Dominic Chianese

• Awards — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (nominated) • Born — 24 February 1931 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • singer • musician • Years Active — 1952–present • Known for — The Godfather Part II, The Sopranos • Children — 6 • Alma Mater — Brooklyn College

Chianese was born in the Bronx borough of New York City on February 24, 1931. His father was a bricklayer. His paternal grandfather was Italian and left Afragola for New York in 1904. Chianese graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1948. He first attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh, New York, but the university was closed due to the start of the Korean War. He later graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in speech and theater.

After a decade of attending college and appearing in off-Broadway theater, Chianese attended his first professional acting class at HB Studio in Manhattan with renowned teacher Walt Witcover. His first Broadway show was Oliver! in 1965. He has continued to perform on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater. To supplement income during the periods where he struggled to find roles, he played rhythm guitar and sang in taverns and restaurants while hosting open mic nights at Gerdes Folk City in Greenwich Village. Chianese's first television role came when George C. Scott recommended him for the series East Side/West Side. In 1974, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II, beginning a film career that would see him appear several times alongside Al Pacino in films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975),...And Justice for All (1979), and Looking for Richard (1996). He also co-starred with Pacino onstage. Before being cast in The Godfather Part II, he worked for the Drug Commission of New York as a recreational worker in rehab, where he gave guitar lessons to women who were serving time for drug crimes. • Illustration — Chianese as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on The Sopranos Chianese's most prominent acting role was as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO hit show The Sopranos, where he played a central role in the DiMeo crime family. For the performance, Chianese was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2000 and 2001, respectively. In terms of singing, Chianese is a tenor. He released an album titled Hits in 2000, featuring him singing American and Italian songs. He performed Salvatore Cardillo's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart") on the third-season finale of The Sopranos, "Army of One." In 2003, along with AOL Music, he released a second album titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neapolitan songs. In the 2000s, he played in a mandolin quartet every week at the Hotel Edison. Chianese appeared as a guest actor on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire for three seasons as Leander Whitlock, a retired lawyer and power broker. In December 2018, he and co-author Matthew Sargent published his biography Twelve Angels: The Women Who Taught Me How to Act, Live, and Love. Most recently, he starred in the short film Breathe Truth (2024), a comedy directed by Thomas Vallely, screenplay by Rebecca Scarpati, about an elderly actor auditioning to perform in a Shakespeare play for the first time.

Chianese has two ex-wives and six children. He has been married to Jane Pittson since 2003. In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1964 — East Side/West Side — Charley — Episode: "The Street" • 1976 — Kojak — George Mallick — Episode: "A Hair-Trigger Away" • 1980 — A Time for Miracles — Promoter — Television movie • 1981 — Ryan's Hope — Alexei Vartova — 40 episodes • 1986 — Tales from the Darkside — Correlli's father — Episode: "A Choice of Dreams" • 1990 — The Lost Capone — Gabriel Capone — Television movie • 1991 — Law & Order — Dan Rubell — Episode: "Sonata for Solo Organ" • 1995–1997 — Law & Order — Judge Paul Kaylin — 2 episodes • 1996 — Gotti — Joe Armone — Television movie • 1997 — Cosby — Episode: "Lucas Raymondicus" • 1999– 2007 — The Sopranos — Corrado 'Junior' Soprano — 55 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2000) Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2000–01) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2001–03, 2005, 2007) • 2004 — Hope & Faith — Irv Miller — Episode: "Trade Show" • Crimes of Fashion — George — Television movie • 2010 — Damages — Stuart Zedeck — 7 episodes • Blue Bloods — Jack 'Happy Jack' Vintano — Episode: "Officer Down" • 2011 — The Secret Life of the American Teenager — Vic — 2 episodes • 2011–2013 — Boardwalk Empire — Leander Cephas Whitlock — 12 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012) • 2012–2015 — The Good Wife — Judge Michael Marx — 5 episodes • 2019 — The Village — Enzo — Main cast • Inspector Montalbano — John Zuck — Episode: "Un diario del '43" Chianese's voice is dubbed by Gianni Giuliano