Steve Schirripa

Steve Schirripa

Schirripa in 2014
Born Steven Ralph Schirripa
(1957-09-03) September 3, 1957[1]
Bensonhurst, New York, US[1]
Other names Steve R. Schirripa
Occupation Actor, producer, author, comedian, voice actor
Years active 1995–present
Spouse(s) Laura Lemos, 1989-present
Children 2

Steven Ralph "Steve" Schirripa[2] (/ʃɪˈriːpə/, Italian pronunciation: [skirˈripa]; born September 3, 1957)[1][3] is an American actor, producer, author, and voice artist. He is best known for portraying Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos. Schirripa is a producer and host of two Investigation Discovery series Karma's A B*tch! and Nothing Personal. He was a regular cast member of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the voice of Roberto in the Open Season franchise. Schirripa has also done commercials for Lamisil, Dick's Sporting Goods, and McDonald's.

Early life

Schirripa was born on September 3, 1957 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. His father Ralph was Italian American. His grandparents Ilario Schirripa and Maria Capacci are from Riace, Italy. His mother is of Jewish heritage.[4][5]

Career

Film and television work

Schirripa got his first taste of show business in his job as entertainment director of the Riviera Hotel and Casino.[6] In the biography page of his website,[7] Schirripa says that he had cameo appearances in comedy specials by Drew Carey and Kevin Pollak, among other comedians. That led to a role as an uncredited extra in Martin Scorsese's Casino. In the film, he portrayed a customer at the bar in the scene when Joe Pesci's character angrily stabs a man with a pen. After this, Schirripa decided that he wanted to become an actor. He had several minor roles in movies, including The Runner (1999) and Joe Dirt. His breakthrough role was in The Sopranos (2000), playing Tony Soprano's dense but lovable mobster brother-in-law Bobby Baccalieri for five seasons.

His many television appearances include Angel, Casino Cinema, Star Trek: Enterprise, Hollywood Squares, Joey, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, My Wife and Kids, Ed, Jeopardy!, George Lopez, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and The King of Queens.[8] Schirripa recently appeared on CBS's primetime game show Million Dollar Password. Furthering his game show enthusiasm, Schirripa appeared on the game show Pyramid. He also made an uncredited appearance along with fellow Soprano star Vincent Pastore on the 6th Season episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force entitled "She Creature".

Schirripa was a frequent guest on the Don Imus radio program. In February 2007, he began to make appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, on Spike TV, siding with Team 3D as their cousin in their ongoing battle against The Latin American Xchange. On October 30, 2007, he appeared on, The Podge and Rodge Show. He also did spots as "Steve the Judgmental Bastard" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell, as one of the celebrity judges.

From 2008 to 2012, Schirripa had a recurring role in the ABC Family show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as Leo Boykewick, Ben's dad.

In 2009, he made a cameo appearance alongside fellow Sopranos actor Frank Vincent in Stargate Atlantis episode "Vegas".[9] Recently, he was in My Fake Fiancé with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence as the Monkey.

He has appeared on the Tonight Show more than 40 times as a guest and as a correspondent.

Schirripa hosted NBC's poker game show, Face the Ace, with the premiere episode airing on August 1, 2009.

In the fall of 2010, Schirripa had a guest star role in the digital comedy short film, Lil DPC, from writer/director Michael Ratner, which also features rapper Fat Joe and Blink 182's Mark Hoppus.

In 2011 and 2012, Schirripa hosted and narrated the television true-crime series Nothing Personal,[10] which premiered in the US on Investigation Discovery and in the UK on History. The series featured an often humorous take on true stories and reenactments of murders-for-hire. In addition to hosting the hour-long programs, Schirripa was one of the program's executive producers. The programs were filmed on location around the United States and in Ontario, Canada. Subsequently, Schirripa hosted Karma's a B*tch!, also for Investigation Discovery. This show dramatizes stories of people who seek revenge on someone they believe did them wrong. Recently, Schirripa has provided the voice for the lemon in McDonald's McCafe Strawberry Lemonade commercials. He has also guest-starred in the American version of Top Gear.

Schirripa played Sonny Rosselli in A Poet Long Ago, a short film written by Pete Hamill and directed by Bob Giraldi, which gained entry into a number of film festivals in 2013.

In 2014, Schirripa played Joey on the ABC series Black Box, did voice acting in an episode of American Dad! entitled "Stan Goes on the Pill", and played Vito in the silver screen adaptation Jersey Boys, directed by Clint Eastwood. He will play Father Ed in Chasing Yesterday, a film by writer/director Joseph Pernice, as well as be in the film Houses, by writer/director Jenner Furst, alongside Sopranos co-stars Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia.

Starting in 2015, Schirripa played Det. Anthony Abetemarco, an investigator who works with assistant district attorney Erin Reagan on the CBS series Blue Bloods.

Books

Schirripa's acting roles often portrayed "goombas," slang for stereotypical Italian-American tough guys and often denoting connections to the Mafia. He carried that persona over into real life but with a comedic twist, especially in appearances on talk and game shows. He expanded on that persona when he wrote a series of books starting with "A Goomba's Guide to Life" (ISBN 978-1400046393) in 2002. He followed up with The Goomba's Book of Love, co-authored with Charles Fleming in 2003 (ISBN 978-1-4000-5089-5). The series was continued by The Goomba Diet: Large and Loving It (ISBN 978-1400054633) in 2006, an in 2013 "Big Daddy's Rules: Raising Daughters Is Tougher Than I Look" (ISBN 978-1476706344), co-authored by Philip Lerman.

Schirripa and Fleming also collaborated on two books about Nicky Deuce, a suburban teenager who is sent to visit his grandparents in Brooklyn. Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family was followed by Nicky Deuce: Home for the Holidays, which was the basis for the 2013 Nickelodeon film Nicky Deuce starring Noah Munck. Nicky Deuce also featured supporting roles filled by James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, and Vincent Curatola of The Sopranos fame.

Theatre

On April 3, 2014, Steve Schirripa gave a theatrical performance in a special production of Guys and Dolls alongside Nathan Lane, Patrick Wilson (American actor), and Megan Mullally at Carnegie Hall.[11]

Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties

In 2014, Steve Schirripa launched a line of organic, vegan pasta sauces under the business name of Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties Group.

Family/personal life

Schirrippa married Laura Lemos on April 22, 1989. They have two children, daughters Bria and Ciara.[12]

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Steve Schirripa at Hollywood.com
  2. ↑ Schirripa's last name is usually pronounced as she-REE-pah in America, though the correct Italian pronunciation is actually skee-REE-pah.
  3. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KVVH-KLT
  4. ↑ Curtis, Lisa J. (2003-02-17). "BADA-BING! • The Brooklyn Paper". Brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ↑ A Goomba's Guide to Life - Charles Fleming, Steven R. Schirripa - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  6. ↑ Clarke, Norm (April 4, 2013). "Schirripa still a wanted man". Las Vegas Review Journal.
  7. ↑ Steven Schirripa biography at steveschirripa.com
  8. ↑ "The Sopranos: Final Season; Begins Sunday, April 8". Washington Post. 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Stargate Image Gallery". GateWorld. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  10. ↑ Femme Fatale (2011-02-17). "Nothing Personal". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  11. ↑ CarnegieHall.org (2011-02-17). "Carnegie Hall". Carnegie Hall. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  12. ↑ Steve Schirripa on IMDb
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