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Vinny Vella

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Vinny Vella
Born
Vincent Frank Vella

(1947-01-11)January 11, 1947
Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, US
DiedFebruary 20, 2019(2019-02-20) (aged 72)
New York City, New York, US
Occupation(s)Actor, talk show host, comedian
SpouseMargaret Ann Hernandez
Children5

Vincent Frank Vella (January 11, 1947 – February 20, 2019) was an American actor, talk show host and comedian. He acted in more than forty films often in the role of a gangster. He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino and Jimmy Petrille in the HBO series The Sopranos.

Early life

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Vella was born on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. His father was from Bari, Italy and his mother was from Naples, Italy.[1][2] Vella's father had a fish store in Little Italy.[1]

Career

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Vella acted in more than forty films often in the role of gangster.[3] He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino.[4] He played Jimmy Petrille on the HBO series The Sopranos.[4] He was the subject of a 67-minute 2000 documentary called Hey, Vinny by director John Huba.[3] In New York City, he hosted a public-access television cable TV show on MNN, the Vinny Vella show.[5] He appeared in more than 35 advertisements.[3]

Personal life

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He was married to Margaret Ann Hernandez; they had one son, Vincent Vella Jr. Besides Vincent Vella Jr., Vinny was also a father to Ben and Anthony Hernandez, Jennifer Maloney and Lauren Vella. Vella was at one time the "Mayor of Elizabeth Street".[6] In 2007, he opened his own pizzeria in Williamsburg, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.[7][8]

In June 2008, Vella was involved in controversy around a lottery ticket, according to some sources, and threatened to sue over it.[9]

Death

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Vella died at home on Elizabeth Street, New York City [where?] on February 20, 2019, due to liver cancer, at age 72.[4][10]

Filmography

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Film

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Vella's films include:

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Season of Change Michael [11]
1995 Casino Artie Piscano [4]
1997 Donnie Brasco Mobster In Photo Uncredited[12]
1999 Ghost Dog Sammy 'The Snake' [3]
1999 7/11: Seven Years Eleven Apartments Asher Elkayam [3]
2000 Wannabes Carmine [3]
2000 Hey, Vinny Himself Documentary, by director John Huba[3]
2001 Kissing Jessica Stein Cab Driver [3]
2002 Analyze That Mello [4]
2003 This Thing of Ours Carmine [3]
2003 Coffee and Cigarettes Vinny (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")[3]
2004 The Kings of Brooklyn Man [3]
2006 Find Me Guilty Graziedei [12]
2007 Holla at Me Frankie Maldini [3]
2009 Chasing the Green Vincent [13]
2009 Sicilian Tale Don Sebastiano Militello [3]
2009 New York Blood The Boss [3]
2011 Kill the Irishman Frank 'Little Frank' Brancato [3]
2017 Monsters of Mulberry Street Paulie Spagnuolo [14][deprecated source]
2019 The Irishman Meat Company Yard Manager
TBA Blood Money [3]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999-2004 The Sopranos Jimmy Petrille 4 episodes[4]
2004 Law & Order Jilts Episode: "Everybody Loves Raimondo's"[3]
2013 The Vinny Vella show Vinny 1 episode[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kurutz, Steve (February 29, 2004). "Bada-Boom Times". Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ Weyland, Jocko (April 29, 2007). "Unstoppable". Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "About Vinny Vella". vinnyvellaactor.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Vinny Vella, who starred in 'Casino' and 'The Sopranos,' dead at 72 after battling liver cancer". USA TODAY. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Manhattan Neighbourhood Network". Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  6. ^ Mooney, Jake (October 8, 2006). "The Mini Mayors". Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  7. ^ "The Village Voice". Archived from the original on June 17, 2008.
  8. ^ "Former Sopranos actor Vinny Vella's pizzeria is a 'hit' in Williamsburg". New York Daily News. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  9. ^ "'Sopranos' star threatens to sue lottery". Digital Spy. June 19, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  10. ^ Schladebeck, Jessica (February 21, 2019). "'Casino' and 'The Sopranos' actor Vinny Vella dies at 72". New York Daily News.
  11. ^ "Vinny Vella (Les Soprano, Casino) est mort à 72 ans". www.msn.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Schladebeck, Jessica. "'Casino' and 'The Sopranos' actor Vinny Vella dies at 72". latimes.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  13. ^ Russ Emanuel. "Chasing the Green - A Russ Emanuel Film". chasingthegreen.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Wetherill, Jack (February 21, 2019). "Casino star Vinny Vella dies aged 72". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
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