Economy, Entertainment & Sports
Government, Science and Education
Art/Literature, Cuisine and Religion
1900 - Present / Manifestation Of Italian American Leadership - History Is Made
Our exciting Italian American community is exceptionally diverse, and ranges from seasoned veterans to new individuals and families arriving as immigrants each day. American history, since its discovery as the so-called New World and the inception of its name, both by Italians, has come full circle with Italian Americans now demonstrating leadership in all areas of society and throughout the world. The discrimination and oppression experienced will also never be forgotten or allowed happen again. Many within our ITAA community have been making positive contributions since the 1970's until present-day, with new generations adding to the excitement daily. Such influences include within the economy, entertainment, sports, food & beverage, science, education, art/literature, Government and Religion. Just a few examples we'll cover here, the breath of popular music explosion, which started in the 1940s and 1950s, and continuing into the present; operatic, classical, jazz and instrumental music, fashion and design, cinema, literature, Italianate architecture, in homes, churches, and public buildings; Montessori schools; Christmas crèches; fireworks displays; sports championships and (e.g. bocce and beach tennis). Italian American culture continues to flourish and thrive with the support and promotion of #ITAA. At the end of this section is a contact form to share with us your information about individuals and cultural events since 1970 that ITAA will review and add as appropriate. Our community is always expanding and exploring new horizons and this community page is updated at least each quarter, with most current / routine updates covered in "News/Events".
Economy
ECONOMY: Italian Americans have played a prominent role in the economy of the United States, and have founded companies of great national importance, such as Bank of America (by Amadeo Giannini in 1904), Qualcomm, Subway, Home Depot and Airbnb among many others. Italian Americans have also made important contributions to the growth of the U.S. economy through their business expertise. Italian Americans have served as CEO's of numerous major corporations, such as the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation by Lee Iacocca, IBM Corporation by Samuel Palmisano, Lucent Technologies by Patricia Russo, The New York Stock Exchange by Richard Grasso, Honeywell Incorporated by Michael Bonsignore and Intel by Paul Otellini. Economist Franco Modigliani was awarded the Nobel prize in Economics "for his pioneering analyses of saving and of financial markets." Economist Eugene Fama was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2013 for his contribution to the empirical analysis of portfolio theory, asset pricing, and the efficient-market hypothesis. Social and economic conditions of Italian Americans: About two thirds of America's Italian immigrants arrived during 1900–1914. Many were of agrarian backgrounds, with little formal education and industrial skills, who became manual laborers heavily concentrated in the cities. Others came with traditional Italian skills as: tailors; barbers; bricklayers; stonemasons; stone cutters; marble, tile and terrazzo workers; fishermen; musicians; singers; shoe makers; shoe repairers; cooks; bakers; carpenters; grape growers; wine makers; silk makers; dressmakers; and seamstresses. Others came to provide for the needs of the immigrant communities, notably doctors, dentists, midwives, lawyers, teachers, morticians, priests, nuns, and brothers. Many of the skilled workers found work in their specialty, first in the Italian enclaves and eventually in the broader society. Traditional skills were often passed down from father to son, and from mother to daughter. By the second-generation approximately 70% of the men had blue collar jobs, and the proportion was down to approximately 50% in the third generation, according to surveys in 1963. By 1987, the level of Italian-American income exceeded the national average, and since the 1950s it grew faster than any other ethnic group except the Jews. By 1990, according to the U.S. census, more than 65% of Italian Americans were employed as managerial, professional, or white-collar workers. In 1999, the median annual income of Italian-American families was $61,300, while the median annual income of all American families was $50,000 A University of Chicago study of fifteen ethnic groups showed that Italian Americans were among those groups having the lowest percentages of divorce, unemployment, people on welfare and those incarcerated. On the other hand, they were among those groups with the highest percentages of two-parent families, elderly family members still living at home, and families who eat together on a regular basis.
Chairmen / CEOs / Entrepreneurs
. Senior Executives: Gil Amelio, former CEO of National Semiconductor and Apple / William Amelio, IBM Corporation was General Manager Worldwide Operations, Distribution and Reengineering - Personal Computer Division, Executive President and Chief Operating Officer of NCR Corporation’s Retail Solutions, Financial Solutions, Worldwide Customer Service and Systemedia businesses, Honeywell International Inc. (formerly AlliedSignal), President and CEO Transportation and Power Systems. In August 2020, Amelio stepped down from Avnet. / Mark Attanasio, owner of the Milwaukee Brewers / Richard Belluzzo, computer industry executive at HP, SGI, Microsoft, Quantum / John Brunetti, CEO of Hialeah Park Race Track / Bob Castellini, Owner Cincinnati Reds / Samuel DiPiazza, CEO PricewaterhouseCoopers / Nick Donofrio, Executive Vice President IBM Corporation / Richard Grasso (1946–), former Chairman and CEO New York Stock Exchange / Lee Iacocca (1924–2019), former Chairman Chrysler Corporation / Angelo Mozilo, founder and CEO of Countrywide Financial / Robert Nardelli, former Chairman and CEO Home Depot and Chrysler / Frank Nuovo, head of design at Vertu / Paul Otellini (1950–2017), Intel Corporation's fifth Chief Executive Officer / Samuel J. Palmisano (1951–), chairman and CEO of IBM / Frank P. Pellegrino (1901–1975), chairman and CEO of the International Hat Company / Jerry Perenchio, former Chairman and CEO of Univision / Patricia Russo (1952–), CEO of Lucent Technologies / Peter F. Secchia, former chairman and CEO of Universal Forest Products / Joseph Trino, former chairman and CEO of SynQuest Inc / Barbara Turf (1943–2014), CEO of Crate & Barrel / Meggan Scavio, President and CEO of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) / Victor Henry Palmieri - financier and corporate Turnaround specialist. He was also Ambassador at Large and U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs in the United States Department of State during the Jimmy Carter administration. He earned his A.B. and LL.B. from Stanford University. Palmieri was also the CEO of The Palmieri Company, general management consulting firm 1969. He served as the Deputy Rehabilitator and CEO at Mutual Benefit from 1991 until 1994. From 1994 to 1995, He served as the President and CEO of MBL Life Assurance Corp. He is the retired vice chairman and general counsel of Mullin TBG, in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently a director of M Financial Holdings, Southern California Radio, and Chairman of Los Angeles Universal Preschool. He has been a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation and president of the Lincoln Center Theater. He was previously on the boards of directors of Phillips Petroleum, Arvida Corporation, Pennsylvania Company, Outlet Communications, the William Carter Company, and Broadcasting Partners. He has taught courses on corporate crisis management at Stanford Law School and at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Entrepreneurs: Robert Benedetto, founder of Benedetto Guitars, Inc. / Steve Bisciotti (1960–), billionaire founder of the Allegis Group, owner of the Baltimore Ravens / Hector Boyardee, famous for his Chef Boyardee brand of food products / Domenico Canale (1843–1919), founder of D. Canale & Co., major distributor of food and beverages / Pat Croce (1954–), former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team / Nicholas D'Agostino, Sr. (1910–1996), co-founder of D'Agostino Supermarkets / Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. (1946–), billionaire, former owner of the San Francisco 49ers / Remo Belli (1927–2016), jazz drummer who developed and marketed the first successful synthetic drumheads and founded the Remo company. / Chris Deering (1947–), executive and marketer for Sony PlayStation and other video games / Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway Sandwich / Giorgio DeLuca, founder of Dean & DeLuca / Dante DiCicco (1988–), executive and head of international expansion for Snapchat / Frank Fertitta III, American casino executive and sports promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship / Lorenzo Fertitta, American casino executive and sports promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship / Bill Gallo, founder of Columbia Grain Trading Inc. which he developed into the No. 1 supplier of soybeans to China / Joe Gebbia (1981–), co-founder of Airbnb / Domingo Ghirardelli (1817–1894), founder of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company / Tom Golisano (1941–), billionaire founder of Paychex, former owner of the Buffalo Sabres, three-time candidate for Governor of New York / Arthur Edward Imperatore, Sr. (1925–2020), businessman from New Jersey, founder and president of NY Waterway ferry service / Kenneth Langone (1935–), billionaire founder of The Home Depot / Gennaro Lombardi, Lombardi's Pizza, opened the first US pizzeria in at 1'ST believed was 1905 (Please note: Filippo Milone was the owner / baker of the previous grocery store, the historic timeline suggests Generro got off the boat at age 17 in 1904 (November 23, 1904), worked under Filippo Milone). But in any event, the facts and documents are evidence, Gennaro Lombardi became the 1'ST pizza shop owner in 1908, not 1905 and it's unclear if Filippo ever made a pizza. / Lelio Marino (1935–2004), co-founder of construction company Modern Continental / Roger Marino, founder of EMC Corporation / Vincent Marotta, founder of Jarden Corporation / Robert Mondavi (1913–2008), leading vineyard operator in California's Napa Valley / Amedeo Obici (1877–1947), founder of the Planters Peanut Company in 1906 / Don Panoz (1935–2018), founder of various pharmaceutical companies / Antonio Pasin (1897–1990), was the founder of the Radio Flyer company in 1917 / Mario Peruzzi (1875–1955), co-founder of Planters Peanut Company in 1906 / Almerindo Portfolio (1877–1966), President of Bank of Sicily (USA), and Treasurer of New York City / Leandro Rizzuto (1938–2017), Chairman, co-founder Conair Corporation / Anthony T. Rossi (1900–1993), Italian immigrant who founded Tropicana Products / Henry Salvatori (1901–1997), Italian immigrant geophysicist, businessman, philanthropist, and political activist who founded Western Geophysical. / Donald Valle (1908–1977), founder and President of Valle's Steak House / Joey Vento (1939–2011), founder of Geno's Steaks / Andrew Viterbi (1935–), Italian immigrant founder of Qualcomm / Robert Agostinelli (1953–), chairman and co-founder of private equity firm Rhône Group / Mario Gabelli (1942–), stock investor, investment adviser and financial analyst / Amadeo Giannini (1870–1949), founder of Bank of Italy, which later became Bank of America, the largest bank in the United States / Robert J. Dionisio, Founder, Chairman & CEO - The Dionisio Group of Companies since 1993 - the leading international developer, known as the Godfather of "Total Project Delivery Solutions" (TPD) and "Global Asset Development" (GAD) after successful leadership positions with several engineering, construction and management companies including Bechtel Corporation and General Electric. Frank Quattrone (1955–), investment banker who led dozens of major IPOs during the 1990s tech boom / Lewis Ranieri (1947–), pioneer of mortgage-backed securities / Vincent Viola (1956–), founder of Virtu Financial, one of the largest providers of financial services, trading products and market making services / George T. Delacorte, Jr. (1894–1991), founder of Dell Publishing / Bob Guccione (1930–2010), founder and former publisher of Penthouse Magazine / Leonard Riggio (1941–), owner of Barnes & Noble / Louis Rossetto (1949–), founder Wired Magazine. In most recent times women have made tremendous strides: Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina - was 1'ST woman Fortune 500 CEO - Hewlett Packard / Patricia Russo was 1'ST woman CEO of Lucent Technologies / Barbara Turf was CEO Crate & Barrel for decades / Karen Ignagni since 1993, CEO American Health Insurance Plans / Michele Antonelli - CEO Stallergenes Greer / Jack Dorsey - Co-Founder Twitter - Square / Ginni Rometty - was Chairman, President, CEO of IBM, 1'ST woman head IBM, retired on December 31, 2020. Most recently, Anthony Capuano has become the new CEO of the hotel industry giant Marriott International. This Section is updated routinely as appropriate with several new executive leaders soon! #ITAA is the #1 promoter of Italian business worldwide!
Entertainment / Vocals
ENTERTAINMENT: Italian Americans have become known arount the world in music and movies, dominating many facets including solo singers, song writers, film producers, actors and directors, with many earning Grammy and Academy Awards. Great Italian American Singers include: 1..) FRANK SINATRA - The Chairman of the Board, Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Frank started out in the swing music era, and was performing at night clubs until he signed with Columbia Records in 1943. His first big song “You’ll Never Know” reached number two in the countr and he exploded into an entertainmet sennsation with unmatched style. In 1946 when he had "two" number ones with his songs “Oh! What It Seemed to Be” and, “Five Minutes More”. While with Columbia, Frank recorded one more number one titled “Mam’selle”, before he signed with Capitol Records. His first and only number one with Capitol came in 1955 for his song “Learnin’ The Blues”. Frank was not comfortable with Capital, so he started his own label “Reprise Records”. His last number one was in 1966, “Strangers in the Night”, in which he won, one of 9 Grammy Awards. Frank Sinatra remains one of the Top 10 singers / entertainers of all time. 2.) DEAN MARTIN - otherwise known as the “King of Cool”, Dean Martin. Dino Paul Crocetti was born in, Steubenville, Ohio and his hit “Everybody Loves Somebody” catapulted him into the limelight. As a kid at 15 he started a boxer nicknamed "Kid Crochet”. He broke his nose, quit and started singing at clubs until drafted by the Army in 1944. By 1946, he was performing comedy at night clubs with Jerry Lewis. His first single “Which Way Did My Heart Go” with Diamond Records set the stage for his rise. Dean signed on with Capital Records and in 1953 he released one of his biggest hits of all time “That’s Amore”. one of the most famous songs on the globe. Dean was unhappy at Capitol Records and Frank Sinatra signed him with Reprise. Dean’s two songs that reached number one came in 1955 with “Memories are Made of This” , and in 1963 with “Everybody Loves Somebody”. Other greats include "Volare", “Sway”, “Houston”, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”,”Standing on a Corner”, “Return to Me”, “Innamorata”, “You Belong to Me”, “Mambo Italiano”, “On an Evening In Roma”, and many others. 3.) TONY BENNETT - Frank Sinatra's personnel favorite also known as Golden Voice, Anthony Dominick Benedetto born and raised in Astoria, Queens to Calabrese parents. Tony was drafted by the Army in november 1944 towards the end of World War II. In 1950 Tony cut a demo “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, andsigned with Columbia Records. In 1951 he reached number one on the charts with his classic beautiful love song “Because of You. Within the next two years he had two more number ones with “Cold Cold Heart”, and “Rags to Riches”. He soon was requested by the producers of the broadway show “Kismet” to record “Stranger in Paradise”, Tony has toured and released an album with fellow Italian American Lady Gaga. Other favorites include “I Wanna be Around”, “It’s Magic”, “I left My Heart in San Fransisco”, “Smile”, “Blue Velvet”, “I Won’t Cry Anymore”, “There’ll Be No Tear Drops Tonight”, “Just in Time”, “The Good Life”, “For Once in My Life”. 4.) CONNIE FRANCIS - Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero was born in Newark, New Jersey and graduated from Belleville High School. Connie was the incomparable top female vocalist of the 50’s and 60’s. However her initial singles with MGM were disappointing to her, so she managed her own cover of the classic song “Who’s Sorry Now”, her version hit number four in the USA and number one in the United Kingdom. Connie then became "the pride" of the MGM label. Her number one hits include “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”, “My Heart has a Mind of it’s Own”, and “Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You”. She was the world’s 1'ST female pop star and recorded in "9 different languages". Some of Connie’s fan favorites include “Vacation”, “Stupid Cupid”, “My Happiness”, “Frankie”, “Among My Souvenirs”, “Mama”, “Many Tears Ago”, “Where the Boys Are”, “Together”, “Granada”, “Forget Domani”, “Wishing it Was You”, “Baby’s First Christmas”, “Second Hand Love”, and more. Connie Francis was the female pioneer of popular music artists in the USA, a world renowned pop-music icon / inspiration for many female artists today. .5.) MARIO LANZA - What a voice. Mario Lanza! The legendary opera singer Alfredo Arnold Cocozzo was born, in Phillidelphia, PA, made his opera debut at the Berkshire Music Festival in 1942. He soon adopted the stage name Mario Lanza, which was similar to his mothers maiden name Maria Lanza. Lanza signed with RCA Victor Read Seal, and became their first artist ever to sell over two and half million records. His beautiful song “Be My Love”, has been known as one the greatest American opera songs of all time. Lanza started having heart problems and eventually passed on October 7th, 1959. Lanza received "two stars" on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Other beautiful songs by Lanza performed include “Granada”, “Ave Maria”, “Because You’re Mine” “Nessun Dorma”, “O Sole Mio”, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, “Danny Boy”, “I’ll Walk with God”, “Santa Lucia”, “Drink Drink Drink”, and more. 6.) FRANKIE VALLI - The Jersey boy himself Francesco Stephen Castelluccio was born in Newark, NJ and raised in Belleville, NJ. He was a hair dresser, then part of the group, “The Four Seasons”. He released his first sin)gle “My Mother’s Eyes” in 1953 under the name Frankie Valley, until one of his girlfriends scolded him off for hiding his Italian pride and not using a vowel at the end of his last name. He switched to Valli and formed “The Four Lovers”, after being introduced to writer Bob Gaudio by legend Joe Pesci. The group started performing at night clubs and signed a deal to perform backup vocals for Newark native Bob Crewe. They soon changed their name to “The Four Seasons” and released their first hit “Sherry” in 1962, with number one hits “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, and “Walk Like A Man” to follow. Other hits include “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, “My Eyes Adored You”, “Oh What a Night.”, “Swearing to God” “Fallen Angel”, “Grease”, “Dawn”, “Rag Doll”, “Who Loves You”, “Let’s Hang On”, “Bye Bye Baby”, and “Beggin”. 7.) PERRY COMO - Pierino Ronald Como was born in Canonsburg, PA and noticed his singing talent while working as a barber. “Mr. C “, as some called him, had one of the most peaceful and relaxing voices you could listen too. If you can’t fall asleep at night, just listen to one of my favorite songs of his, “It’s Impossible”, because its impossible to stay awake to it, (not because it’s bad, but because it’s just too peaceful). In 1958 he won a Grammy for “Catch a Falling Star”. Some other hits include, “Round and Round”, “Papa Loves Mambo”, and “Magic Moments”. Other amazing hits include, “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes”, “Tie the End of Time”, “Long ago”, “If I Loved You”, “I’m Gonna Love that Girl”, “Dig You Later”, “Prisoner of Love”, “Surrender”, “Chi-Baba Chi-Baba”, “Some Enchanted Everything”, “A You’re Adorable”, “If”, “No Other Love, “Wanted”, “Hot Diggity”, and countless more. This list of "Great Italian American Singers" has become truly remarkable:
They include: Al Alberts / Billie Joe Armstrong / Frankie Avalon / Kelsea Ballerini / Sara Bareilles / Kaci Battaglia / Lory Bianco / Sonny Bono (Salvatore Phillip Bono) / Eddie Brigati (The Young Rascals) / Gioia Bruno / Freddy Cannon (Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr.) / Keith Caputo / Harry Wayne Casey (K.C. and the Sunshine Band) / Micheal Castaldo / Felix Cavaliere / Michael Cerveris / Lou Christie (Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco) / Don Cornell (Luigi Francesco Varlaro) / Chrissy Costanza / Jim Croce / Rivers Cuomo / Weezer Victor Damiani / Vic Damone (Vito Rocco Farinola) / James Darren (James Ercolani) / Jimmy Durante / Diana DeGarmo (runner-up on American Idol / Johnny Desmond (Giovanni Alfredo De Simone) / Tommy DeVito / Ani DiFranco / Dion DiMucci (Dion) / Kara Dioguardi / Fabian Forte / Sergio Franchi (Sergio Franci Galli) / Frankee (Nicole Francine Aiello) / Annette Funicello (Mickey Mouse Club and beach party movies) Frank Gari (Founder of Gari Communications / Bob Gaudio / Sonny Geraci / Selena Gomez / Mikalah Gordon / Eydie Gorme / Lou Gramm (Louis Andrew Grammatico) / Ariana Grande / Mitch Grassi (Pentatonix) / Buddy Greco (Armando Greco) / Francesca Gregorini (Countess Francesca McKnight Donatella Romana Gregorini di Savingnano di Romagna) / Frank Guarrera / Halsey (Ashley Nicolette Frangipane) Phyllis Hyman / Jessicka (Jessica Fodera) / Alicia Keys / Morgana King (Maria Grazia Morgana Messina) / Julius La Rosa / Rudy La Scala / Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) / Frankie Laine (Frank Paul LoVecchio) / Cyndi Lauper / Demi Lovato / Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) Sanjaya Malakar / Pablo Manavello / Guy Marks / / Mario Scarpa / Deana Martin ( daughter of Dean Martin) / Al Martino (Alfred Cini) / Nick Massi (Nicholas Macioci) / Don Mclean ("American Pie") / Tim McGraw / Liza Minnelli / Anna Moffo / Lou Monte / Stacie Orrico / Nicola Paone / Gretchen Parlato / Louis Leo Prima / Johnny Rivers (John Ramistella) / Jimmy Roselli / Bobby Rydell (Robert Ridarelli) / Haley Scarnato / Nancy Sinatra / Britney Spears (Britney Jean Spears - Her grandmother Lilian Irene Portelli was Italian immigrant from Sicily) / Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) - His mother, Adele Ann (Zerilli), was of Italian ancestry / Gwen Stefani / Connie Stevens (Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia) / Susan Tedeschi / John Tartaglia / Marc Terenzi / Pia Toscano / Steven Tyler (Steven Tallarico - Italian Grandfather - Rock Vocalist for Aerosmith / Jerry Vale (Genaro Louis Vitaliano) / Franco Ventriglia (Francesco Ventriglia) / Zhavia Ward / Timi Yuro (Rosemarie Timotea Aurro) / Frank Zappa / many others w/ ITAA.
