Early life

Chianese was born in the Bronx, New York. His father was a bricklayer. His grandfather immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1904 and settled in the Bronx.

Career

After a decade of attending college and appearing in Off-Broadway theatre, Chianese attended his first professional acting class at HB Studio in Manhattan, with renowned teacher Walt Witcover. Drama and musical theater became Chianese's passion. His first Broadway show was Oliver! in 1965. He has continued to perform in Broadway theatre, Off Broadway, and regional theatre. To supplement income in the dry periods, he played rhythm guitar and sang in taverns and restaurants. Chianese's first television credit occurred when George C. Scott recommended him for a role in the acclaimed series East Side/West Side. In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola cast Chianese as Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II, which sparked a film career, culminating in several films (and plays) with Al Pacino.

Before being cast in The Godfather Part II, Chianese worked for the Drug Commission of New York State as a recreational worker in a rehabilitation center. He taught guitar to women who were serving time for drug-related crimes.

In 2010, Chianese received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

Chianese has appeared in four movies with his friend Al Pacino:

• The Godfather Part II (1974) - as Johnny Ola
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - as Sonny's Father
• ...And Justice For All (1979) - as Carl Travers
• Looking for Richard (1996) - as Himself

Chianese is an accomplished tenor and musician, having released a CD titled Hits in 2000, on which he sings American and Italian songs. He performed Salvatore Cardillo's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart"), on the third-season finale of The Sopranos (episode 3.13, "Army of One"). In 2003, Chianese, along with AOL Music, released a second CD titled Ungrateful Heart, which features 16 classic Neapolitan songs.

Chianese appeared as a guest actor on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire as Leander Whitlock, a retired Atlantic City alderman.

Filmography

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	Fuzz	Panhandler
1974	The Godfather Part II	Johnny Ola
1975	Dog Day Afternoon	Father
1976	All the President's Men	Eugenio R. Martinez
1978	Fingers	Arthur Fox
	On the Yard	Mendoza	Uncredited
1979	Firepower	Orlov
	...And Justice for All	Carl Travers
1980	A Time for Miracles	Promoter	TV
1981	Fort Apache, the Bronx	Corelli's Father
1975, 1981	Ryan's Hope	Uncle Ben	TV
1985-1989	The Equalizer	TV
1989	Second Sight	Father Dominic
1990	Q&A	Larry Pesch / Vito / Lorenzo Franconi
	The Lost Capone	Gabriel Capone	TV
1991	Out for Justice	Mr. Madano
1992	The Public Eye	Spoleto
1993	Rivalen des Glücks - The Contenders	Father of the bride
	The Night We Never Met	Nosy Neighbor
1996	If Lucy Fell	Al
	Love Is All There Is	Italian Consul
	Gotti	Joe Armone	TV
	The Mouse	Al the Trainer
	Looking for Richard	Himself	Documentary
1997	Night Falls on Manhattan	Judge Impelliteri
1998	Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five	Mickey
1999-2007	The Sopranos	Corrado Soprano	TV Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
1999	Cradle Will Rock	Silvano
2002	Unfaithful	Frank Wilson
2004	When Will I Be Loved	Count Tommaso Lupo
	King of the Corner	Stan Marshak
	Crimes of Fashion	George	TV
2006	The Last New Yorker	Lenny Sugarman
2007	Adrift in Manhattan	Tommaso Pensara
2010	Damages	Stuart Zedeck	TV
	Blue Bloods	"Happy" Jack Vintano	TV
2011	Mr. Popper's Penguins	Reader
	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Vic	TV
2011-2013	Boardwalk Empire	Leander Cephas Whitlock	TV
2013	The Family	Vinnie Caprese
2012-2015	The Good Wife	Judge Michael Marx	TV (5 episodes)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]