Michael Imperioli

Michael Imperioli

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Birth name: James Michael Imperioli
Date of birth: 26 March 1966
Place of birth: Mount Vernon, New York, USA
Nickname: Jimmy
Height: 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
Spouse: Victoria Chlebowski (1995 – present) 2 children

Famous Quote: “I do smoke in real life. A lot. We’re all smoking right now in fact. I knew it was going to be good. But you don’t know that everyone else is going to think so, or that so many people would think so. Geographically, economically and culturally, they grew up kind of similar. I knew it was going to be good. But you don’t know that everyone else is going to think so, or that so many people would think so.”

Contact Address and Autograph: Addresses and fan mail information

Michael Imperioli
Studio Dante
257 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001, USA 

Biography:  James Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966 in Mount Vernon, New York), commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an Emmy winning and Golden Globe Award nominated Italian-American actor who is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos. He also appeared as Det. Ed Green’s temporary replacement, Det. Nick Falco, in the popular TV drama series Law & Order. A charismatic dark-haired actor with thick brows over piercing eyes, a dimpled chin and Roman nose, Michael Imperioli first caught filmgoers’ attention with a brief turn as Spider, who paid dearly for messing up Joe Pesci’s drink order, in Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas” (1990). 

The following year, he began an ongoing association with director Spike Lee, appearing as Annabella Sciorra’s brother in “Jungle Fever”. Linked romantically onscreen (and off until 1995) with actress Lili Taylor in such indies as Nancy Savoca’s “Household Saints” (1993) and “Girls Town” (1996), Imperioli became a mainstay of independent films, often playing street toughs or junkies. Though he raised his profile with strong turns as a hustler in “Postcards from America” and a witness in “Men Lie” (both 1994) and as flamboyant Factory denizen Ondine in Mary Harron’s “I Shot Andy Warhol” (1996), he enjoyed arguably his best film role to date as a Wall Street yuppie who becomes a crack addict in “Sweet Nothing” (filmed in 1993; released in 1995), starring opposite Mira Sorvino.

In addition to his role on The Sopranos, Imperioli has also appeared in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Jungle Fever, Bad Boys, The Basketball Diaries, Clockers, Dead Presidents, Lean on Me, Last Man Standing, Shark Tale, High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, and Summer of Sam, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. In addition, he has also written a number of episodes for The Sopranos. While in the midst of playing the career criminal Christopher on “The Sopranos,” Imperioloi also took a moonlighting gig on the other side of the law with a recurring role on the venerable crime series “Law & Order” during the 2004-2005 (subbing for series co-star Jesse L. Martin who was filming the big screen version of the Broadway play “Rent”). As Det. Nick Falco, Imperioloi played the nephew and temporary partner of Det. Joe Fontana (Dennis Farina) in four episodes. Returning to his bread and butter, Imperioli found himself nominated in 2007 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – his last chance to take home another trophy for playing Christopher Moltisanti once the series ended after its seventh nail-biting season. 

Michael Imperioli was born in Mt. Vernon, New York, on March 26, 1966. His film work began in the late 1980s. An early part that brought him recognition was in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), as Spider, a local kid who works for the gangsters and has a run-in with a psychopathic mob soldier played by Joe Pesci. He worked throughout the 1990s in the New York independent film industry, especially as a regular in Spike Lee’s movies, appearing in Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Clockers (1995), Girl 6 (1996) and Summer of Sam (1999), generally playing working-class Italian-Americans from the “outer boroughs.” While rooted in the New York movie scene, Imperioli also worked in Hollywood in the mid-’90s, in the formulaic movies Bad Boys (1995) and Last Man Standing (1996/I).

In 1999 Imperioli was cast in “The Sopranos” (1999) as Christopher Moltisanti, a low-ranking soldier in the Soprano crime organization whose family connections to street boss Tony Soprano move him up the ladder in the organization. Imperioli’s multi-layered portrayal of such an unappealing character is a real highlight of the series and earned him an Emmy and a SAG award.

Imperioli has long been active in the New York theater scene as well, having written, directed, produced or starred in numerous plays. He was a founder, along with Lili Taylor (his then-girlfriend and co-star in Household Saints (1993)) of the downtown theater company Machine Full. He has also written several episodes of “The Sopranos” and was a writer on Lee’s “Summer of Sam,” which he also executive-produced. Although most famous for his prominent part in “The Sopranos,” Imperioli has worked on other television programs as well, including “Law & Order” (1990), “New York Undercover” (1994) and “NYPD Blue” (1993). He is married and has three children.

In Goodfellas, Imperioli plays Michael “Spider” Gianco, whom Joe Pesci’s character, Tommy DeVito, shoots in the foot for not getting him a drink and later kills for talking back. In The Sopranos he gets to pass the favor on, shooting a bakery clerk in the foot for being too slow with his pastry order (and showing a lack of respect). On his way out of the scene, the victim cries out, “You shot me in the foot!” – Christopher retorts, “it happens” as he walks out the door, in a humorous allusion to his role in Martin Scorsese’s film.

Imperioli has been nominated for five Emmy Awards for his work on The Sopranos and won once, in 2004 for the show’s fifth season. He has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He serves as artistic director of an off-Broadway theater, Studio Dante, which he created together with wife, Victoria.

He is the lead singer guitarist for a rock band named La Dolce Vita (Italian for “the sweet life” and the title of a famous Federico Fellini film). He was one of the customary three guests along with Claudine Pépin on episode MB2E08 (“San Giuseppe”) of Mario Batali’s Food Network television show Molto Mario where the chef introduced him simply as “my friend Mike”. In 1995, he married Victoria Chlebowski, with whom he has two children (Isabella, 11, and Vadim, 7).

Played ‘Spider’ who gets shot in the foot in Goodfellas (1990) and he plays a mobster named Christopher in “The Sopranos” (1999) who shoots someone in the foot as an inside tribute to his earlier role. Grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. Has a brother, John, who attended Mount Vernon High School. Italian-American Graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, New York. Although he often portrays violent Mafia characters, and has appeared in other violent movies and TV shows, he claims to despise on-screen violence. Was engaged to Lili Taylor. Studied acting at New York City’s Stella Adler Conservatory.

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