Federico Castelluccio

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Federico Castelluccio
birthdate = birth date and age|1964|4|29
location = Naples, Italy

Federico Castelluccio (born April 29, 1964) is an Italian-American actor and professional artist, who is most famous for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO TV series, "The Sopranos".

Born in Naples, Italy, his family moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1968. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFDD1038F937A35750C0A9679C8B63 "For the Cast, a Touch of Authenticity"] , "The New York Times", March 4, 2001. Accessed December 4, 2007. "He was born in Naples and came to Paterson when he was almost 4."] 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. [ [http://www.corriere.com/viewstory.php?storyid=39495 "«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"] , "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."] Just prior to winning the scholarship, Federico received an opportunity to do a painting for veteran actor George Burns.

Castelluccio began his career as an actor in 1986. Some of his film credits include "Made" with Jon Favreau, "Fire" with Robert Klein and "Diary of a Hitman" with Danny Aiello. In television, Federico's credits include "NYPD Blue" and his best known role in the HBO hit series, "The Sopranos", as the Neapolitan enforcer Furio Giunta.

Debuting in 2006 at the Sundance Film Festival, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" received two awards, one for best dramatic directing and best dramatic ensemble headed by Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri, and Rosario Dawson.

Castelluccio’s recent film projects include the biographical "El Cantante" starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. "Aftermath", a crime-thriller starring Michael Anthony Hall, Chris Penn and directed and written by Thomas Farone. “The Obscure Brother”, filmed in the southern Italy, is a short film that Federico executive produced and acted. Federico starred with David Zayas and Otto Sanchez in 2003's "La Araña". "Capers", a comedic film, is due to release in 2007, and stars Danny Masterson. "Lucky Days" is a full-feature film that recently completed filming in New York City. In television, Federico was recently seen as the lead role in "Dragon Dynasty", a made for television film which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Castelluccio is also an accomplished painter. His fine art paintings are praised for their high level of technical ability finding influence in the Renaissance and 17th century Italian and Dutch Baroque masters. Over the years, he has exhibited his paintings in galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., and Santa Fe, New Mexico. His works are held in the collection of the Yale Fine Art Museum and Kresge Art Museum as well as private collections throughout the United States, South America and Europe. In 2006, Castelluccio and actor Paul Sorvino were privately commissioned for artwork to be donated as a permanent installation to the Boca Raton Community Hospital in Florida.

References

External links

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* [http://www.federicocastelluccio.com Federico Castelluccio Official Site]