the HBO series The Sopranos.[4] He was the subject of a 67-minute 2000 documentary called Hey, Vinny by director John Huba.[3] In New York City, he hosted a public-access television cable TV show on MNN, the Vinny Vella show.[5] He appeared in more than 35 advertisements.[3]
Personal life
editHe was married to Margaret Ann Hernandez; they had one son, Vincent Vella Jr. Besides Vincent Vella Jr., Vinny was also a father to Ben and Anthony Hernandez, Jennifer Maloney and Lauren Vella. Vella was at one time the "Mayor of Elizabeth Street".[6] In 2007, he opened his own pizzeria in Williamsburg, a 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, and threatened to sue over it.[9]
Death
editVella died at home on Elizabeth Street, New York City [where?] on February 20, 2019, due to liver cancer, at age 72.[4][10]
Filmography
editFilm
editVella's films include:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Season of Change | Michael | [11] |
| 1995 | Casino | Artie Piscano | [4] |
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Mobster In Photo | Uncredited[12] |
| 1999 | Ghost Dog | Sammy 'The Snake' | [3] |
| 1999 | 7/11: Seven Years Eleven Apartments | Asher Elkayam | [3] |
| 2000 | Wannabes | Carmine | [3] |
| 2000 | Hey, Vinny | Himself | Documentary, by director John Huba[3] |
| 2001 | Kissing Jessica Stein | Cab Driver | [3] |
| 2002 | Analyze That | Mello | [4] |
| 2003 | This Thing of Ours | Carmine | [3] |
| 2003 | Coffee and Cigarettes | Vinny | (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")[3] |
| 2004 | The Kings of Brooklyn | Man | [3] |
| 2006 | Find Me Guilty | Graziedei | [12] |
| 2007 | Holla at Me | Frankie Maldini | [3] |
| 2009 | Chasing the Green | Vincent | [13] |
| 2009 | Sicilian Tale | Don Sebastiano Militello | [3] |
| 2009 | New York Blood | The Boss | [3] |
| 2011 | Kill the Irishman | Frank 'Little Frank' Brancato | [3] |
| 2017 | Monsters of Mulberry Street | Paulie Spagnuolo | [14][deprecated source] |
| 2019 | The Irishman | Meat Company Yard Manager | |
| TBA | Blood Money | [3] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2004 | The Sopranos | Jimmy Petrille | 4 episodes[4] |
| 2004 | Law & Order | Jilts | Episode: "Everybody Loves Raimondo's"[3] |
| 2013 | The Vinny Vella show | Vinny | 1 episode[5] |
References
edit- ^ a b Kurutz, Steve (February 29, 2004). "Bada-Boom Times". Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Weyland, Jocko (April 29, 2007). "Unstoppable". Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "About Vinny Vella". vinnyvellaactor.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Vinny Vella, who starred in 'Casino' and 'The Sopranos,' dead at 72 after battling liver cancer". USA TODAY. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Manhattan Neighbourhood Network". Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- ^ Mooney, Jake (October 8, 2006). "The Mini Mayors". Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "The Village Voice". Archived from the original on June 17, 2008.
- ^ "Former Sopranos actor Vinny Vella's pizzeria is a 'hit' in Williamsburg". New York Daily News. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ "'Sopranos' star threatens to sue lottery". Digital Spy. June 19, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ^ Schladebeck, Jessica (February 21, 2019). "'Casino' and 'The Sopranos' actor Vinny Vella dies at 72". New York Daily News.
- ^ "Vinny Vella (Les Soprano, Casino) est mort à 72 ans". www.msn.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Schladebeck, Jessica. "'Casino' and 'The Sopranos' actor Vinny Vella dies at 72". latimes.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ Russ Emanuel. "Chasing the Green - A Russ Emanuel Film". chasingthegreen.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ^ Wetherill, Jack (February 21, 2019). "Casino star Vinny Vella dies aged 72". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
External links
edit- Vinny Vella at IMDb
- Vinny Vella on Facebook