AllMovie

A Naples native who was raised in Patterson, NJ, and earned a full scholarship to New York City's School of Visual Arts thanks to early display of creativity, actor Federico Castelluccio first rose to fame as an award-winning illustrator when actor George Burns personally commissioned a portrait from him. So impressed was Burns by the portrait that the legendary comic went on to sing the praises of Castelluccio to executives at PBS and ABC -- an act that allowed the artist to support himself by painting throughout his college years. Back in the realm of acting, Castelluccio honed his talents in summer stock, off-off-Broadway, and various Shakespeare festivals in the mid-'80s, eventually signing on with such respectable repertoire groups as the Flock and Eclectic theater companies. While roles in Twelfth Night and A View from the Bridge, among other plays, found Castelluccio growing increasingly comfortable on-stage, subsequent roles in such independent films as Made and Fire found the emerging actor focusing increasingly on film. Perhaps best known to television viewers as Neapolitan enforcer Furio Giunta on the hit crime drama The Sopranos, Castelluccio traded his silencer for a sword in the medieval fantasy adventure Dragon Dynasty before venturing back into the world of contemporary crime with a supporting role in the hit indie film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. With high-profile feature roles in Aftermath, The Trouble with Cali, and Capers following in quick succession, fans could rest assured that they would be seeing plenty more of the prolific artist-turned-actor in the years to come.