They include: Al Alberts / Billie Joe Armstrong / Frankie Avalon / Kelsea Ballerini / Sara Bareilles / Kaci Battaglia / Lory Bianco / Sonny Bono (Salvatore Phillip Bono) / Eddie Brigati (The Young Rascals) / Gioia Bruno / Freddy Cannon (Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr.) / Keith Caputo / Harry Wayne Casey (K.C. and the Sunshine Band) / Micheal Castaldo / Felix Cavaliere / Michael Cerveris / Lou Christie (Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco) / Don Cornell (Luigi Francesco Varlaro) / Chrissy Costanza / Jim Croce / Rivers Cuomo / Weezer Victor Damiani / Vic Damone (Vito Rocco Farinola) / James Darren (James Ercolani) / Jimmy Durante / Diana DeGarmo (runner-up on American Idol / Johnny Desmond (Giovanni Alfredo De Simone) / Tommy DeVito / Ani DiFranco / Dion DiMucci (Dion) / Kara Dioguardi / Fabian Forte / Sergio Franchi (Sergio Franci Galli) / Frankee (Nicole Francine Aiello) / Annette Funicello (Mickey Mouse Club and beach party movies) Frank Gari (Founder of Gari Communications / Bob Gaudio / Sonny Geraci / Selena Gomez / Mikalah Gordon / Eydie Gorme / Lou Gramm (Louis Andrew Grammatico) / Ariana Grande / Mitch Grassi (Pentatonix) / Buddy Greco (Armando Greco) / Francesca Gregorini (Countess Francesca McKnight Donatella Romana Gregorini di Savingnano di Romagna) / Frank Guarrera / Halsey (Ashley Nicolette Frangipane) Phyllis Hyman / Jessicka (Jessica Fodera) / Alicia Keys / Morgana King (Maria Grazia Morgana Messina) / Julius La Rosa / Rudy La Scala / Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) / Frankie Laine (Frank Paul LoVecchio) / Cyndi Lauper / Demi Lovato / Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) Sanjaya Malakar / Pablo Manavello / Guy Marks / / Mario Scarpa / Deana Martin ( daughter of Dean Martin) / Al Martino (Alfred Cini) / Nick Massi (Nicholas Macioci) / Don Mclean ("American Pie") / Tim McGraw / Liza Minnelli / Anna Moffo / Lou Monte / Stacie Orrico / Nicola Paone / Gretchen Parlato / Louis Leo Prima / Johnny Rivers (John Ramistella) / Jimmy Roselli / Bobby Rydell (Robert Ridarelli) / Haley Scarnato / Nancy Sinatra / Britney Spears (Britney Jean Spears - Her grandmother Lilian Irene Portelli was Italian immigrant from Sicily) / Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) - His mother, Adele Ann (Zerilli), was of Italian ancestry / Gwen Stefani / Connie Stevens (Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia) / Susan Tedeschi / John Tartaglia / Marc Terenzi / Pia Toscano / Steven Tyler (Steven Tallarico - Italian Grandfather - Rock Vocalist for Aerosmith / Jerry Vale (Genaro Louis Vitaliano) / Franco Ventriglia (Francesco Ventriglia) / Zhavia Ward / Timi Yuro (Rosemarie Timotea Aurro) / Frank Zappa / many others w/ ITAA.
Entertainment / Cinema / TV
Movie directors included: Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Cimino, Vincente Minnelli, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma are Italian American filmmakers who are among the greatest modern directors in the world and numerous actors have made tremendous contributions to art, music and entertainment. Leading actors include: 1870s: Agostino Borgato (1871–1939), actor and director 1880s: Henry Armetta (1888–1945), Giuseppina Morlacchi (1846–1886) ballerina and dancer, performing in western drama including Scouts of the Prairie and Buffalo Bill's Wild West, Rafaela Ottiano (1888–1942), Robert G. Vignola (1882–1953) actor, screenwriter and film director 1890s, Frank Capra (1897–1991) Sicilian born actor and director (It's a Wonderful Life), Gino Corrado (1893–1982), actor, Jimmy Durante (1893–1980) actor and singer, Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926) born Rodolfo Alfonso Rafaello Piero Filiberto Gugliemi di Valentina, Hollywood's first sex symbol and the first "Latin lover" (Italian father, Giovanni Antonio Giuseppe Fedele Guglielmi di Valentina D'Antonguolla, and French mother, Marie Berta Gabrielle Barbin; Valentino was born in Italy) 1900s: Don Ameche (Amici) (1908–1993) 50% Italian, actor and director, Argentina Brunetti (1907–2005) actress (It's a Wonderful Life), Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Decorti) (1907–1999) son of Sicilian parents – actor, frequently played Native Americans, Jerry Colonna (1904–1986) actor, entertainer, musician, Russ Columbo (1908–1934) singer, violinist and actor, perhaps most famous for his signature tune, "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love", and the legend surrounding his early death, Lou Costello (Cristillo) (1906–1959) 62.5% Italian, 25% Irish, and 12.5% French blood – actor and comedian known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, Angelo Rossitto (1908–1991), actor and voice artist, Renata Vanni (1909–2004) Italian-born American film actress. 1910s: Robert Alda (Alfonso Roberto D'Abruzzo) (1914–1986) actor, father of Alan Alda, Miriam Battista (1912–1980) daughter of Italian immigrants – child actress of the silent film era, John Beradino (1917–1996) Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap opera General Hospital from 1963 to 1996, star on Hollywood walk-of-fame, Ernest Borgnine (Borgnino) (1917–2012) Academy Award-winning actor, Frank Campanella (1919–2006) son of Sicilian parents – actor, Anthony Caruso (1916–2003) film/television actor, Adriana Caselotti (1916–1997) actress known for providing the voice behind the lead character in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Richard Conte (1910–1975) film actor, Ann Corio (1914–1999) burlesque ecdysiast and actress, Dean Martin (Crocetti) (1917–1995) actor/singer, member of the Rat Pack, Victor Mature (1913–1999) was an American film actor. Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to a Tyrolean father, Marcellus George Mature, a cutler, and a Swiss-American mother, Clara Mature, Al Molinaro (1919–2015) son of Italian parents – actor (The Odd Couple, Happy Days), Frank Sinatra (1915–1998) his parents' Italian heritage included a Sicilian father and a mother from Liguria in northern Italy- actor and singer who many consider to be one of the finest male popular song vocalists of all time 1920s: Kaye Ballard (Balotta) (1925–2019) stage and television actress, Billy Barty (Bertanzetti) (1924–2000) film actor, Tony Bennett (Benedetto) (born 1926) popular music, standards, jazz singer and actor (The Oscar), Joseph Campanella (1924–2018) actor, Pat Cooper (Pasquale Caputo) (born 1929) film actor and comedian, Richard Crenna (1926–2003) film actor (First Blood), Cesare Danova (1926–1992) 75% Italian and 25% Swiss – film actor ("Cleopatra"), Yvonne De Carlo (1922–2007) 25% Italian, Vince Edwards (Zoino) (1928–1996) actor, director, and singer, Sergio Franchi (1926–1990) Italian-born film, television and theatre actor, musician and singer, Anthony Franciosa (Papaleo) (1928–2006) film/television actor, often billed as "Tony Franciosa", Vincent Gardenia (Scognamiglia) (1922–1992) stage, film, and television actor, Michael V. Gazzo (1923–1995) actor and Broadway playwright, Harry Guardino (1925–1995) actor, Mario Lanza (Alfredo Cocozza) (1921–1959) tenor and Hollywood movie star who enjoyed success in the late 1940s and 1950s: Al Lettieri (1928–1975) film/television actor (The Godfather), Guy Marks (1923–1987) (Mario Scarpa) actor, comedian, singer and impressionist, Al Martino (1927–2009) son of Sicilian parents – actor and singer (The Godfather), Lenny Montana (Passofaro) (1926–1992) wrestler turned film and television actor who featured in several films and TV shows in the 1970s and early 1980s: Paul Picerni (1922–2011) film actor (To Hell and Back), Aldo Ray (DaRe) (1926–1991) actor, Tom Rosqui (1928–1991) Italian father and Portuguese mother – actor (The Godfather), Henry Silva (born 1928) actor of Sicilian and Spanish descent, Dick Van Patten (1928–2015) mother of Italian ancestry – TV actor, Jackie Vernon (Ralph Verrone) (1924–1987) stand-up comedian, cartoon voice of Frosty the Snowman, Guy Williams (Armando Catalano) (1924–1989) son of Sicilian parents – film actor 1930s, F. Murray Abraham (born 1939) Oscar-winner for Best Actor – mother of Italian descent, Danny Aiello (1933–2019) film/television actor, Alan Alda (born 1936) actor, writer, director and political activist – father of Italian descent, Frankie Avalon (Avallone) (born 1939) actor and teen idol in the 1950s and early 1960s, Anne Bancroft (Italiano) (1931–2005) Academy Award-winning actress, Robert Blake (Gubitosi) (born 1933) film actor, perhaps most famous for starring in the U.S. television series Baretta, and for being found not guilty of the murder of wife Bonnie Lee Bakley, Joseph Bologna (1934–2017) film/television actor, Sonny Bono (1935–1998) son of Sicilian parents – actor and pop singer (Airplane II), Victor Buono (1938–1982) Italian father and German mother – film and television actor, poet, Ron Carey (Cicenia) (1935–2007) film and television actor (Barney Miller), Carmine Caridi (1934–2019) film actor (The Godfather Part III), Richard S. Castellano (1933–1988) film actor (The Godfather), John Cazale (1935–1978) film actor (The Godfather) – father of Italian descent, Dominic Chianese (born 1931) television actor (The Sopranos), Sam Coppola (1932–2012) film/television actor, Mary Costa (1930-) American singer and actress, who is best known for providing the voice of Princess Aurora in the 1959 film, Sleeping Beauty. Bobby Darin (Cassoto) (1936–1973) actor, singer and one of the most popular rock and roll American teen idols of the 1950s – maternal grandfather was of Italian ancestry, unclear who Darin's biological father was James Darren (Ercolani) (born 1936) television and film actor, television director, and singer, Dom DeLuise (1933–2009) comic actor, Connie Francis (Franconero) (born 1938) actress and pop singer, known for her 1957 hit "Who's Sorry Now?", Ben Gazzara (1930–2012) son of Sicilian parents, film/television actor, Joan Hackett (1934–1983) American actress of stage, television and film. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1981, Italian mother Morgana King (1930–2018) (Maria Grazia Morgana Messina DeBerardini) daughter of Sicilian parents – film actress (The Godfather), Frank Langella (born 1938) stage, film and television actor, Richard Libertini (1933–2016) stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles (Popeye), Tony Lo Bianco (born 1936) film and television actor (The French Connection), Robert Loggia (1930–2015) son of Sicilian parents – film actor, Garry Marshall (Masciarelli) (1934–2016) Italian-American father and part Scottish mother—actor, director, and writer – brother of Penny Marshall, Micole Mercurio (1938–2016) film and television actress, Sal Mineo (1939–1976) son of Sicilian parents – actor and theater director, famous for his Academy Award-nominated performance opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, Tony Musante (1936–2013) stage, television, and film actor, Paula Prentiss (Ragusa) (born 1938) film actress – father of Italian ancestry, Alex Rocco (Petricone) (1936–2015) film actor (The Godfather), John Saxon (Orrico) (1936–2020) film actor, Gia Scala (1934–1972) film actress and model, Tina Scala (born 1935) film actress, model and poet, Paul Sorvino (born 1939) actor, father of Mira Sorvino, Joe Spinell (Spagnuolo) (1936–1989) film actor (The Godfather II), Connie Stevens (Ingolia) (born 1938) Italian father and Irish mother – actress and singer, Marlo Thomas (born 1937) Lebanese father and Italian mother, Brenda Vaccaro (born 1939) film and television actress, Frankie Valli (Castelluccio) (born 1934) singer and actor (The Sopranos), Frank Vincent (Gattuso) (1937–2017) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Joe Viterelli (1937–2004) film actor (Shallow Hal), 1940s: Marc Alaimo (born 1942) television/film actor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Carmen Argenziano (1943–2019) TV and film actor, Armand Assante (born 1949) Italian father and Irish mother – film/television actor (Mambo Kings), Joy Behar (Josephina Ochiuto) (born 1943) actress, comedian, co-host of The View, Linda Bove (born 1945) deaf actress who requires sign language (Sesame Street), Tony Darrow (Borgese) (born 1938) film/television actor, Robert De Niro (born 1943) 25% Italian ancestry – two time Academy Award-winning American film actor, director, producer and founder of the Tribeca Film Festival (Goodfellas), Danny DeVito (born 1944) actor, director, Oscar nominated producer (Matilda), Dennis Farina (1944–2013) son of Sicilian parents – film/television actor (Get Shorty), Annette Funicello (1942–2013) actress, was Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeer, Bruno Kirby (Quidaciolu) (1949–2006) son of Sicilian parents – film actor (The Godfather Part II), Adrienne La Russa (born 1948) actress (Days of our lives), Dan Lauria (born 1947) TV and film actor, Susan Lucci (born 1948) 50% Italian and part Swedish- Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress, who has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" and "The Queen of Daytime", Patti LuPone (born 1949) singer and actress, Joe Mantegna (born 1947) film/television actor (The Godfather Part III), Penny Marshall (Masciarelli) (1943–2018) Italian-American father and part Scottish mother – actress, producer and director, sister of Garry Marshall, Patty McCormack, born Patricia Ellen Russo (born 1945), Italian father and Irish mother – actress (The Bad Seed), Liza Minnelli (born 1946) great-grandfather of Italian ancestry – singer and actress, Arthur Nascarella (born 1942) son of Sicilian parents – film/ television actor (The Sopranos), Don Novello (born 1943) Italian father and Irish mother – film/television actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live), Al Pacino (born 1940) son of Sicilian parents – Academy Award-winning film actor (The Godfather), Vincent Pastore (born 1946) son of Sicilian parents – film/television actor, often cast as a mobster (The Sopranos), Frank Pellegrino (1944–2017) television actor, Joe Pesci (born 1943) Academy Award-winning actor, comedian and singer who is often typecast as a violent mobster or funnyman (Goodfellas, Casino), Bernadette Peters (Lazzara) (born 1948) actress and singer, Ann Prentiss (Ragusa) (1939–2010) film/television actress – sister of Paula Prentiss, father of Italian ancestry, Michael Richards (born 1949) mother of Italian ancestry – television actor (Seinfeld), Tommy Rettig (1941–1996) Italian-American mother and Jewish Father – television actor (Lassie), Leo Rossi (born 1946) Italian American actor, writer and producer, Susan Sarandon (born 1946) mother of Italian ancestry – Academy Award-winning film actress (Thelma and Louise), Vincent Schiavelli (1948–2005) film actor, Talia Shire (born 1946) film actress, sister of Francis Ford Coppola (Rocky), Nancy Sinatra (born 1940) singer and actress, daughter of Frank Sinatra, Tony Sirico (born 1942) son of Sicilian parents – film/television actor (The Sopranos), Bruce Springsteen (born 1949) 50% Italian, 25% Irish and part Dutch – singer and actor, Sylvester Stallone (born 1946) film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (Rocky), father Italian immigrant, Daniel J. Travanti (born 1940) son of Italian immigrants – film/television actor (Hill Street Blues), Victoria Vetri (born 1944) model and actress, Burt Young (Morea) (born 1940) film actor (Rocky), Tom Savini (born 1946) actor, prosthetic makeup artist, director 1950s, Ray Abruzzo (born 1954) television actor (The Sopranos), Sharon Angela (born 1958) television actress (The Sopranos), Michael Badalucco (born 1954) film actor (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Danny Bonaduce (born 1959) Italian father – television actor (The Partridge Family), Elizabeth Bracco (born 1959) Italian father and mother of French descent – television actress (The Sopranos), Lorraine Bracco (born 1954) Italian father and mother of French descent – Academy Award-nominated actress (The Sopranos, Goodfellas), Steve Buscemi (born 1957) Italian father and part Irish mother – actor (Fargo, Reservoir Dogs), Joseph Cali (born 1950) film actor (Saturday Night Fever), Carl Capotorto (born 1959) television actor (The Sopranos), David Caruso (born 1956) Italian father and Irish mother – film/television actor (CSI: Miami), Vincent Curatola (born 1953) television actor (The Sopranos), Beverly D'Angelo (born 1951) father of Italian descent – film actress (Vacation), Tony Danza (born 1951) actor/talk show host (Who's The Boss, Family Law), Robert Davi (born 1951) film actor (The Goonies), Michael DeLorenzo (born 1959) Italian father and Puerto Rican mother – television/film actor (New York Undercover), Vincent D'Onofrio (born 1959) son of Sicilian parents – film/television actor and director (Full Metal Jacket, Law and Order: Criminal Intent), Giancarlo Esposito (born 1958) Italian father and African-American mother – film actor, Cristina Ferrare (born 1950) actress of Italian descent (The Impossible Years)
