Biography

Dominic Chianese

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Dominic Chianese is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos (1999-2007), Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II (1974), and Leander in Boardwalk Empire (2011-2013). Chianese was born in the Bronx, New York. His father was a bricklayer. His paternal grandfather immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1904 and settled in the Bronx. Chianese graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1948.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao

Got his start in musical comedy, and still often appears as a cabaret singer performing standards, ballads and Italian folk songs.
2010 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
Dominic has released two CD music albums. The first, entitled "Hits," in 2000, singing American and Italian standards. The second CD, released in 2003 by AOL Music, entitled "Ungrateful Heart," features 16 classic Neapolitan songs, including the title song, Salvatore Cardillo's sentimental classic "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart"), which Dominic performed on the third-season finale of The Sopranos.
His son, Dominic Chianese Jr., also an actor, appeared in three installments of the final season of The Sopranos (1999), as a member of the competing Lupertazzi crime family.
Before being cast in The Godfather Part II (1974), Chianese worked for the New York State Drug Abuse Control Commission as a recreational worker in a rehabilitation center. He taught guitar to women who were serving time for drug-related crimes.

[on the loss of Elaine Kaufman] She was like an older sister, someone I could confide in. She would introduce me to people. She would ask if I was working and try to help.
[on his role as Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano] About a week after my audition, one of the executive producers came in, kept me in a room for an hour and a half with different kinds of glasses. That helped me tremendously--subconsciously at first and then consciously. After the first couple of seasons I couldn't act without them. They were part of my makeup. Those glasses were my mask. We were doing Greek tragedy there. Behind the mask a lot of things come out that you wouldn't do.

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