Joe Mantegna

From Simpsons Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Joseph Anthony Mantegna, Jr. (born November 13, 1947) is an American actor. He' plays Fat Tony (1991-present).

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Mantegna, an Italian American, was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mary Ann (née Novelli), a shipping clerk, and Joseph Anthony Mantegna, Sr., who worked in insurance sales. Mantegna attended Morton East High School in Cicero, Illinois (home of Al Capone) and received much inspiration for acting from this small town with lots of character. He graduated with a degree in acting from the Goodman School of Drama (the Theatre School at DePaul University) in 1969. While still a young man in Chicago, he played bass in a band called "The Apocryphals". His band played with another local group called "The Missing Links" which went on to form the band Chicago. Mantegna is still very close to the original members of Chicago and keeps in touch with his old band mates as well.

Mantegna has been married to the former Arlene Vrhel since December 3, 1975. They have two daughters, Mia and Gina. Mantegna owns a Chicago-themed restaurant in Burbank, California named Taste Chicago.

Career

Mantegna made his acting debut in the 1969 stage production of Hair. He debuted on Broadway in Working (1978). He also helped write Bleacher Bums, an award-winning play, which was first performed at Chicago's Organic Theater Company. He won a Tony award for his portrayal of Richard Roma in David Mamet's play Glengarry Glen Ross.

Mantegna made his feature film debut in Medusa Challenger (1977). He played womanizing dentist Bruce Fleckstein in Compromising Positions (1985). Other early movies include co-starring roles in The Money Pit (1986), Weeds (1987) and Suspect (1987). He also starred in the critically acclaimed movies House of Games (1987) and Things Change (1988), for which he and co-star, Don Ameche, both received the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1991 he starred in the highly praised police thriller Homicide. A highly versatile actor, Mantegna has played a wide range of roles, from the comic — as a fed up shock jock in Airheads and the hilariously inept kidnapper from Baby's Day Out — to the dramatic, in roles such as Daysor Joey Zasa, a treacherous mobster in The Godfather Part III.

Mantegna also has a recurring role in the animated series The Simpsons as the voice of mob boss Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico. He insists on voicing the character every time he appears, no matter how little dialogue he has. To quote: "If Fat Tony sneezes, I want to be there." In one instance, however, Phil Hartman voiced Fat Tony in the episode "A Fish Called Selma".

Mantegna received the Lifetime Achievement Award on April 26, 2004, at the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival. On August 11, 2007, Mantegna signed on to replace departing star Mandy Patinkin on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds.

Mantegna was referenced in The Waterboy. A fan played by Clint Howard says that one of the players plays like Joe Montana. Upon being reminded that Montana, as a quarterback, did not play defense, the fan quickly replies by claiming, "I said Joe Mantegna!" When Mantegna hosted Saturday Night Live, a child wearing a Joe Montana jersey expressed disappointment during the monologue that Montana was not the host. Mantegna warned that if he made a call, then Montana would not play in his next game.

Filmography


External links

Retrieved from "http://www.simpsonswiki.com/index.php/Joe_Mantegna"