Lou Ferrigno (born 1951) bodybuilder and actor (The Hulk), Robert Funaro (born 1959) television actor (The Sopranos), Joseph Gannascoli (born 1959) television actor (The Sopranos), Dan Grimaldi (born 1950) television actor (The Sopranos), Robert Hegyes (1951–2012) television actor (Welcome Back, Kotter) Italian-American mother, Hungarian-American father, Kathy Hilton (born 1959) Italian grandfather – actress (Happy Days), Hulk Hogan (Terry Gino Bollea) (born 1953) 50% Italian wrestler, Anjelica Huston (born 1951) mother of Italian descent and father of English, Irish, and Scottish descent – film actress (Prizzi's Honor), Renée Jones (born 1958) Italian mother and African-American father – soap opera actress (Days of our Lives), Matt Lattanzi (born 1959) Italian father and Polish mother – actor and dancer (My Tutor), Cyndi Lauper (born 1953) Italian mother and Swiss/German father – singer and actress- (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), Jay Leno (born 1950) Italian-American father and Scottish mother – comedian, former actor, known as host of The Tonight Show, Madonna (Ciccone) (born 1958) father of Italian ancestry and mother of French-Canadian ancestry – singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, entertainer (Dick Tracy), Ed Marinaro (born 1950) actor and former football player, Peter Onorati (born 1953) Italian mother and father, Chazz Palminteri (born 1952) film actor (A Bronx Tale), Joe Pantoliano (born 1951) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Joe Penny (born 1956) Italian mother and English father – television actor, Bronson Pinchot (born 1959) mother of Italian ancestry – actor (Perfect Strangers), Joe Piscopo (born 1951) actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live), Jon Polito (1950–2016) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – actor (The Honeymooners), Victoria Principal (born 1950) father of Italian descent – actress (Dallas), Suzi Quatro (born 1950) Italian paternal grandfather, Ray Romano (born 1957) actor and comedian (Everybody Loves Raymond), Isabella Rossellini (born 1952) Italian father and Swedish mother – actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, model James Russo (born 1953) film/television actor (Donnie Brasco), Rene Russo (born 1954) Italian father and Italian maternal grandfather – film actress/model (Lethal Weapon 3, The Thomas Crown Affair), Randy Savage (Randall Mario Poffo) (1952–2011) Italian father and Jewish mother – wrestler and actor, Jack Scalia (born 1950) film/television actor (The Genius Club), Steve Schirripa (born 1957) television actor and writer (The Sopranos) – father of Italian descent, and mother of Jewish descent, Connie Sellecca (Sellecchia) (born 1955) actress, Gary Sinise (born 1955) 25% Italian ancestry – actor (CSI: NY), Joseph Siravo (1955–2021) film/television actor (The Sopranos) Rocco Sisto (born 1953) Italian-born actor (The Sopranos), Frank Sivero (LoGiudice) (born 1952) Italian-born actor (Goodfellas), John Travolta (born 1954) Italian-American father and Irish-American mother – Academy Award-nominated actor, singer, dancer (Grease, Saturday Night Fever), John Turturro (born 1957) actor, cousin of Aida Turturro (The Good Shepherd, The Bronx Is Burning), Steven Van Zandt (Lento) (born 1950) musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and disc jockey (The Sopranos), Vinny Vella (1947–2019) actor and part time comedian, Diane Venora (born 1952) actress (Italian-American father), Pia Zadora (born 1954) Broadway actress – Italian father, Polish mother, Chuck Zito (born 1953) member of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels, amateur boxer, martial artist, celebrity bodyguard, stuntman and actor. 1960s: Kristian Alfonso (born 1964) soap opera actress, Days of Our Lives, Jennifer Aniston (born 1969) Italian maternal grandfather (Friends), Joseph Badalucco Jr. (born 1960) television actor, brother of Michael Badalucco (The Sopranos), Scott Baio (born 1961) television actor (Happy Days, Charles In Charge), Matt Battaglia (born 1965) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – actor, Maria Bello (born 1967) Italian father and Polish mother – Academy Award-nominated film actress, Michael Bergin (born 1969) Italian and Irish – television and movie actor and model, Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960) Italian father and British-American mother – actress (One Day At A Time), Lory Bianco (born 1963) singer and actress Traci Bingham (born 1968) 25% Italian, 25% Black-American and 50% American Indian – actress and model, Jon Bon Jovi (Bongiovi) (born 1962) of Sicilian, Slovak, German, Russian ancestry – singer and film actor, David Boreanaz (born 1969) Italian father and part Slovak mother – television actor (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel), Nicolas Cage (Coppola) (born 1964) Italian father and part German mother – 5 Academy Award-winning actor, director, and producer, Christy Canyon (born 1966) Armenian-Italian descent — adult actress, Steve Carell (Caroselli) (born 1962) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – film actor (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Adam Carolla (born 1964), of half Italian ancestry, comedian – actor and host of the Adam Carolla Show, Max Casella (Deitch) (born 1967) Italian mother and Jewish father – film/television actor (The Sopranos), Federico Castelluccio (born 1964) Italian-born actor (The Sopranos) Michael Cerveris (born 1960) Italian father, Damian Chapa (born 1963) mother is of Italian and German ancestry, Alicia Coppola (born 1968) actress, Roman Coppola (born 1965) Italian-American father – film actor, son of Francis Ford Coppola, Dan Cortese (born 1967) son of Sicilian parents – television actor, Lee Curreri (born 1961) actor, music composer and singer, Michael DeLuise (born 1969) Italian father and Italian-German mother – film actor (Encino Man), Peter DeLuise (born 1966) Italian father and Italian-German mother – television actor (21 Jump Street), Donna D'Errico (born 1968) Italian father and British-American mother – actress and model, John DiMaggio (born 1968) actor, voice actor, and comedian, known for his gruff voice, Illeana Douglas (born 1965) mother of Italian ancestry – film actress, Edie Falco (born 1963) Italian father and Swedish/English mother – actress (The Sopranos), Diane Farr (born 1969) of Italian and Irish descent – actress (Numb3rs), Jon Favreau (born 1966) mostly Italian and some French-Canadian father, Jewish mother – actor and director (Rocky Marciano), Sherilyn Fenn (born 1965) Italian great-grandfather, Adam Ferrara (born 1966) television actor and comedian, Linda Fiorentino (born 1960) film actress (The Last Seduction), Joely Fisher (born 1967) Italian grandfather – film/television actress, daughter of Connie Stevens, Tricia Leigh Fisher (born 1968) Italian grandfather – film/television actress, daughter of Connie Stevens, Matthew Fox (born 1966) maternal grandfather was of Italian descent – actor (Lost), Vincent Gallo (born 1961) independent film actor and director (Goodfellas), James Gandolfini (1961–2013) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Janeane Garofalo (born 1964) Italian father and Irish mother – stand-up comedian, actress, and political activist, Paul Giamatti (born 1967) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – Academy Award-nominated film actor, Richard Grieco (born 1965) actor Italian father and Irish mother, Frank Grillo (born 1963) of Italian heritage, Anthony Michael Hall (born 1968) 25% Italian, 75% Irish – film/television actor, former teen star, Carlo Imperato (born 1963) is an Italian-American actor, known for role as student Danny Amatullo in the 1982 Fame TV series, Michael Imperioli (born 1966) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Eddie Jemison (born 1963) film and television actor (Ocean's Eleven), Ashley Judd (Ciminella) (born 1968) Italian-American paternal grandfather – film actor, Michael Kelly (born 1968) mother is of Italian descent (Criminal Minds), Artie Lange (born 1967) 50% Italian, 25% German and 25% Native American – film/TV actor, comedian and radio personality, Matt LeBlanc (born 1967) Italian mother – television actor (Friends) John Leguizamo (born 1964) Italian, Puerto Rican, and Colombian descent – actor (Ice Age), Téa Leoni (Pantaleoni) (born 1966) Italian great-great-grandfather – actress, Louis Lombardi (born 1968) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Ralph Macchio (born 1961) father of Italian and Greek descent, mother of Italian ancestry – film actor (The Karate Kid), Max Martini (born 1969) Italian father, Dylan McDermott (born 1961) mother of Italian and English descent, father of Irish ancestry – film/TV actor (The Practice), Tim McGraw (born 1967) 25% Italian blood – actor and country music singer, Christopher Meloni (born 1961) Italian father and French Canadian mother – TV actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz), Sofia Milos (born 1965) Italian father and a Greek mother – actress Kathrine Narducci (born 1965) film/television actress (The Sopranos), Danny Nucci (born 1968) Italian father and Moroccan Jewish mother – film actor (Crimson Tide), Erik Palladino (born 1968) Italian father and Armenian mother – actor (ER), Mark Pellegrino (born 1965) actor of film and television, Sean Penn (born 1960) actor, director, screenwriter and producer, Teri Polo (born 1969) film and TV series actress, Ellen Pompeo (born 1969) paternal grandfather was Italian (Grey's Anatomy), Natalie Raitano (born 1966) television actress (V.I.P.), Norman Reedus (born 1969) Italian grandmother, Salli Richardson (born 1967) Black-American/American-Indian mother and part Italian father, Lisa Rinna (born 1963) television actress, Michael Rispoli (born 1960) actor (The Sopranos), Larry Romano (born 1963) of partial Italian descent – television actor and comedian (The King of Queens), Mark Ruffalo (born 1967) Italian father and half French-Canadian, half Italian mother – critically acclaimed film actor, Laura San Giacomo (born 1962) actress (Just Shoot Me) Al Sapienza (born 1962) actor (The Sopranos), Mia Sara (born 1967) actress (Legend), Glenn Scarpelli (born 1966) Italian American – actor ("One Day At A Time"), Annabella Sciorra (born 1964) film/television actress (Jungle Fever), Nick Scotti (born 1966) actor, model and singer, Terry Serpico (born 1964) Italian paternal grandfather, Matt Servitto (born 1965) Italian father and Irish mother – television actor (The Sopranos), Brooke Shields (born 1965) 12.5% Italian ancestry – film actress, Mira Sorvino (born 1967) Italian father and Anglo mother – Academy Award-winning actress, daughter of Paul Sorvino, Vincent Spano (born 1962) film actor (Brooklyn State of Mind), Gwen Stefani (born 1969) Italian father and part Irish mother – singer, fashion designer and actress, Quentin Tarantino (born 1963) part Italian – film director and actor (Pulp Fiction), Marisa Tomei (born 1964) Academy Award-winning film actress (My Cousin Vinny), Robert Torti (born 1961) actor, best known for playing roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals including Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Christine Tucci (born 1967) actress, sister of Stanley Tucci (Another World), Stanley Tucci (born 1960) film/television actor (Shall We Dance), Paige Turco (born 1965) actress (Person of Interest), Aida Turturro (born 1962) actress, cousin of John Turturro (The Sopranos), Nicholas Turturro (born 1962) film actor, brother of John Turturro (Jungle Fever, The Longest Yard), Lenny Venito (born 1968) film/television actor (The Sopranos), John Ventimiglia (born 1963) television actor (The Sopranos), Kate Walsh (born 1967) Italian mother, Lisa Ann Walter (born 1963) Italian mother. 1970s: Donna Adamo (born 1970) wrestler and actress (The Sopranos), Sasha Alexander (born 1973) television actress (NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles), Victor Alfieri (born 1971) Italian-born television actor, Chad Allen (Lazzari) (born 1974) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – film/television actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), Lauren Ambrose (D'Ambruoso) (born 1978) father of Italian descent and mother of German, Irish, and English descent – film/television actress (Six Feet Under), Lisa Ann (born 1972) of Italian and French descent – adult actress Leila Arcieri (born 1973) Italian father and African-American mother – actress and model, Billie Joe Armstrong (born 1972) Italian great-great-grandparents, Morena Baccarin (born 1979) Brazilian-American actress, Sara Bareilles (born 1979) of Italian, German, Portuguese, and French descent, Jason Biggs (born 1978) father of English and Italian descent, mother of Italian descent – film and television actor (American Pie), Mike Birbiglia (born 1978) comedian, actor, and filmmaker of part Italian descent, Danielle Bisutti (born 1976) actress and singer of Italian descent (True Jackson, VP), Lara Flynn Boyle (born 1970) actress, Cara Buono (born 1974) television actress (The Sopranos), Eddie Cahill (born 1978) Italian mother and Irish father – film/television actor (Miracle, CSI: NY), Bobby Cannavale (born 1971) Italian-American father and Cuban mother – film/television actor (Third Watch), Linda Cardellini (born 1975) part Italian ancestry – actress, Tracee Chimo (born 1979) mother of Irish and Italian descent, Jessica Collins (Capogna) (born 1971) film actress (The Young and the Restless), Marcus Coloma (born 1978) American actor of Italian and Hawaiian descent, Mark Consuelos (born 1970) Mexican father and Italian mother, Rachael Leigh Cook (born 1979) Italian mother and Anglo-American father – film actress (She's All That), Bradley Cooper (born 1975) mother of Italian ancestry and father of Irish ancestry – film actor (The Hangover) Sofia Coppola (born 1971) Italian father – director, actress, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Charlie Day (born 1976) father is of Italian and Irish descent, Marieh Delfino (born 1977) sister of actress Majandra Delfino (Jeepers Creepers 2), David DeLuise (born 1971) Italian father and Italian-German mother – television/film actor (Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Wizards of Waverly Place), Drea de Matteo (born 1972) Emmy-winning actress (The Sopranos), Wanda D'Isidoro (born 1977) Venezuelan actress, born in Boston, Leonardo DiCaprio (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – Academy Award winner (Titanic), Jennifer Esposito (born 1973) film/television actress (Spin City), Peter Facinelli (born 1973) film/television actor, Ben Falcone (born 1973) of Italian, English, German and Irish descent, Joey Fatone (born 1977) pop singer and actor ('N Sync, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Vanessa Ferlito (born 1977) actress (CSI: NY), Jerry Ferrara (born 1979) television actor (Entourage), Johnny Galecki (born 1975) of Polish, Irish, and Italian descent, Jennifer Gareis (born 1970) of part Italian descent – actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful), Luciano Giancarlo (1972–2007), Debbie Gibson (born 1970) of Italian, German and possibly Russian descent., Aria Giovanni (born 1973) Italian-Yugoslavian father and French-German-Irish-West Indian mother — nude model and actress, Joy Giovanni (born 1978) actress and former WWE wrestler, Carmine Giovinazzo (born 1973) of partial Italian descent – film/television actor (CSI: NY), Lola Glaudini (born 1971) actress, Justin Guarini (born 1978) Italian-American mother, Carla Gugino (born 1971) father of Italian ancestry – film actress, Lindsay Hartley (born 1978) Jewish father and mother of Greek and Italian descent – soap opera actress (Passions), Liza Huber (born 1975) maternal grandfather of Italian ancestry, Kate Hudson (born 1979) paternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film actress (Almost Famous), Jenna Jameson (Massoli) (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – model and adult actress, Bianca Kajlich (born 1977) mother of half Italian descent, Joey Lawrence (born 1976) of part Italian descent, Natasha Leggero (born 1974) of Italian descent, Joe Lo Truglio (born 1970) Irish-Italian, Domenick Lombardozzi (born 1976) of Italian heritage – actor, Justin Long (born 1978) paternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film/television actor (Jeepers Creepers), Kendra Lust (born 1978) of French Canadian and Italian descent – adult actress, Gina Lynn (born 1974) of Italian and Dutch descent – adult actress, Sam Maccarone (born 1975) star in National Lampoon's TV: The Movie, Joe Manganiello (born 1976) Italian father and Austrian-Armenian mother – movie and TV actor, Mike Maronna (born 1977) actor (Home Alone), Chris Messina (born 1974) actor (Damages), Alyssa Milano (born 1972) actress (Charmed, Who's the Boss?), Marisa Miller (Bertetta) (born 1978) paternal great-grandfather of Italian descent — model and actress, Kelly Monaco (born 1976) model and actress (General Hospital), Brittany Murphy (Bertolotti) (1977–2009) father of Italian ancestry – film actress, Alessandro Nivola (born 1972) Italian paternal grandfather and Jewish paternal grandmother; his father was born in Italy – film actor (Face/Off, Goal!), Annie Parisse (born 1975) Italian ancestry on father's side, Lana Parrilla (born 1977) mother is of Italian descent, Steven Pasquale (born 1976) film and TV series actor, Chelsea Peretti (born 1978) father is Italian-American, Gabriella Pession (born 1977) born in the US of Italian parents, Gina Philips (born 1970) Italian father, Zachary Quinto (born 1977) Italian father and Irish mother – film/television actor (Heroes, 24, Star Trek), Stephen Rannazzisi (born 1978) of Italian and Irish descent, Tara Reid (born 1975) part Italian ancestry, Leah Remini (born 1970) Italian father and Jewish mother – film/television actress (The King Of Queens), Giovanni Ribisi (born 1974) 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actor (Avatar, Gone in 60 Seconds, Saving Private Ryan), Marissa Ribisi (born 1974) twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi, Kelly Ripa (born 1970) 75% Italian and 25% Irish – actress (All My Children, Live with Regis and Kelly), Elisabeth Röhm (born 1973) Italian maternal grandfather, Jai Rodriguez (born 1979) Italian mother and Puerto Rican father – actor and culture guide (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Antonio Sabato Jr. (born 1972) Italian father and Czech and Jewish mother – Italian born actor, Adam Scott (1973) of Italian descent on his mother's side Sage Stallone (1976–2012) 25% Italian ancestry – film actor and son of Sylvester Stallone, Jonathan Togo (born 1977) 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actor (CSI: Miami), Liv Tyler (Tallarico) (born 1977) paternal great-grandfather of Italian ancestry – actress (Stealing Beauty), Mia Tyler (Tallarico) (born 1978) paternal half-sister of actress Liv Tyler, Amber Valletta (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian descent – actress (Revenge, Legends), Vince Vaughn (born 1970) of English, Irish, German, Italian, and Lebanese ancestry, Milo Ventimiglia (born 1977) father is of Italian descent – actor/producer (Heroes), Cerina Vincent (born 1979) Irish-Italian father, Italian mother – nude model and actress (Not Another Teen Movie), John Lloyd Young (born 1975) mother of Italian ancestry – theater/film actor, Tony Award winner (Jersey Boys), 1980s: Eva Amurri (born 1985), father and maternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film/television actress, daughter of Susan Sarandon, Michael Angarano (born 1987), television/film actor (Sky High, Will & Grace), A.J. Applegate (born 1989) of Italian and German descent, Justin Baldoni (born 1984), Italian father and Jewish mother – television actor (Everwood), Adrian Bellani (Celasco) (born 1982), Salvadoran mother and Italian father – television actor (Passions), Troian Bellisario (born 1985), father is of half Italian and half Serbian descent, Rachel Bilson (born 1981), Italian mother and Jewish father – film/television actress (The O.C.), Corbin Bleu (born 1989), Italian mother and Jamaican father – film/television actor (High School Musical), Sophia Bush (born 1982), part Italian – television actress (One Tree Hill), Ashley Lyn Cafagna (born 1983), 25% Italian ancestry – soap opera actress turned film star and singer, Francis Capra (born 1983), Italian and Dominican descent, Gina Carano (born 1982), Italian descent – former MMA fighter and actress, Robert Carmine (Schwartzman) (born 1982), Italian mother and Jewish father – film actor, son of Talia Shire, Aya Cash (born 1982), mother of Italian descent, Loan Chabanol (born 1982), Lacey Chabert (born 1982), father is of 1/4 Italian descent, Hayden Christensen (born 1981), maternal grandmother is of Italian descent – actor (Awake), Stephen Colletti (born 1986), 25% Italian – reality television star and co-host of MTV's TRL, Mark Copani (born 1981), Italian father and Jordanian mother – actor and professional wrestler, Genevieve Cortese (born 1981), has Italian, French and Flemish ancestry, Kaley Cuoco (born 1985), father of Italian ancestry – television actress (8 Simple Rules, Charmed, The Big Bang Theory), Alexandra Daddario (born 1986), actress of mixed English, Hungarian, Irish and Italian descent, Matthew Daddario (born 1987), actor of mixed English, Hungarian, Irish and Italian descent, Nicholas D'Agosto (born 1980), father of Italian ancestry – television actor, Caroline D'Amore (born 1985), Italian ancestry on her father's side, Majandra Delfino (born 1981), father of Italian descent (Roswell), Lucy DeVito (born 1983), daughter of Danny DeVito, Torrey DeVitto (born 1984), daughter of Liberty DeVitto, Jessica DiCicco (born 1980), Italian father (Bobby DiCicco) – voice actress, Alexis Dziena (born 1984), has Irish, Italian and Polish descent (Invasion), Cameron Esposito (born 1981), Italian American parents, Chris Evans (born 1981), maternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – film actor (The Avengers, Fantastic Four), Briana Evigan (born 1986), maternal grandfather was of Italian ancestry (Step Up 2: The Streets), Santino Fontana (born 1982), half Italian, 1/4 Spanish, 1/4 Portuguese (Frozen, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), David Giuntoli (born 1980) is an actor of Italian (father) and Polish and German (mother) descent, Presley Hart (born 1988), has Italian descent, Shelley Hennig (born 1987), mother of Italian descent – film/television actress (Teen Wolf), David Henrie (born 1989), maternal grandparents were Italian – television actor (How I Met Your Mother, Wizards of Waverly Place), Vanessa Hessler (born 1988), mother of Italian ancestry, Paris Hilton (born 1981), Italian great-grandfather – television/film actress (House of Wax), Brooke Hogan (born 1988), paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry, Paul Iacono (born 1988), Italian-American parents, Jonas Brothers (Kevin, Joe and Nick), 12.5% Italian ancestry – singers/actors (Jonas L.A and Jonas Brothers), Ellie Kemper (born 1980), Italian from her maternal grandfather, along with English, French, and German ancestry, Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) (born 1986), 75% Italian ancestry – singer performer (The Fame Monster, Born This Way), Chloe Rose Lattanzi (born 1986), paternal grandfather of Italian descent – film actress, daughter of Matt Lattanzi, Katrina Law (born 1985), has German, Taiwanese and Italian ancestry – television/film actress (Spartacus: Blood and Sand), Andrew Lawrence (born 1988) brother of Joey Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence (born 1980) brother of Joey Lawrence, Lindsay Lohan (born 1986), Irish and Italian ancestry – television/film actress (The Parent Trap, Mean Girls), Michelle Lombardo (born 1983), Italian father and Irish mother – actress and model, Shannon Lucio (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Brooke Lyons (born 1980), has Italian, Irish and Portuguese descent. Tina Majorino (born 1985), 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actress (Napoleon Dynamite, Veronica Mars), Kate Mara (born 1983), maternal grandmother of Italian descent (House of Cards), Rooney Mara (born 1985), maternal grandmother of Italian descent (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Phoenix Marie (born 1981), Italian descent – adult film actress, Joseph Mazzello (born 1983), 3/8ths Italian ancestry, along with German Jewish, Polish, and Irish, Gregory Michael (born 1981), mother of Italian ancestry, father of English, Irish, German, French ancestry. (Dante's Cove, As the World Turns, Greek), Lea Michele (1986), Sephardic Jewish father and Italian Catholic mother; Michele was raised Catholic – (Glee), Kate Micucci (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Cristin Milioti (born 1985), Italian father (How I Met Your Mother), Vanessa Minnillo (born 1980), 25% Italian – actress, Frankie Muniz (born 1985), Italian and Irish mother and Puerto Rican father – film actor (Agent Cody Banks, Malcolm in the Middle), Rachel Nichols (born 1980), 3/16ths Italian descent (through her mother), Dawn Olivieri (born 1981), Italian ancestry, Olivia Palermo (born 1986), father of Italian descent – actress, Aleksa Palladino (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Hayden Panettiere (born 1989), part Italian – model and television/film actress (Heroes), Rosanna Pansino (born 1985), has Italian, Croatian, German, and Irish ancestry, Audrina Patridge (born 1985), part Italian ancestry, Charlie Pecoraro (born 1980), Italian-American – film/stage actor, Joseph Perrino (born 1982), film/television actor (The Sopranos), Michael Pitt (born 1981), mother is of Italian ancestry, Shawn Pyfrom (born 1986), 12.5% Italian ancestry – television/film actor (Desperate Housewives), Nikki Reed (born 1988), Jewish father, mother of 1/4 Italian descent – actress, Christina Ricci (born 1980), father of half Italian ancestry – film actress (The Addams Family), Italia Ricci (born 1986), Canadian-American actress, Amanda Righetti (born 1983), part Italian ancestry – film actress and producer, Amber Rose (born 1983), has Italian, Cape Verdean, Irish and Scottish ancestry, Dylan Ryder (born 1981), adult film actress of Italian and German descent, Jason Schwartzman (born 1980), Jewish father and Italian mother – film actor, son of Talia Shire (Rushmore), Alia Shawkat (born 1989), mother is of Norwegian, Irish, and Italian descent., The Situation (born 1981), television personality and actor, Bobbi Starr (born 1983), Italian and Hungarian ancestry Steven Strait (born 1986), father is of English descent and mother is of Italian descent — model, singer, and actor (Sky High, Magic City), Brooklyn Sudano (born 1981), Italian father, Taryn Thomas (born 1983), Italian ancestry, Arielle Vandenberg (born 1981), Italian and Dutch descent, Kate Voegele (born 1986), Italian ancestry, Casey Wilson (born 1980), Irish and Italian heritage. 1990s: Annabelle Attanasio (born 1993), father is of Italian descent, Sofia Black-D'Elia (born 1991), father is of Italian descent and mother is Jewish, Jake Cannavale (born 1995), Italian grandfather, Noah Centineo (born 1996), actor (father of Italian descent), Michael Cimino (born 1999), of Italian-German and Puerto Rican descent, Pete Davidson (born 1993), actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live), Seychelle Gabriel (born 1991), father is of Mexican and French descent while mother is of Italian ancestry, Leila George (born 1992), both parents (Vincent D'Onofrio and Greta Scacchi) are of Italian descent, Elizabeth Gillies (born 1993), Italian grandmother — television and Broadway actress/singer (Victorious), Selena Gomez (born 1992), mother of Italian descent, Ariana Grande (born 1993) television and Broadway actress/singer (Victorious), Willa Holland (born 1991), mother is of Italian descent – actress and model (Arrow), Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (born 1996), Italian father – actress (Game of Thrones), Liana Liberato (born 1995), of Italian, Czech, English, French and Irish descent, Ali Lohan (born 1993), part Irish and part Italian – television actress, musician, Caitlyn Taylor Love (born 1994), of Irish and Italian descent – television/film actress (I'm in the Band), Ryan Malgarini (born 1992), 25% Italian ancestry – film actor (Freaky Friday), Gia Mantegna (born 1990), daughter of Joe Mantegna who is of Italian descent – television actress (Unaccompanied Minors), Laura Marano (born 1995), father is of Italian descent – television actress (Austin & Ally), Vanessa Marano (born 1992), father is of Italian descent – television actress (Without a Trace, The Young and the Restless), Vincent Martella (born 1992), television actor (Everybody Hates Chris; Phineas and Ferb), Chris Massoglia (born 1992), television and motion picture actor (great-grandfather of Italian descent), Julianna Rose Mauriello (born 1991), Italian father, Jennette McCurdy (born 1992), great-grandparent of Italian descent — actress. (iCarly), Mitchel Musso (born 1991), of 3/8ths Italian ancestry – television actor (Hannah Montana), Dylan O'Brien (born 1991), of partial Italian descent – film/television actor (Teen Wolf; The Maze Runner), Jansen Panettiere (born 1994), part Italian – television actor (Tiger Cruise), Victoria Pedretti (born 1995), three-quarter Italian father, Madison Pettis (born 1998), her mother is of French, Irish and Italian descent (Cory in the House, Life with Boys), Bonnie Rotten (born 1993), of Italian, German, Polish, and Jewish descent – adult actress, Cassie Scerbo (born 1990), full Italian ancestry, Christian Serratos (born 1990), father is of Italian descent – film/television actress (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide; The Walking Dead), Bella Thorne (born 1997), Cuban, Irish, and Italian descent (Shake it Up). 2000s: Thomas Barbusca (born 2003), Francesca Capaldi (born 2004), Isabella Crovetti (born 2004), Daniel DiMaggio (born 2003), Jacob Hopkins (born 2002), Annie LeBlanc (born 2004) mother of Italian descent, Gaten Matarazzo (born 2002), August Maturo (born 2007), Jack Messina (born 2007), Addison Riecke (born 2004) of Italian/Sicilian descent, JoJo Siwa (born 2003), Mina Sundwall (born 2001) mother of Italian descent. TV and Press: Numerous American television personalities are of Italian descent. Talk-show hosts include Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Kelly Ripa, Maria Bartiromo, Adam Carolla, Neil Cavuto, Kelly Monaco, Jai Rodriguez, Annette Funicello, Victoria Gotti, Tony Danza, Giuliana DePandi, Giuliana Rancic, Bruno Cipriani. Each year we update this list amazing list!
