Frank Pellegrino

A staple of the gangster drama since the early '90s, Frank Pellegrino Sr. was best-known internationally for his roles in "Goodfellas" (1990) and "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007) but best-known in his New York hometown as the proprietor of exclusive restaurant Rao's. Born in East Harlem, NY, Pellegrino studied at Pace College before pursuing a career as a nightclub and cruise ship singer. In 1972 he was invited by his aunt to help out at the family's Southern Italian restaurant, Rao's. Pellegrino Sr. ended up working there for nearly half a century and eventually became its co-owner with cousin Ronald Straci where he earned the nickname 'Frankie No' for his habit of turning away customers regardless of their social or cultural status. By this point Pellegrino Sr. had also carved out a second career as an actor. He made his debut in NYPD drama "True Blue" (NBC, 1989-1990) in 1989 and a year later was cast by Rao's regular Martin Scorsese as real-life labor racketeer Johnny Dio in "Goodfellas" (1990). Minor roles in Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993), romantic comedy "Angie" (1994) and Italian-American drama "Tarantella" (1994) followed, as did recurring parts as Det. Ricciarelli in "New York Undercover" (Fox, 1994-98) and Carruthers in "Swift Justice" (UPN, 1996). Pellegrini Sr. continued to play characters on both sides of the law in films such as "Cop Land" (1997), "Silent Predator" (1997) and "Mickey Blue Eyes" (1999) before landing his most famous role, FBI chief Frank Cubitoso, in "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007). During his spell on the hugely acclaimed show, Pellegrino also appeared in gangster films "18 Shades of Dust" (1999), "Friends and Family" (2001) and "Knockaround Guys" (2001), enjoyed a five-episode stint on short-lived cop drama "Big Apple" (CBS, 2001) and played Bernie in French production "Happy End" (2003). Pellegrino then added "Carlito's Way: Rise to Power" (2005) and "Brooklyn Lobster" (2005) to his filmography before venturing into comedy with supporting roles in "Searching for Bobby D" (2005), "Beer League" (2006) and "Delivering the Goods" (2012). After making his final on-screen appearance guesting in a first season episode of sitcom "Odd Mom Out" (Bravo, 2015-), Frank Pellegrino Sr. passed away from lung cancer in 2017 aged 72.