Vincent Piazza

Vincent Piazza became his generation's go-to "wise guy" for the big and small screens. A native New Yorker and second generation Italian, Piazza cemented his flair for mobster roles on the critically acclaimed series "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO 2010-14), playing real-life criminal and Mafia pioneer Charles "Lucky" Luciano. With recurring roles on "The Sopranos" (HBO 1999-2007), "Rescue Me" (FX 2004-2011), and a starring part in the Clint Eastwood film "Jersey Boys" (2014), Piazza carved out a niche for himself as the proverbial heir to the Joe Pesci throne. Born in the Queens, New York, neighborhood of Middle Village on May 25, 1976, Piazza grew up with a fondness for hockey, eventually playing for Villanova University's Division I team before a shoulder injury cut his athletic career short. The termination of his days in the rink allowed for an interest in acting, which Piazza pursued through an alliance with New York City's TerraNOVA Collective theatre group. Before taking to the screen, Piazza tried his hand at several stage productions and short films. Piazza made his feature debut playing a minor character in writer/director Hilary Brougher's heavy drama "Stephanie Daley" (2006), starring Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn. That same year, Piazza saw his first stabs at the small screen: first a one-time gig on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC 2001-2011), followed by a recurring role on "The Sopranos." The series cast 30-year-old Piazza as a high school classmate of A.J. Soprano (Robert Iler) named Hernan O'Brien. Piazza built up his movie résumé with supporting roles in films like Jeffrey Blitz's high school comedy "Rocket Science" (2007), Daniel Schechter's brother-sister story "Goodbye Baby" (2007), and Joy Dietrich's drama "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" (2007), before returning to fertile grounds of television for a recurring role on Denis Leary's comedy-drama "Rescue Me. ." Reuniting with "Rocket Science" costar Reece Thompson, Piazza snagged another small role in the satire "Assassination of a High School President" (2008), but landed his first starring gig that same year with the crime drama "Polish Bar" (2008), in which Piazza played a Polish Jew with aspirations for fame. This top billing (and aptitude for criminal acting) gave way to Piazza's biggest success yet: the regular role of Lucky Luciano on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." The series, created by and starring Piazza's fellow "Sopranos" vets Terence Winter and Steve Buscemi, respectively, handed the young actor a gem and ultimate fan favorite in the smooth-talking, stone-faced father-to-be of the Italian-American Mafia. As the series was winding down, Piazza starred in his biggest movie to date: "Jersey Boys" (2014), Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Piazza played Tommy DeVito, the self-appointed leader of the band whose ego far outweighs his musical talent.