Lou Ferrigno (born 1951) bodybuilder and actor (The Hulk), Robert Funaro (born 1959) television actor (The Sopranos), Joseph Gannascoli (born 1959) television actor (The Sopranos), Dan Grimaldi (born 1950) television actor (The Sopranos), Robert Hegyes (1951–2012) television actor (Welcome Back, Kotter) Italian-American mother, Hungarian-American father, Kathy Hilton (born 1959) Italian grandfather – actress (Happy Days), Hulk Hogan (Terry Gino Bollea) (born 1953) 50% Italian wrestler, Anjelica Huston (born 1951) mother of Italian descent and father of English, Irish, and Scottish descent – film actress (Prizzi's Honor), Renée Jones (born 1958) Italian mother and African-American father – soap opera actress (Days of our Lives), Matt Lattanzi (born 1959) Italian father and Polish mother – actor and dancer (My Tutor), Cyndi Lauper (born 1953) Italian mother and Swiss/German father – singer and actress- (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), Jay Leno (born 1950) Italian-American father and Scottish mother – comedian, former actor, known as host of The Tonight Show, Madonna (Ciccone) (born 1958) father of Italian ancestry and mother of French-Canadian ancestry – singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, entertainer (Dick Tracy), Ed Marinaro (born 1950) actor and former football player, Peter Onorati (born 1953) Italian mother and father, Chazz Palminteri (born 1952) film actor (A Bronx Tale), Joe Pantoliano (born 1951) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Joe Penny (born 1956) Italian mother and English father – television actor, Bronson Pinchot (born 1959) mother of Italian ancestry – actor (Perfect Strangers), Joe Piscopo (born 1951) actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live), Jon Polito (1950–2016) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – actor (The Honeymooners), Victoria Principal (born 1950) father of Italian descent – actress (Dallas), Suzi Quatro (born 1950) Italian paternal grandfather, Ray Romano (born 1957) actor and comedian (Everybody Loves Raymond), Isabella Rossellini (born 1952) Italian father and Swedish mother – actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, model James Russo (born 1953) film/television actor (Donnie Brasco), Rene Russo (born 1954) Italian father and Italian maternal grandfather – film actress/model (Lethal Weapon 3, The Thomas Crown Affair), Randy Savage (Randall Mario Poffo) (1952–2011) Italian father and Jewish mother – wrestler and actor, Jack Scalia (born 1950) film/television actor (The Genius Club), Steve Schirripa (born 1957) television actor and writer (The Sopranos) – father of Italian descent, and mother of Jewish descent, Connie Sellecca (Sellecchia) (born 1955) actress, Gary Sinise (born 1955) 25% Italian ancestry – actor (CSI: NY), Joseph Siravo (1955–2021) film/television actor (The Sopranos) Rocco Sisto (born 1953) Italian-born actor (The Sopranos), Frank Sivero (LoGiudice) (born 1952) Italian-born actor (Goodfellas), John Travolta (born 1954) Italian-American father and Irish-American mother – Academy Award-nominated actor, singer, dancer (Grease, Saturday Night Fever), John Turturro (born 1957) actor, cousin of Aida Turturro (The Good Shepherd, The Bronx Is Burning), Steven Van Zandt (Lento) (born 1950) musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and disc jockey (The Sopranos), Vinny Vella (1947–2019) actor and part time comedian, Diane Venora (born 1952) actress (Italian-American father), Pia Zadora (born 1954) Broadway actress – Italian father, Polish mother, Chuck Zito (born 1953) member of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels, amateur boxer, martial artist, celebrity bodyguard, stuntman and actor. 1960s: Kristian Alfonso (born 1964) soap opera actress, Days of Our Lives, Jennifer Aniston (born 1969) Italian maternal grandfather (Friends), Joseph Badalucco Jr. (born 1960) television actor, brother of Michael Badalucco (The Sopranos), Scott Baio (born 1961) television actor (Happy Days, Charles In Charge), Matt Battaglia (born 1965) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – actor, Maria Bello (born 1967) Italian father and Polish mother – Academy Award-nominated film actress, Michael Bergin (born 1969) Italian and Irish – television and movie actor and model, Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960) Italian father and British-American mother – actress (One Day At A Time), Lory Bianco (born 1963) singer and actress Traci Bingham (born 1968) 25% Italian, 25% Black-American and 50% American Indian – actress and model, Jon Bon Jovi (Bongiovi) (born 1962) of Sicilian, Slovak, German, Russian ancestry – singer and film actor, David Boreanaz (born 1969) Italian father and part Slovak mother – television actor (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel), Nicolas Cage (Coppola) (born 1964) Italian father and part German mother – 5 Academy Award-winning actor, director, and producer, Christy Canyon (born 1966) Armenian-Italian descent — adult actress, Steve Carell (Caroselli) (born 1962) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – film actor (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Adam Carolla (born 1964), of half Italian ancestry, comedian – actor and host of the Adam Carolla Show, Max Casella (Deitch) (born 1967) Italian mother and Jewish father – film/television actor (The Sopranos), Federico Castelluccio (born 1964) Italian-born actor (The Sopranos) Michael Cerveris (born 1960) Italian father, Damian Chapa (born 1963) mother is of Italian and German ancestry, Alicia Coppola (born 1968) actress, Roman Coppola (born 1965) Italian-American father – film actor, son of Francis Ford Coppola, Dan Cortese (born 1967) son of Sicilian parents – television actor, Lee Curreri (born 1961) actor, music composer and singer, Michael DeLuise (born 1969) Italian father and Italian-German mother – film actor (Encino Man), Peter DeLuise (born 1966) Italian father and Italian-German mother – television actor (21 Jump Street), Donna D'Errico (born 1968) Italian father and British-American mother – actress and model, John DiMaggio (born 1968) actor, voice actor, and comedian, known for his gruff voice, Illeana Douglas (born 1965) mother of Italian ancestry – film actress, Edie Falco (born 1963) Italian father and Swedish/English mother – actress (The Sopranos), Diane Farr (born 1969) of Italian and Irish descent – actress (Numb3rs), Jon Favreau (born 1966) mostly Italian and some French-Canadian father, Jewish mother – actor and director (Rocky Marciano), Sherilyn Fenn (born 1965) Italian great-grandfather, Adam Ferrara (born 1966) television actor and comedian, Linda Fiorentino (born 1960) film actress (The Last Seduction), Joely Fisher (born 1967) Italian grandfather – film/television actress, daughter of Connie Stevens, Tricia Leigh Fisher (born 1968) Italian grandfather – film/television actress, daughter of Connie Stevens, Matthew Fox (born 1966) maternal grandfather was of Italian descent – actor (Lost), Vincent Gallo (born 1961) independent film actor and director (Goodfellas), James Gandolfini (1961–2013) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Janeane Garofalo (born 1964) Italian father and Irish mother – stand-up comedian, actress, and political activist, Paul Giamatti (born 1967) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – Academy Award-nominated film actor, Richard Grieco (born 1965) actor Italian father and Irish mother, Frank Grillo (born 1963) of Italian heritage, Anthony Michael Hall (born 1968) 25% Italian, 75% Irish – film/television actor, former teen star, Carlo Imperato (born 1963) is an Italian-American actor, known for role as student Danny Amatullo in the 1982 Fame TV series, Michael Imperioli (born 1966) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Eddie Jemison (born 1963) film and television actor (Ocean's Eleven), Ashley Judd (Ciminella) (born 1968) Italian-American paternal grandfather – film actor, Michael Kelly (born 1968) mother is of Italian descent (Criminal Minds), Artie Lange (born 1967) 50% Italian, 25% German and 25% Native American – film/TV actor, comedian and radio personality, Matt LeBlanc (born 1967) Italian mother – television actor (Friends) John Leguizamo (born 1964) Italian, Puerto Rican, and Colombian descent – actor (Ice Age), Téa Leoni (Pantaleoni) (born 1966) Italian great-great-grandfather – actress, Louis Lombardi (born 1968) film/television actor (The Sopranos), Ralph Macchio (born 1961) father of Italian and Greek descent, mother of Italian ancestry – film actor (The Karate Kid), Max Martini (born 1969) Italian father, Dylan McDermott (born 1961) mother of Italian and English descent, father of Irish ancestry – film/TV actor (The Practice), Tim McGraw (born 1967) 25% Italian blood – actor and country music singer, Christopher Meloni (born 1961) Italian father and French Canadian mother – TV actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz), Sofia Milos (born 1965) Italian father and a Greek mother – actress Kathrine Narducci (born 1965) film/television actress (The Sopranos), Danny Nucci (born 1968) Italian father and Moroccan Jewish mother – film actor (Crimson Tide), Erik Palladino (born 1968) Italian father and Armenian mother – actor (ER), Mark Pellegrino (born 1965) actor of film and television, Sean Penn (born 1960) actor, director, screenwriter and producer, Teri Polo (born 1969) film and TV series actress, Ellen Pompeo (born 1969) paternal grandfather was Italian (Grey's Anatomy), Natalie Raitano (born 1966) television actress (V.I.P.), Norman Reedus (born 1969) Italian grandmother, Salli Richardson (born 1967) Black-American/American-Indian mother and part Italian father, Lisa Rinna (born 1963) television actress, Michael Rispoli (born 1960) actor (The Sopranos), Larry Romano (born 1963) of partial Italian descent – television actor and comedian (The King of Queens), Mark Ruffalo (born 1967) Italian father and half French-Canadian, half Italian mother – critically acclaimed film actor, Laura San Giacomo (born 1962) actress (Just Shoot Me) Al Sapienza (born 1962) actor (The Sopranos), Mia Sara (born 1967) actress (Legend), Glenn Scarpelli (born 1966) Italian American – actor ("One Day At A Time"), Annabella Sciorra (born 1964) film/television actress (Jungle Fever), Nick Scotti (born 1966) actor, model and singer, Terry Serpico (born 1964) Italian paternal grandfather, Matt Servitto (born 1965) Italian father and Irish mother – television actor (The Sopranos), Brooke Shields (born 1965) 12.5% Italian ancestry – film actress, Mira Sorvino (born 1967) Italian father and Anglo mother – Academy Award-winning actress, daughter of Paul Sorvino, Vincent Spano (born 1962) film actor (Brooklyn State of Mind), Gwen Stefani (born 1969) Italian father and part Irish mother – singer, fashion designer and actress, Quentin Tarantino (born 1963) part Italian – film director and actor (Pulp Fiction), Marisa Tomei (born 1964) Academy Award-winning film actress (My Cousin Vinny), Robert Torti (born 1961) actor, best known for playing roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals including Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Christine Tucci (born 1967) actress, sister of Stanley Tucci (Another World), Stanley Tucci (born 1960) film/television actor (Shall We Dance), Paige Turco (born 1965) actress (Person of Interest), Aida Turturro (born 1962) actress, cousin of John Turturro (The Sopranos), Nicholas Turturro (born 1962) film actor, brother of John Turturro (Jungle Fever, The Longest Yard), Lenny Venito (born 1968) film/television actor (The Sopranos), John Ventimiglia (born 1963) television actor (The Sopranos), Kate Walsh (born 1967) Italian mother, Lisa Ann Walter (born 1963) Italian mother. 1970s: Donna Adamo (born 1970) wrestler and actress (The Sopranos), Sasha Alexander (born 1973) television actress (NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles), Victor Alfieri (born 1971) Italian-born television actor, Chad Allen (Lazzari) (born 1974) Italian father and Anglo-American mother – film/television actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), Lauren Ambrose (D'Ambruoso) (born 1978) father of Italian descent and mother of German, Irish, and English descent – film/television actress (Six Feet Under), Lisa Ann (born 1972) of Italian and French descent – adult actress Leila Arcieri (born 1973) Italian father and African-American mother – actress and model, Billie Joe Armstrong (born 1972) Italian great-great-grandparents, Morena Baccarin (born 1979) Brazilian-American actress, Sara Bareilles (born 1979) of Italian, German, Portuguese, and French descent, Jason Biggs (born 1978) father of English and Italian descent, mother of Italian descent – film and television actor (American Pie), Mike Birbiglia (born 1978) comedian, actor, and filmmaker of part Italian descent, Danielle Bisutti (born 1976) actress and singer of Italian descent (True Jackson, VP), Lara Flynn Boyle (born 1970) actress, Cara Buono (born 1974) television actress (The Sopranos), Eddie Cahill (born 1978) Italian mother and Irish father – film/television actor (Miracle, CSI: NY), Bobby Cannavale (born 1971) Italian-American father and Cuban mother – film/television actor (Third Watch), Linda Cardellini (born 1975) part Italian ancestry – actress, Tracee Chimo (born 1979) mother of Irish and Italian descent, Jessica Collins (Capogna) (born 1971) film actress (The Young and the Restless), Marcus Coloma (born 1978) American actor of Italian and Hawaiian descent, Mark Consuelos (born 1970) Mexican father and Italian mother, Rachael Leigh Cook (born 1979) Italian mother and Anglo-American father – film actress (She's All That), Bradley Cooper (born 1975) mother of Italian ancestry and father of Irish ancestry – film actor (The Hangover) Sofia Coppola (born 1971) Italian father – director, actress, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Charlie Day (born 1976) father is of Italian and Irish descent, Marieh Delfino (born 1977) sister of actress Majandra Delfino (Jeepers Creepers 2), David DeLuise (born 1971) Italian father and Italian-German mother – television/film actor (Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Wizards of Waverly Place), Drea de Matteo (born 1972) Emmy-winning actress (The Sopranos), Wanda D'Isidoro (born 1977) Venezuelan actress, born in Boston, Leonardo DiCaprio (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – Academy Award winner (Titanic), Jennifer Esposito (born 1973) film/television actress (Spin City), Peter Facinelli (born 1973) film/television actor, Ben Falcone (born 1973) of Italian, English, German and Irish descent, Joey Fatone (born 1977) pop singer and actor ('N Sync, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Vanessa Ferlito (born 1977) actress (CSI: NY), Jerry Ferrara (born 1979) television actor (Entourage), Johnny Galecki (born 1975) of Polish, Irish, and Italian descent, Jennifer Gareis (born 1970) of part Italian descent – actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful), Luciano Giancarlo (1972–2007), Debbie Gibson (born 1970) of Italian, German and possibly Russian descent., Aria Giovanni (born 1973) Italian-Yugoslavian father and French-German-Irish-West Indian mother — nude model and actress, Joy Giovanni (born 1978) actress and former WWE wrestler, Carmine Giovinazzo (born 1973) of partial Italian descent – film/television actor (CSI: NY), Lola Glaudini (born 1971) actress, Justin Guarini (born 1978) Italian-American mother, Carla Gugino (born 1971) father of Italian ancestry – film actress, Lindsay Hartley (born 1978) Jewish father and mother of Greek and Italian descent – soap opera actress (Passions), Liza Huber (born 1975) maternal grandfather of Italian ancestry, Kate Hudson (born 1979) paternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film actress (Almost Famous), Jenna Jameson (Massoli) (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – model and adult actress, Bianca Kajlich (born 1977) mother of half Italian descent, Joey Lawrence (born 1976) of part Italian descent, Natasha Leggero (born 1974) of Italian descent, Joe Lo Truglio (born 1970) Irish-Italian, Domenick Lombardozzi (born 1976) of Italian heritage – actor, Justin Long (born 1978) paternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film/television actor (Jeepers Creepers), Kendra Lust (born 1978) of French Canadian and Italian descent – adult actress, Gina Lynn (born 1974) of Italian and Dutch descent – adult actress, Sam Maccarone (born 1975) star in National Lampoon's TV: The Movie, Joe Manganiello (born 1976) Italian father and Austrian-Armenian mother – movie and TV actor, Mike Maronna (born 1977) actor (Home Alone), Chris Messina (born 1974) actor (Damages), Alyssa Milano (born 1972) actress (Charmed, Who's the Boss?), Marisa Miller (Bertetta) (born 1978) paternal great-grandfather of Italian descent — model and actress, Kelly Monaco (born 1976) model and actress (General Hospital), Brittany Murphy (Bertolotti) (1977–2009) father of Italian ancestry – film actress, Alessandro Nivola (born 1972) Italian paternal grandfather and Jewish paternal grandmother; his father was born in Italy – film actor (Face/Off, Goal!), Annie Parisse (born 1975) Italian ancestry on father's side, Lana Parrilla (born 1977) mother is of Italian descent, Steven Pasquale (born 1976) film and TV series actor, Chelsea Peretti (born 1978) father is Italian-American, Gabriella Pession (born 1977) born in the US of Italian parents, Gina Philips (born 1970) Italian father, Zachary Quinto (born 1977) Italian father and Irish mother – film/television actor (Heroes, 24, Star Trek), Stephen Rannazzisi (born 1978) of Italian and Irish descent, Tara Reid (born 1975) part Italian ancestry, Leah Remini (born 1970) Italian father and Jewish mother – film/television actress (The King Of Queens), Giovanni Ribisi (born 1974) 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actor (Avatar, Gone in 60 Seconds, Saving Private Ryan), Marissa Ribisi (born 1974) twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi, Kelly Ripa (born 1970) 75% Italian and 25% Irish – actress (All My Children, Live with Regis and Kelly), Elisabeth Röhm (born 1973) Italian maternal grandfather, Jai Rodriguez (born 1979) Italian mother and Puerto Rican father – actor and culture guide (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Antonio Sabato Jr. (born 1972) Italian father and Czech and Jewish mother – Italian born actor, Adam Scott (1973) of Italian descent on his mother's side Sage Stallone (1976–2012) 25% Italian ancestry – film actor and son of Sylvester Stallone, Jonathan Togo (born 1977) 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actor (CSI: Miami), Liv Tyler (Tallarico) (born 1977) paternal great-grandfather of Italian ancestry – actress (Stealing Beauty), Mia Tyler (Tallarico) (born 1978) paternal half-sister of actress Liv Tyler, Amber Valletta (born 1974) paternal grandfather of Italian descent – actress (Revenge, Legends), Vince Vaughn (born 1970) of English, Irish, German, Italian, and Lebanese ancestry, Milo Ventimiglia (born 1977) father is of Italian descent – actor/producer (Heroes), Cerina Vincent (born 1979) Irish-Italian father, Italian mother – nude model and actress (Not Another Teen Movie), John Lloyd Young (born 1975) mother of Italian ancestry – theater/film actor, Tony Award winner (Jersey Boys), 1980s: Eva Amurri (born 1985), father and maternal grandmother of Italian ancestry – film/television actress, daughter of Susan Sarandon, Michael Angarano (born 1987), television/film actor (Sky High, Will & Grace), A.J. Applegate (born 1989) of Italian and German descent, Justin Baldoni (born 1984), Italian father and Jewish mother – television actor (Everwood), Adrian Bellani (Celasco) (born 1982), Salvadoran mother and Italian father – television actor (Passions), Troian Bellisario (born 1985), father is of half Italian and half Serbian descent, Rachel Bilson (born 1981), Italian mother and Jewish father – film/television actress (The O.C.), Corbin Bleu (born 1989), Italian mother and Jamaican father – film/television actor (High School Musical), Sophia Bush (born 1982), part Italian – television actress (One Tree Hill), Ashley Lyn Cafagna (born 1983), 25% Italian ancestry – soap opera actress turned film star and singer, Francis Capra (born 1983), Italian and Dominican descent, Gina Carano (born 1982), Italian descent – former MMA fighter and actress, Robert Carmine (Schwartzman) (born 1982), Italian mother and Jewish father – film actor, son of Talia Shire, Aya Cash (born 1982), mother of Italian descent, Loan Chabanol (born 1982), Lacey Chabert (born 1982), father is of 1/4 Italian descent, Hayden Christensen (born 1981), maternal grandmother is of Italian descent – actor (Awake), Stephen Colletti (born 1986), 25% Italian – reality television star and co-host of MTV's TRL, Mark Copani (born 1981), Italian father and Jordanian mother – actor and professional wrestler, Genevieve Cortese (born 1981), has Italian, French and Flemish ancestry, Kaley Cuoco (born 1985), father of Italian ancestry – television actress (8 Simple Rules, Charmed, The Big Bang Theory), Alexandra Daddario (born 1986), actress of mixed English, Hungarian, Irish and Italian descent, Matthew Daddario (born 1987), actor of mixed English, Hungarian, Irish and Italian descent, Nicholas D'Agosto (born 1980), father of Italian ancestry – television actor, Caroline D'Amore (born 1985), Italian ancestry on her father's side, Majandra Delfino (born 1981), father of Italian descent (Roswell), Lucy DeVito (born 1983), daughter of Danny DeVito, Torrey DeVitto (born 1984), daughter of Liberty DeVitto, Jessica DiCicco (born 1980), Italian father (Bobby DiCicco) – voice actress, Alexis Dziena (born 1984), has Irish, Italian and Polish descent (Invasion), Cameron Esposito (born 1981), Italian American parents, Chris Evans (born 1981), maternal grandfather of Italian ancestry – film actor (The Avengers, Fantastic Four), Briana Evigan (born 1986), maternal grandfather was of Italian ancestry (Step Up 2: The Streets), Santino Fontana (born 1982), half Italian, 1/4 Spanish, 1/4 Portuguese (Frozen, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), David Giuntoli (born 1980) is an actor of Italian (father) and Polish and German (mother) descent, Presley Hart (born 1988), has Italian descent, Shelley Hennig (born 1987), mother of Italian descent – film/television actress (Teen Wolf), David Henrie (born 1989), maternal grandparents were Italian – television actor (How I Met Your Mother, Wizards of Waverly Place), Vanessa Hessler (born 1988), mother of Italian ancestry, Paris Hilton (born 1981), Italian great-grandfather – television/film actress (House of Wax), Brooke Hogan (born 1988), paternal grandfather of Italian ancestry, Paul Iacono (born 1988), Italian-American parents, Jonas Brothers (Kevin, Joe and Nick), 12.5% Italian ancestry – singers/actors (Jonas L.A and Jonas Brothers), Ellie Kemper (born 1980), Italian from her maternal grandfather, along with English, French, and German ancestry, Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) (born 1986), 75% Italian ancestry – singer performer (The Fame Monster, Born This Way), Chloe Rose Lattanzi (born 1986), paternal grandfather of Italian descent – film actress, daughter of Matt Lattanzi, Katrina Law (born 1985), has German, Taiwanese and Italian ancestry – television/film actress (Spartacus: Blood and Sand), Andrew Lawrence (born 1988) brother of Joey Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence (born 1980) brother of Joey Lawrence, Lindsay Lohan (born 1986), Irish and Italian ancestry – television/film actress (The Parent Trap, Mean Girls), Michelle Lombardo (born 1983), Italian father and Irish mother – actress and model, Shannon Lucio (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Brooke Lyons (born 1980), has Italian, Irish and Portuguese descent. Tina Majorino (born 1985), 25% Italian ancestry – film/television actress (Napoleon Dynamite, Veronica Mars), Kate Mara (born 1983), maternal grandmother of Italian descent (House of Cards), Rooney Mara (born 1985), maternal grandmother of Italian descent (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Phoenix Marie (born 1981), Italian descent – adult film actress, Joseph Mazzello (born 1983), 3/8ths Italian ancestry, along with German Jewish, Polish, and Irish, Gregory Michael (born 1981), mother of Italian ancestry, father of English, Irish, German, French ancestry. (Dante's Cove, As the World Turns, Greek), Lea Michele (1986), Sephardic Jewish father and Italian Catholic mother; Michele was raised Catholic – (Glee), Kate Micucci (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Cristin Milioti (born 1985), Italian father (How I Met Your Mother), Vanessa Minnillo (born 1980), 25% Italian – actress, Frankie Muniz (born 1985), Italian and Irish mother and Puerto Rican father – film actor (Agent Cody Banks, Malcolm in the Middle), Rachel Nichols (born 1980), 3/16ths Italian descent (through her mother), Dawn Olivieri (born 1981), Italian ancestry, Olivia Palermo (born 1986), father of Italian descent – actress, Aleksa Palladino (born 1980), Italian ancestry, Hayden Panettiere (born 1989), part Italian – model and television/film actress (Heroes), Rosanna Pansino (born 1985), has Italian, Croatian, German, and Irish ancestry, Audrina Patridge (born 1985), part Italian ancestry, Charlie Pecoraro (born 1980), Italian-American – film/stage actor, Joseph Perrino (born 1982), film/television actor (The Sopranos), Michael Pitt (born 1981), mother is of Italian ancestry, Shawn Pyfrom (born 1986), 12.5% Italian ancestry – television/film actor (Desperate Housewives), Nikki Reed (born 1988), Jewish father, mother of 1/4 Italian descent – actress, Christina Ricci (born 1980), father of half Italian ancestry – film actress (The Addams Family), Italia Ricci (born 1986), Canadian-American actress, Amanda Righetti (born 1983), part Italian ancestry – film actress and producer, Amber Rose (born 1983), has Italian, Cape Verdean, Irish and Scottish ancestry, Dylan Ryder (born 1981), adult film actress of Italian and German descent, Jason Schwartzman (born 1980), Jewish father and Italian mother – film actor, son of Talia Shire (Rushmore), Alia Shawkat (born 1989), mother is of Norwegian, Irish, and Italian descent., The Situation (born 1981), television personality and actor, Bobbi Starr (born 1983), Italian and Hungarian ancestry Steven Strait (born 1986), father is of English descent and mother is of Italian descent — model, singer, and actor (Sky High, Magic City), Brooklyn Sudano (born 1981), Italian father, Taryn Thomas (born 1983), Italian ancestry, Arielle Vandenberg (born 1981), Italian and Dutch descent, Kate Voegele (born 1986), Italian ancestry, Casey Wilson (born 1980), Irish and Italian heritage. 1990s: Annabelle Attanasio (born 1993), father is of Italian descent, Sofia Black-D'Elia (born 1991), father is of Italian descent and mother is Jewish, Jake Cannavale (born 1995), Italian grandfather, Noah Centineo (born 1996), actor (father of Italian descent), Michael Cimino (born 1999), of Italian-German and Puerto Rican descent, Pete Davidson (born 1993), actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live), Seychelle Gabriel (born 1991), father is of Mexican and French descent while mother is of Italian ancestry, Leila George (born 1992), both parents (Vincent D'Onofrio and Greta Scacchi) are of Italian descent, Elizabeth Gillies (born 1993), Italian grandmother — television and Broadway actress/singer (Victorious), Selena Gomez (born 1992), mother of Italian descent, Ariana Grande (born 1993) television and Broadway actress/singer (Victorious), Willa Holland (born 1991), mother is of Italian descent – actress and model (Arrow), Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (born 1996), Italian father – actress (Game of Thrones), Liana Liberato (born 1995), of Italian, Czech, English, French and Irish descent, Ali Lohan (born 1993), part Irish and part Italian – television actress, musician, Caitlyn Taylor Love (born 1994), of Irish and Italian descent – television/film actress (I'm in the Band), Ryan Malgarini (born 1992), 25% Italian ancestry – film actor (Freaky Friday), Gia Mantegna (born 1990), daughter of Joe Mantegna who is of Italian descent – television actress (Unaccompanied Minors), Laura Marano (born 1995), father is of Italian descent – television actress (Austin & Ally), Vanessa Marano (born 1992), father is of Italian descent – television actress (Without a Trace, The Young and the Restless), Vincent Martella (born 1992), television actor (Everybody Hates Chris; Phineas and Ferb), Chris Massoglia (born 1992), television and motion picture actor (great-grandfather of Italian descent), Julianna Rose Mauriello (born 1991), Italian father, Jennette McCurdy (born 1992), great-grandparent of Italian descent — actress. (iCarly), Mitchel Musso (born 1991), of 3/8ths Italian ancestry – television actor (Hannah Montana), Dylan O'Brien (born 1991), of partial Italian descent – film/television actor (Teen Wolf; The Maze Runner), Jansen Panettiere (born 1994), part Italian – television actor (Tiger Cruise), Victoria Pedretti (born 1995), three-quarter Italian father, Madison Pettis (born 1998), her mother is of French, Irish and Italian descent (Cory in the House, Life with Boys), Bonnie Rotten (born 1993), of Italian, German, Polish, and Jewish descent – adult actress, Cassie Scerbo (born 1990), full Italian ancestry, Christian Serratos (born 1990), father is of Italian descent – film/television actress (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide; The Walking Dead), Bella Thorne (born 1997), Cuban, Irish, and Italian descent (Shake it Up). 2000s: Thomas Barbusca (born 2003), Francesca Capaldi (born 2004), Isabella Crovetti (born 2004), Daniel DiMaggio (born 2003), Jacob Hopkins (born 2002), Annie LeBlanc (born 2004) mother of Italian descent, Gaten Matarazzo (born 2002), August Maturo (born 2007), Jack Messina (born 2007), Addison Riecke (born 2004) of Italian/Sicilian descent, JoJo Siwa (born 2003), Mina Sundwall (born 2001) mother of Italian descent. TV and Press: Numerous American television personalities are of Italian descent. Talk-show hosts include Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Kelly Ripa, Maria Bartiromo, Adam Carolla, Neil Cavuto, Kelly Monaco, Jai Rodriguez, Annette Funicello, Victoria Gotti, Tony Danza, Giuliana DePandi, Giuliana Rancic, Bruno Cipriani. Each year we update this list amazing list!
Athletes / Sports
SPORTS: Italian Americans were active in professional sports as players, coaches and commissioners. Well-known professional baseball coaches in the post-war decades included: Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, Tony La Russa, Tommy Lasorda and Joe Torre. Linda Frattianne was the woman's U.S. figure skating champion four years in a row, from 1975–1978, and world champion in 1976 and 1978. Mario Andretti was a 3-time national race car champion; Mary Lou Retton won the all-around gold medal in Olympic woman's gymnastics; Matt Biondi won a total of 8 gold medals in Olympic swimming; and Brian Boitano won a gold medal in Olympic men's singles figure skating.A. Bartlett Giamatti became president of the National Baseball League in 1986, and Commissioner of Baseball in 1989. Paul Tagliabue was Commissioner of the National Football League from 1989 to 2006. Daniel C. "Dan" Marino was born in Pittsburgh to parents of Italian and Polish origin. He grew up on Parkview Avenue, a neighborhood traditionally inhabited by the working class. He was a multi-purpose athlete at high school and then a successful quarteback with the Panthers at Pittsburgh University. Selected in round 1 pick 27 of the 1983 draft by the Miami Dolphins, he will skillfully lead the Florida team (1983-1999) with a long series of successes and records: 1983 NFL Rookie of the Year, 1984 NFL MVP, 9 Pro Bowl (from 1983 to 1995), passages completed for 61361 yards. His no. 13 T-shirts were retired both by his college and by the Dolphins; and he was included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He too is on the all-time list of the best QBs, certainly in the Top 10. Joseph C. Joe Montana, born in 1956 in Pennsylvania, is the son of Joseph Montana Sr. (whose grandfathers with the true surname Montani or Montagna had arrived from Verbano Ossola in Northern Italy) and Theresa Bavuso, whose parents Vincenzo and Josephine Severino emigrated from Sicily in the twenties. After the seasons at Notre Dame University and a muted NFL draft (Joe will be selected only at the end of the third round with the 82nd overall pick), in the mid 1980 season he conquers the director's cabin of the San Francisco 49ers and opens an era of extraordinary successes: 4 Super Bowl (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV), 3 Super Bowl MVP (XVI, XIX, XXIV), 8 Pro Bowl. Joe Montana is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL's history. Each year one collegiate football player is selected by a panel of voters as the nation's most outstanding college football player and the recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Since its inception in 1935 eight Italian-Americans have won this prestigious award and joined an elite club that only has less than 100 members. The list of those Italian-American winners: Angelo Bertelli - Notre Dame / Alan Ameche - Wisconson / Joe Bellino - Navy / Gary Beban - UCLA / John Cappelletti - Penn State / Gino Torretta - Miami / Vinny Testaverde - Miami / Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M. Italian Americans have held numerous world championships for example the GOAT - Rocco Francis Marchegiano (Rocky Marciano) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated. / Tony Canzoneri, Born 6th November 1908 was an American professional boxer. A three-division world champion, he held a total of five world titles. Canzoneri is a member of the exclusive group of boxing world champions who have won titles in three or more divisions. Ray Mancini, best known as "Boom Boom" Mancini, competed professionally from 1979 to 1992 and who has since worked as an actor and sports commentator. He held the WBA lightweight title from 1982 to 1984. Vinny Paz, formerly Vinny Pazienza, held world titles at lightweight and light middleweight. The 2016 film Bleed for This is based on his comeback from a spinal injury. Stephen J. Bisciotti (born April 10, 1960) business executive and the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.. He founded Aerotek, the largest privately owned staffing and recruiting company in the U.S. based in Hanover, Maryland and cofounded Allegis Group, an international talent management firm headquartered in Hanover, Maryland that owns Aerotek; TEKsystems; MarketSource; Major, Lindsey & Africa; Aston Carter; and Allegis Global Solutions. Jerry Colangelo - businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Italian Americans are top sports legends, an integral part of America's sports history and their extensive contributions are too voluminous to cover. Many top contributors with more to come!.
Government / Politics
GOVERNMENT: Numerous Italian Americans became involved in politics at the local, state and national levels: Pete Domenici, who was elected to the U.S. Senate from New Mexico in 1973, and served six terms; Patrick Leahy who was elected to the U.S. Senate from Vermont in 1973, and has served continuously since then; and Alfonse D'Amato, who served as U.S. Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999. Benjamin Civiletti served as the United States Attorney General during the last year and a half of the Carter administration, from 1979 to 1981. Frank Carlucci served as the United States Secretary of Defense, from 1987 to 1989 in the administration of President Ronald Reagan.At the close of the 20'TH century, 31 men and women of Italian descent were serving in the U.S. House and Senate and 82 of the 1,000 largest U.S. cities had mayors of Italian descent, and 166 college and university presidents were of Italian descent. Two Italian Americans, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito, were serving as U.S. Supreme Court justices. Over two dozen Italian Americans were serving in the Catholic Church as bishops. Four--Joseph Bernardin, Justin Rigali, Anthony Bevilacqua and Daniel DiNardo—had been elevated to Cardinals. Italian Americans had served with distinction in all of America's wars, and over thirty had been awarded the Medal of Honor. Over two dozen of Italian descent had been elected as state governors including, most recently, Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts, John Baldacci of Maine, Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island. Influence on American culture and society: Columbus Day in Salem, Massachusetts in 1892. Since 1968, voters have split about evenly between the Democratic (37%) and the Republican (36%) parties. and now many are supporting the Independent entities in particular United and U.S. Global Goals. The U.S. Congress includes Italian Americans who are leaders in both the Republican and Democratic parties. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first woman and Italian American Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Former Republican New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was a candidate for the U.S. presidency in the 2008 election, as was Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo. Rick Santorum won many primaries in his candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. In the 2016 election, Santorum and New Jersey governor Chris Christie ran for the Republican nomination, as did Ted Cruz and George Pataki, who both have a smaller amount of Italian ancestry. Robert Dionisio was the 1'ST Italian American in history to run for President in 2016 as a registered Independent candidate and also the founder of both United Party U.S.A. and U.S. Global Goals. Mike Pompeo served as the 70th United States Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021. Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman on a major party ticket, running for Vice President as a Democrat in 1984. Two justices of the Supreme Court have been Italian Americans, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito. Both were appointed by Republican presidents, Scalia by Ronald Reagan and Alito by George W. Bush. The Italian American Congressional Delegation currently includes 30 members of Congress who are of Italian descent. They are joined by more than 150 associate members, who are not Italian American but have large Italian American constituencies. Since its founding in 1975, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) has worked closely with the bicameral and bipartisan Italian American Congressional Delegation, which is led by co-chairs Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Rep. Pat Tiberi of Ohio. The NIAF hosts a variety of public policy programs, contributing to public discourse on timely policy issues facing the nation and the world. These events are held on Capitol Hill and other locations under the auspices of NIAF's Frank J. Guarini Public Policy Forum and its sister program, the NIAF Public Policy Lecture Series. NIAF's 2009 public policy programs on Capitol Hill featured prominent Italians and Italian Americans as keynote speakers, including Leon Panetta, Director of the CIA, and Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Italy. By the 1890s Italian Americans in New York City were mobilizing as a political force. They helped elect Fiorello La Guardia (a Republican) as mayor in 1933, and helped reelect him in 1937, and 1941. They rallied for Vincent R. Impellitteri (a Democrat) in 1950, and Rudolph W. Giuliani (a Republican) in 1989 (when he lost), and in 1993 and 1997 (when he won). All three Italian Americans aggressively fought to reduce crime in the city; each was known for his good relations with the city's powerful labor unions. La Guardia and Giuliani have had the reputation among specialists on urban politics as two of the best mayors in American history. Democrat Bill de Blasio, the third mayor of Italian ancestry, is the 109th and current mayor of New York City. Mario Cuomo (Democratic) served as the 52nd Governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1995. His son Andrew Cuomo is the 56th (and current) Governor of New York and previously served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1997 to 2001 and as the Attorney General of New York from 2007 to 2010. In the past 2 decades alone, several Italian Americans have served as top ranking generals. They include Anthony Zinni, Raymond Odierno, Carl Vuono and Peter Pace, the latter three having also been appointed Chief of Staff of their respective services. . It is also of importance to note that Army Maj. Marie Therese Rossi was America's first female fighter pilot. Numerous others Italian Americans have been and are on the new political horizons.
Science
Science: Italian Americans have been responsible for major breakthroughs in virtually all fields of science, including engineering, medicine and physics. Physicist and Nobel-prize laureate Enrico Fermi was the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, and among the leading scientist involved in the Manhattan Project during WW2. One of the main Fermi's collaborators, Franco Rasetti, was awarded the Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal by the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to Cambrian paleontology. Federico Faggin developed the first micro-chip and micro-processor. Robert Gallo led research that identified a cancer-causing virus. Anthony Fauci in 2008 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work on the AIDS relief program PEPFAR. Astrophysicist Riccardo Giacconi was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources. Virologist Renato Dulbecco won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on oncoviruses. Pharmacologist Louis Ignarro was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide. Microbiologist Salvador Luria won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1969 for his contribution to major discoveries on the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses. Physicist William Daniel Phillips in 1997 won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to laser cooling. Physicist Emilio Segrè discovered the elements technetium and astatine, and the antiproton, a subatomic antiparticle, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1959. Nine Italian Americans, including a woman, have gone into space as astronauts: Wally Schirra, Dominic Antonelli, Charles Camarda, Michael Massimino, Richard Mastracchio, Ronald Parise, Mario Runco, Albert Sacco and Nicole Marie Passonno Stott. Rocco Petrone was the third director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, from 1973 to 1974. Scientists Aristides Agramonte - bacteriologist, Janis Amatuzio (born 1950) - forensic pathologist, John T. Cacioppo - neuroscientist, Eugenio Calabi - mathematician, Nicholas R. Cozzarelli, Charles DeLisi, Renato Dulbecco - Nobel prize 1975 winner for medicine, Federico Faggin - widely known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, Robert Fano (1917–2016) - computer scientist, Ugo Fano (1912–2001) - physicist, Anthony Fauci - immunologist contributing to research in the areas of AIDS and other immunodeficiencies, Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) - physicist; Nobel Prize 1938, Robert Gallo - virologist, Albert Ghiorso - nuclear scientist who helped discover several chemical elements on the periodic table, Riccardo Giacconi (1931–2018) - astrophysicist; Nobel Prize 2002, Edward J. Giorgianni - imaging scientist, Louis Ignarro - Nobel Prize 1998 winner for medicine, Robert Lanza, Paul J. Lioy - exposure science, Mariangela Lisanti - theoretical physicist, Salvador Luria - microbiologist; Nobel Prize 1969, Mike Massimino - astronaut, Fulvio Melia - physicist, astrophysicist, and author, Antonio Meucci - telephone inventor, Franco Modigliani - economist; Nobel Prize 1985, Rita Levi-Montalcini - neurobiologist; Nobel Prize 2009, Lisa Marie Nowak - born Lisa Marie Caputo; astronaut, William Daniel Phillips - physicist; shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1997, with Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji Sam Potolicchio - psychologist specializing in government, Bruno Rossi, Gian-Carlo Rota, Jack Sarfatti, Piero Scaruffi (born 1955) - cognitive scientist, Walter Schirra - astronaut, Emilio Segrè - Nobel Prize 1959-winning physicist and academic, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (1922–2018) - geneticist, Giuliana Tesoro (1921–2002) - organic chemist, Andrew Viterbi, Philip Zimbardo, #Science
Food & Beverge
FOOD & BEVERAGE: Italian Americans have profoundly influenced the eating habits of America. An increasing number of Italian dishes are well known and enjoyed. Italian American TV personalities, such as Mario Batali, Giada DeLaurentiis, Rachael Ray and Lidia Bastianich have hosted popular cooking shows featuring Italian cuisine. Folklore: Feast of San Gennaro in New York. One of the most characteristic and popular of Italian American cultural contributions has been their feasts. Throughout the United States, wherever one may find an "Italian neighborhood" (often referred to as "Little Italy"), one can find festive celebrations such as the well-known Feast of San Gennaro in New York City, the unique Our Lady of Mount Carmel "Giglio" Feast in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, Italian feasts involve elaborate displays of devotion to Jesus Christ and patron saints. On the weekend of the last Sunday in August, the residents of Boston's North End celebrate the "Feast of all Feasts" in honor of St. Anthony of Padua, which was started over 300 years ago in Montefalcione, Italy. Perhaps the most widely known is St. Joseph's feast day on March 19. These feasts are much more than simply isolated events within the year. Feast (Festa in Italian) is an umbrella term for the various secular and religious, indoor and outdoor activities surrounding a religious holiday. Typically, Italian feasts consist of festive communal meals, religious services, games of chance and skill and elaborate outdoor processions consisting of statues resplendent in jewels and donations. The celebration usually takes place over the course of several days, and is communally prepared by a church community or a religious organization over the course of several months. Currently, there are more than 300 Italian feasts celebrated throughout the United States. The largest is Festa Italiana, held in Milwaukee every summer. These feasts are visited each year by millions of Americans from various backgrounds who come together to enjoy Italian music and food delicacies. In the past, as to this day, an important part of Italian American culture centers around music and cuisine. Italian American cuisine and restaurants are many of the finest in the nation as well its top ranked Chefs. Just an initial (4) to share are: 1.) Mario Francesco Batali (born in September 19, 1960) is at second position among the top 10 chefs in America. He is a culinary specialist, author, restaurateur, and media identity. Nevertheless, his traditional culinary cooking is excellent. He is specialist since many years of history in the society of Italian cooking, including local and region varieties. Batali co-possesses restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong Westport, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut. Batali’s mark apparel style combines a downy vest, shorts and orange Crocs. He is also called “Molto Mario”. 2.) Tom Colicchio was born on August 15, 1962, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He figured out how to cook from his mom and grandma and began filling in as a high schooler culinary expert in a main residence fish eatery. He is considered as the eight famous most chef among the top 10 chefs in America. He set up the bulging diner Gramercy Tavern in 1994 and would later open the Craft line of eateries. He’s featured in the hit unscripted television show Top Chef, which won an Emmy in 2010. Colicchio is the owner and executive chef at Craft Los Angeles and owns another 11 restaurants some of which are located in Riverpark and Temple Court, New York City as well as Craftsteak in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada. He is a celebrity chef who has been the head judge on Bravo’s cooking show Top Chef since its inception and is a main consulting producer on the spin off Top Chef Masters. In 2010 Colicchio won an Emmy award for producing Top Chef. He was also an executive producer and host on Best New Restaurant. In addition, he has started a podcast called Citizen Chef in 2020. Colicchio also authored three books, Think Like a Chef, Craft of Cooking: notes and recipes from a restaurant kitchen and ‘Wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal-and a meal into a sandwich. Colicchio has received five James Beard Foundation Awards for his innovative cooking talents. His food has been hailed by many talented chefs in the culinary world as well as many celebrities. Colicchio is also a part of City Harvest and Food Bank For New York City, both organizations that aim to help those in need. His participation in these organizations has been lauded and celebrated by many as he spends much of his time working for these charity organizations despite his large celebrity status. 3.) Top 10'TH Chef of America is Alfred Portale, born July 5, 1954 in Buffalo, NY is among the top 10 chefs in America, gourmet specialists, creators and restaurateurs known as a pioneer in the New American food development. Following to graduating top of his class from the Culinary Institute of America in 1981, Portale turned into the gourmet specialist at Gotham Bar and Grill in 1985 and took it to new statures with his lovely plating and emphasis on fantastic fixings and made his place at the list of top 10 chefs in America. 4.) Giada De Laurentiis - Born in Rome, Italy, Giada had a very strong pedigree of food in her blood. Her grandfather owned a restaurant, DDL Foodshow in Beverly Hills, California. After her parents divorced, she moved to Southern California with her mother and spent a lot of time around the kitchen in her grandfather’s restaurants. After earning her degree in sociology from University of California, Los Angeles, Giada headed to Paris to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to become a pastry chef. She returned to Los Angeles to work at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Spago, and worked as a food stylist and was contacted by Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine Magazine in 2002. Her TV show Everyday Italian launched in 2003 on Food Network and the network was accused on staging a model in as a chef. It's tough to be a gorgeous Italian Goddess that can cook masterpiece dishes folks. She’s published 6 books and continued to be the beautiful face of the Food Network. 5.) Rocco Dispirito - born in Queens, New York, DiSpirito graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1986. His dishes take on a life of their own as they include traditional yet inventive mixes for amazing culinary delights. He is also a world-renowned cookbook author and celebrity chef, starring in the reality series The Restaurant and was a judge on the television series Top Chef. He was also the host of his own television program Now Eat This! With Rocco DiSpirito which he has also made into three cookbooks. DiSpirito was involved in the restaurant Union Pacific which he opened in 1997 until he left in 2004. He has won multiple awards over the years and along with his several cookbooks he has authored has stayed relevant for years. DiSpirito has a website which sells organic protein powders and vegan energy mixes. 6. Andrew Carmellini - After building his restaurant empire in New York, famed chef and his NoHo Hospitality Group settle into Detroit’s Shinola Hotel. Growing up in a Cleveland suburb, Andrew Carmellini would go with his family to the West Side Market every Sunday to buy produce. The year-round public market is located a few minutes from downtown, and “nobody went downtown,” he says. “Now you go downtown, there’s young people living there, people jogging down the street,” he says of his hometown. It’s similar to what he sees in downtown Detroit, noting the local culinary scene boasting several chef-driven restaurants. “I really like being a part of that (revitalization) even though I’m not from Detroit,” he says of the city where his NoHo Hospitality Group has opened several food and beverage concepts, including flagship restaurant San Morello as well as The Brakeman beer hall and Penny Red’s fried chicken carryout counter, in the Shinola Hotel. NoHo Hospitality Group has restaurants in New York as well as Miami and Baltimore, where they found a local partner and they took the same approach in Detroit. Carmellini says Shinola founder Tom Kartsotis would stay at the Greenwich Hotel, where Carmellini’s Locanda Verde is located, when he was in New York. Also one of Carmellini’s partners, Josh Pickard, a Huntington Woods native, often was “preaching the gospel” of Michigan. Kartsotis approached Carmellini about opening up in the hotel, a collaboration between Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock and the luxury watch brand.Before the celebrity collaborations and award-winning restaurants, Carmellini’s culinary path began with humble beginnings. His mom was a good cook, and he liked to eat, so he got into cooking at a young age. When he graduated from high school in 1989, Carmellini, 48, says everyone in his class went on to college except for two, and Carmellini was one of them. “One guy went into the military and the other one — me — went to cooking school, which was unheard of. Everyone, other parents were concerned. They’re like, ‘What are you going to do? How are you going to make money? How are you going to be a quote unquote professional?’ It just wasn’t something that people did. It was a business full of psychopaths, rejects from society. And I was never going to college. I was either going to Berklee School of Music or culinary school.” The music connoisseur was accepted to the top music school, but his choice of pursuing culinary arts turned out well for him. He moved to New York, cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, including Valentino Mercatile’s Michelin two-star San Domenico in Emilio-Romagna, Italy, and later at three-star Michelin starred L’Arpege in Paris, before coming back to New York to be chef de cuisine at famed chef Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud for seven years. In May 2009, actor Robert De Niro approached Carmellini to reopen his restaurant in The Greenwich Hotel as Locanda Verde, a rustic Italian restaurant that garnered a favorable review in The New York Times as well as a James Beard nomination. From there, he went on to open several other concepts in his NoHo Hospitality Group portfolio, including the Dutch and French-inspired Lafayette. Opened in December, San Morello is inspired by regional Italian cuisine that showcases dishes and ingredients from the country’s coastal areas with some familiar dishes such as My Grandmother’s Ravioli. It’s not a cutting-edge dish, Carmellini says, but it’s an homage to a favorite dish that stays true to the spirit of the food. His grandmother immigrated to Miami from Italy in the 1930s, and her dishes was actually more Southern influenced — they would eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day, for example. But there was also polenta. “It’s more of like a Sunday ravioli. It’s got parts that would be hers if she had a team of like eight chefs every day,” Carmellini says. Other staples of the dinner menu include the wood-fired pizzas (they initially offered a luxurious pizza with black truffles, another example of how this is not your grandmother’s fare), southern Italian dips such as ricotta with hot honey, pastas and hearty entrees of wood-fired lamb shank osso buco and branzino. The menu is expected to change to reflect the seasons, and as they get settled in, Carmellini and his team are looking forward to exploring the possibilities of Detroit’s urban farmers’ bounty. While Carmellini doesn’t live in Detroit, he says nine people from New York moved to Detroit to work at San Morello — and three of them have already put down roots here. These top Italian American famous chefs have inspired Italian cooking through their unique dishes. They each made the Italian cuisine their passion and have been recognized for the art, bringing the Italian culture to the world through food. Italian cooking is a staple of American culture and people strive to emulate these top Italian chefs as their creations uplift and mesmerize us. This list of great Italian Chefs worldwide is volumous. But now we share the "Top 25 Italian Chefs" that are not American citizens but have made tremendous impact on creations, education and training to Chefs in the Unites States and worldwide: Massimo Bottura, Andrea Accordi, Massimiliano Alajmo, Andrea Apuzzo, Massimo Capra, Caesar Cardini, Antonio Carluccio, Pasquale Carpino, Cesare Casella, Gianfranco Chiarini, Gennaro Contaldo, Salvatore Cuomo, Gino D’Acampo, Attilio di Fabrizio, Raffaele Esposito, Mario Frittoli, Giorgio Locatelli, Gualtiero Marchesi, Martino da Como, Renato Piccolotto, Giovanni Rana, Gian Franco Romagnoli, Bartolomeo Scappi, Maurizio Vasco, Heinz Winkler. The list of great Italian chefs is simply amazing. #ITAA #ItalianAmerican #Cuisine
Religion
Christopher Columbus, an Italian, was the leader of those who in succeeding centuries were led by the Providence of God, through economic necessities, to propagate the Faith in the New World. The immediate Italian followers of Columbus were John Cabot, the first navigator to reach the coast of North America, his son Sebastian, who reached Labrador, Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to the continent, and Verrazzano, the discoverer of New York Bay and of the Hudson River. Previous legendary discoveries did not open the continent to Christian civilization, as did the discovery of Columbus and the explorations of those Italians who followed him. Since the discovery of the new continent the sons of Saint Francis have been indefatigable in their work in the new vineyard of the Lord. When the immigrants began to come in large numbers the Franciscans were already at work among them, instructing them, and comforting them in the trials of their new life. St. Anthony's Church, founded in 1866, was the first Italian parish to be organized in the Archdiocese of New York, and its pastors, the Franciscan Fathers, have established missions all over the country, faithfully imitating their seraphic founder by their zeal. Notable among the pioneer Franciscans were Father Pamfilo da Magliano, founder of St. Bonaventure's College at Allegany, New York; Leo Paccillio, first pastor of St. Anthony's church and parish, New York; Anacletus De Angelis, who raised a monument to his order by building the church and convents of St. Anthony. The Franciscans were followed by the Jesuits, the Scalabrini Fathers, the Salesians, the Passionists, and the Augustinians. The American episcopate has at all times endeavoured to provide the Italian immigrants with churches and Italian priests. In some cases these efforts did not prove very successful on account of the difficulty of persuading Italians to support their church, a difficulty which can easily be explained when it is borne in mind that the Church in Italy is supported by what might be called indirect taxation. Whenever possible, parochial schools have been established, and in most of them both English and Italian are taught. These schools are looked upon very favourably by the Italians, and an effort ought to be made to extend their influence; very often the parents are brought to the Church through the influence of the pupils of the parochial schools.The Saint Anthony of Padua Church in New York was established in 1859 as the first parish in the United States formed specifically to serve the Italian immigrant community. The vast majority of Italian Americans are Catholics, although Catholic affiliation among Italian American adults has fallen from 89% in 1972 to 56% in 2010 (-33 percentage points). By 1910, Italian-Americans had founded 219 Catholic churches and 41 parochial schools, served by 315 priests and 254 nuns, 2 Catholic seminaries and 3 orphanages. Four hundred Italian Jesuit priests left Italy for the American West between 1848 and 1919. Most of these Jesuits left their homeland involuntarily, expelled by Italian nationalists in the successive waves of Italian unification that dominated Italy. When they came to the West, they ministered to Indians in the Northwest, Irish-Americans in San Francisco and Mexican Americans in the South West; they also ran the nation's most influential Catholic seminary, in Woodstock, Md. In addition to their pastoral work, they founded numerous high schools and colleges, including Regis University, Santa Clara University, the University of San Francisco and Gonzaga University. Our Lady of Pompeii Church in New York was founded in 1892 as a national parish to serve Italian-American immigrants who settled in Greenwich Village. In some Sicilian American communities, primarily Buffalo and New Orleans, Saint Joseph's Day (March 19) is marked by parades and celebrations, including traditional "St. Joseph's tables", where meatless dishes are served for the benefit of the communities' poor. Columbus Day is also widely celebrated, as are the feasts of some regional Italian patron saints. In Boston's North End, the Italian immigrants celebrate the "Feast of all Feasts" Saint Anthony's Feast. Started by Italian immigrants from Montefalcione, a small town near Naples, Italy in 1919, the feast is widely considered the largest and most authentic Italian Religious festival in the United States. Over 100 vendors and 300,000 people attend the feast over a 3-day period in August. San Gennaro (September 19) is another popular saint, especially among Neapolitans. Santa Rosalia (September 4), is celebrated by immigrants from Sicily. Immigrants from Potenza celebrate the San Rocco's Day (August 16) feast at the Potenza Lodge in Denver the third weekend of August. San Rocco is the patron saint of Potenza, as is San Gerardo. Many still celebrate the Christmas season with a Feast of the Seven Fishes. The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated in Cleveland's Little Italy on August 15. On this feast day, people will pin money on a Blessed Virgin Mary statue as a symbol of prosperity. The statue is then paraded through Little Italy to Holy Rosary Church. Mother Cabrini - Born outside Milan in 1850, Francis Xavier Cabrini heeded the request of Pope Leo XIII and moved to the U.S. in the late 1880s to serve the millions of Italian immigrants who were flocking to its shores. She founded her first American orphanage in upstate New York in 1890 but refused to stay put, fielding calls to help the abandoned, sick and destitute across the country and around the world. Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1909, Mother Cabrini died in one of her own hospitals in Chicago eight years later, leaving behind a legacy of more than five dozen schools, orphanages and hospitals built. She became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized in 1946, fittingly finding her place in the firmament as the patron saint of immigrants. For almost 25 years, Cleveland Bishop Anthony Pilla participated in the parade and Mass to celebrate his Italian heritage. Bishop Pilla retired in April 2006, but continues to participate. Anthony "Tony" Campolo born February 25, 1935, is an American sociologist, pastor, author, public speaker and former spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo is known as one of the most influential leaders in the evangelical left and has been a major proponent of progressive thought and reform within the evangelical community. He has also become a leader of the Red-Letter Christian movement, which aims to put emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. Campolo is a popular commentator on religious, political, and social issues, and has been a guest on programs such as The Colbert Report, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect and The Hour. VATICAN CITY — Italian-born Cardinal-designate Silvano Tomasi describes himself as "one of those 40 million Americans who were born outside the United States, but at the same time are part of the makeup of the country." The Italian American cardinal-designate, who celebrated his 80th birthday on Oct. 12, has not lived full time in the United States since 1989, but he told Catholic News Service he feels "more American than anything else." Pope Francis announced Oct. 25 that he would induct the archbishop into the College of Cardinals Nov. 28. Also most recently in October 2021 - Father Anthony Sorgie opened his homily at the 44th annual Columbus Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a story many Italian Americans can relate to. The priest spoke movingly of his mother arriving as a young girl with his grandmother at Ellis Island in 1925 to eventually meet with his grandfather and his uncles who were awaiting their arrival to settle as a family in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. “He was talking about when his mother first came here from Italy in 1925 and I was thinking in the back of my mind when my grandfather came here with his brothers in 1900,” Michael Grillo, 59, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady in Tuckahoe where Father Sorgie is pastor, told CNY. “I was thinking about the neighborhoods they lived in. They went to Brooklyn. My grandfather owned a pub at one time and during Prohibition it changed over to a candy store.” Father Sorgie said Christopher Columbus was a Third Order Franciscan and his journey included spreading the faith in the New World. “Those Franciscans made him proud,” he said. “Four centuries later they came here to take care of those Italian immigrants. “But the Mass and parade today are only partly about Christopher Columbus. They’re part of Italian American Heritage Month, and we are the same and we remember and give tribute to all of those immigrants, especially today to the Italian immigrants that came and made our country here better for their coming in so many ways.” Father Sorgie, in closing his homily, shared three of the many ways the Italian immigrants made the United States better—faith, family and la dolce vita, a popular Italian phrase meaning the sweet life, a way of life that is easygoing and enjoyable and worthy of emulation. Father Sorgie used la dolce vita to extol the human genius in Italian art, sculptures, music, and food and wine. “So capturing all the dreams, all the exploration, all the wonder, all the discovery that immigrants needed and the discoverer needed, we praise Almighty God today for all of them but especially for our faith, for our families and for the sweet life that continues to be human genius,” he said. Cardinal Dolan opened Mass with a welcome in English and Italian. “(Christopher Columbus) was an agent of Jesus in bringing the faith to the New World, so we thank God for him and we thank God for the Italian culture, the magnificent contribution of the Italians to the fabric of American life and, if I might say so, to our Catholic family,” the cardinal said. Cardinal Dolan was joined on the altar by Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn; Bishop Philippos Stephanos Thottathil of the Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace in the United States and Canada; Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen, vicar for clergy in the archdiocese; Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Colacicco; Auxiliary Bishop Luis Miguel Romero Fernandez of Rockville Centre; Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros of Brooklyn; Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, vicar general and moderator of the curia in the archdiocese; Msgr. Robert Ritchie, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral; Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of archdiocesan Catholic Charities; and many other priests and deacons. Attending the Mass were Fabrizio Di Michele, Consul General of Italy in New York; Michael Pascucci, grand marshal of the Columbus Day Parade; and parade honorees Joseph Gurrera, Jodi Pulice and FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, the parade’s Humanitarian Award winner. The 77th annual Columbus Day Parade, sponsored by the Columbus Citizens Foundation, on Fifth Avenue, was back in-person after being limited to a virtual celebration last year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Thousands of marchers processed along the route from 44th Street to 72nd Street. Gloria Avery, 65, of Manhattan, who attended the Mass and parade, said, “It’s wonderful to see the Italian community come together.” Her mother, Jeannie Venuto, hailed from Italy. Grillo was watching this year’s march from the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral with his wife, Maria, and son, Michael. “There is no better parade than the one here in New York,” he said. Prelates. Msgr. Geno Baroni (1930–1984) - Catholic Coordinator for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Francis X. DiLorenzo (1942–2017) - twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia, John Clement Favalora - Archbishop of the Latin Rite Archdiocese of Miami, Fr. Stan Fortuna - Roman Catholic priest, James Groppi - Roman Catholic priest and noted civil rights activist Francis Mugavero - first Italian-American Bishop of Brooklyn, 1968–1990, Anthony M. Pilla - bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, 1979–2006, Joseph Rosati - first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis, Robert Sirico - Cardinals, Joseph Louis Bernardin (1928–1996) - Archbishop of Cincinnati, Archbishop of Chicago, Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1923–2012) - served as Bishop of Pittsburgh and Archbishop of Philadelphia, Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (born 1949) - Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Justin Francis Rigali (born 1935) - Archbishop of Philadelphia, While most Italian-American families have a Catholic background, about 19% self-identified as Protestant in 2010. In the early 20th century, about 300 Protestant missionaries worked in urban Italian American neighborhoods. Some have joined the Episcopal Church, which still retains much of the Catholic liturgical form. Some have converted to evangelical churches. Fiorello La Guardia was an Episcopalian on his father's side; his mother was from the small but significant community of Italian Jews. There is a small charismatic denomination, known as the Christian Church of North America, which is rooted in the Italian Pentecostal Movement that originated in Chicago in the early 20th century. A group of Italian immigrants in Trenton, New Jersey and Wakefield, Mass. built their own small Baptist Chapel and converted to the Baptist denomination. The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, which is headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, counts significant numbers of Italian Americans in its leadership and membership. The town of Valdese, North Carolina was founded in 1893 by a group of Italians of Waldensian religion, originally from the Cottian Alps in Italy. Italian Jews: Emilio Segrè, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1959, was among the Italian Jews who emigrated to the United Stataes after Mussolini's regime implemented an anti-semitic legislation. The Jewish emigration from Italy was never of a magnitude that resulted in the formation of Italian-Jewish communities in the United States. Religious Italian Jews integrated into existing Jewish communities without difficulty, especially in Sephardic communities; and those who were secular found Jewish secular institutions in the United States ready to welcome them. Despite their small numbers, Italian American Jews have had a great impact on American life, starting with Lorenzo Da Ponte (born Emanuele Conegliano), Mozart's former librettist, opera impresario and the first Professor of Italian at Columbia College in New York where he lived from 1805 to his death in 1838. From a religious point of view the figure of greatest influence is that of Rabbi Sabato Morais who, at the end of the nineteenth century, was the leader of the large Sephardic community of Philadelphia and, in 1886, he became one of the founders of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, where he became its first dean. Two other Italian Jews achieved prominence in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century: Giorgio Polacco was the principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera House (1915–1917), and the Chicago Civic Opera (1921–30); and Fiorello La Guardia was a member of the U.S. Congress (1917–1919 and 1923–1933), and a popular Mayor of New York (1934–1945). A descendant on his mother's side of the great Italian rabbi Samuel David Luzzatto, La Guardia could address his constituency in both Italian and Yiddish. Under Mussolini's Racial Laws of 1938, Italians Jews, who had lived in Italy for over two millennia, were stripped of most of their civil liberties. Forced to the US by the Fascist persecutions during the 1930’s and 1940’s, roughly two thousand Italian Jews landed in America and continued their work in a wide range of fields. Many achieved international importance, including: Giorgio Levi Della Vida, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Vittorio Rieti, Bruno Rossi, Emilio Segre, Giorgio Cavaglieri, Ugo Fano, Robert Fano, Guido Fubini, Eugene Fubini and Silvano Arieti. Of particular importance also are the contributions of the Italian Jewish women Maria Bianca Finzi-Contini, Bianca Ara Artom, and Giuliana Tesoro, who opened the fields of university and scientific research to Italian American women. After the war, four Italian-American Jews received the Nobel prize: Franco Modigliani, Emilio Segre, Salvador Luria and Rita Levi Montalcini. Also of significance are the contributions of communication specialist Andrew Viterbi, journalist/writer Ken Auletta and economist Guido Calabresi. The international recognition of the work of Primo Levi and other Italian-Jewish authors, such as Giorgio Bassani and Carlo Levi, has increased the interest in the U.S. in Italian Judaism, demonstrated by the opening in 1998 of Primo Levi Center, NY. Overall, 1,000's of Italian Americans have joined the clergy, written books, started missions, with thousands of profound contributors. The list of contributions in seemingly endless - a blessing.
Education
Education: Many of America's top educators, lecturers, medical leaders, engineers, scientists and authors are / were of Italian American heritage. Italian Cultural and Community Center (Logue House) in the Houston Museum District During the era of mass immigration, rural families in Italy did not place a high value on formal education since they needed their children to help with chores as soon as they were old enough. For many, this attitude did not change upon arriving in America, where children were expected to help support the family as soon as possible. This view toward education steadily changed with each successive generation. The 1970 census revealed that those under age 45 had achieved a level of education comparable to the national average, and within six decades of their peak immigration year, Italian Americans as a whole had equaled the national average in educational attainment. Presently, according to Census Bureau data, Italian Americans have an average high school graduation rate, and a higher rate of advanced degrees compared to the national average. Italian Americans throughout the United States are well represented in a wide variety of occupations and professions, from skilled trades, to the arts, to engineering, science, mathematics, law, and medicine, and include a number of Nobel prize winners. There are two Italian international schools in the United States, La Scuola International in San Francisco, and La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi in New York City. According to the Sons of Italy News Bureau, from 1998 to 2002 the enrollment in college Italian language courses grew by 30%, faster than the enrollment rates for French and German. Italian is the fourth most commonly taught foreign language in U.S. colleges and universities behind Spanish, French, and German. According to the U.S. 2000 Census, Italian (including Sicilian) is the sixth most spoken language in the United States (tied with Vietnamese) after English with over 1 million speakers. As a result of the large wave of Italian immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Italian and Sicilian were once widely spoken in much of the U.S., especially in northeastern and Great Lakes area cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee, as well as San Francisco, St. Louis and New Orleans. Italian-language newspapers exist in many American cities, especially New York City, and Italian-language movie theatres existed in the U.S. as late as the 1950s. L'Idea is a bilingual quarterly published in Brooklyn since 1974. Arba Sicula (Sicilian Dawn) is a semiannual publication of the society of the same name, dedicated to preserving the Sicilian language. The magazine and a periodic newsletter offer prose, poetry and comment in Sicilian, with adjacent English translations. Today, prizes like the Bordighera Annual Poetry Prize, founded by Daniela Gioseffi, Pietro Mastrandrea and Alfredo di Palchi, with support from the Sonia Rraiziss-Giop Foundation and Bordighera Press, which publishes the winners in bilingual editions, have helped to encourage writers of the diaspora to write in Italian. Chelsea Books in New York City and Gradiva Press on Long Island have published many bilingual books due to the efforts of bilingual writers of the diaspora like Paolo Valesio, Alfredo de Palchi, and Luigi Fontanella. Dr. Luigi Bonaffini of the City University of New York, publisher of The Journal of Italian Translation at Brooklyn College, has fostered Italian dialectic poetry throughout Italy and the U.S. Joseph Tusiani of New York and New York University, a distinguished linguist and prize-winning poet born in Italy, paved the way for Italian works of literature in English and has published many bilingual books and Italian classics for the American audience, among them the first complete works of Michelangelo's poems in English to be published in the United States. All of this literary endeavor has helped to foster the Italian language, along with Italian opera, of course, in the United States. Many of these authors and their bilingual books are located throughout the internet. Author Lawrence Distasi argues that the loss of spoken Italian among the Italian American population can be tied to U.S. government pressures during World War II. During World War II, in various parts of the country, the U.S. government displayed signs that read, "Don't Speak the Enemy's Language". Such signs designated the languages of the Axis powers, German, Japanese and Italian, as "enemy languages". Shortly after the Axis powers declared war on the U.S., many Italian, Japanese and German citizens were interned. Among the Italian Americans, those who spoke Italian, who had never become citizens and who belonged to groups that praised Benito Mussolini, were most likely to become candidates for internment. Distasi claims that many Italian language schools closed down in the San Francisco Bay Area within a week of the U.S. declaration of war on the Axis powers. Such closures were inevitable since most of the teachers in Italian languages were interned. Despite previous decline, Italian and Sicilian are still spoken and studied by those of Italian American descent and it can be heard in various American communities, especially among older Italian Americans. The official Italian taught in schools is Standard Italian, which is sometimes described as an amalgam of the Tuscan and Roman dialects. However, the "Italian" with which Italian Americans are generally acquainted is often rooted in the Regional Italian and Italo-Dalmatian languages their immigrant ancestors brought from Italy to American, primarily southern Italian and Sicilian dialects of pre-unification Italy. Despite it being the fifth most studied language in higher education (college and graduate) settings throughout America, the Italian language has struggled to maintain being an AP course of study in high schools nationwide. It was only in 2006 that AP Italian classes were first introduced, and they were soon dropped from the national curricula after the spring of 2009. The organization which manages such curricula, the College Board, ended the AP Italian program because it was "losing money" and had failed to add 5,000 new students each year. Since the program's termination in the spring of 2009, various Italian organizations and activists have attempted to revive the course of study. Most notable in the effort is Margaret Cuomo, sister of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. She provided the impetus for the program's birth in 2006 and is currently attempting to secure funding and teachers to reinstate the program. It is also worth noting that Italian organizations have begun fundraisers to revive AP Italian. Organizations such as the NIAF and Order Sons of Italy in America have made strides in collecting money, and are prepared to aid in the monetary responsibility any new AP Italian program would bring with it. Moreover, Web-based Italian organizations, such as ItalianAware, have begun book donation campaigns to improve the status and representation of Italian and Italian American literature in the New York public libraries. According to ItalianAware, the Brooklyn Public Library is the worst offender in New York City. It has 11 books pertaining to the Italian immigrant experience available for checkout spread across 60 branches. That amounts to 1 book for every 6 branches in Brooklyn, which (according to ItalianAware) cannot supply the large Italian/Italian American community in the borough. ItalianAware aims to donate 100 books to the Brooklyn Public Library by the end of 2010. Academics: Mario Capecchi - University of Utah, John D. Caputo, James Carafano, Frank A. Cipriani, Thomas A. DeFanti, John J. DeGioia - President of Georgetown University, Frank J. Fabozzi, Eugene Fama - University of Chicago professor of finance and winner of the 2013 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, A. Bartlett Giamatti (1938–1989) - President of Yale University, later Major League Baseball commissioner; Italian father, Robert Gallucci - Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Lino Graglia - University of Texas in Austin, Paul J. Lioy - University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Robert Magliola - academic specialist in hermeneutics, philosophy, and religious studies, Mariana Mazzucato, Silvio Micali - professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, distinguished for his work on cryptography, Fulvio Melia - professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Franco Modigliani - MIT economics professor and winner of the 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, L. Jay Oliva - former President of New York University (NYU) and author of many books on European and Russian history, Camille Paglia - professor of humanities at the University of the Arts, Michael Parenti - political scientist, Marxist activist, P. M. Pasinetti - professor of comparative literature and Italian at UCLA, Walter Piston - professor of music at Harvard University 1926–1960; Pulitzer Prize winner 1948 and 1961 and more. Catholic University of America has scholars worlwide, for example Rome; Milena Locatelli, Ph.D - Departments of English, Modern Languages and Literatures, Rome Center School, School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Locatelli graduated in acting from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Rome), and in Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". She holds a Ph.D. in Modern Languages and Literature (English and Spanish) from the University of Pisa in 2005, with a dissertation on the theatre of Federico García Lorca (The Theatre of Federico García Lorca in Spain and Italy: An Analysis of the International Reception). From 2005 to 2008 Dr. Locatelli was Professor of Spanish literature at the University of Pescara, where she taught courses on the Semiotics of Theatre, The Analysis of the Literary Text, Theatre and Poetry in the 20th century, and Cinema and Literature. The medical, engineering, development and business community educators today are top, world class leaders some already highlighted in the Heritage / History pages ranging from the most prominent infectious disease doctor in the world Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director of NIAID, oversees research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases, immune-related illnesses, and allergies to corporate leaders, speakers and STEM educator CEO Robert J. Dionisio founder of Master Development, Global Asset Development (GAD) and coined "The Godfather of Total Project Delevery Solutions" (TPD) in the E/P/C and development industry. The most famous "school teacher" is Dr. Jill Biden, Ed.D., First Lady of the United States, a college educator, military mother, grandmother, bestselling author. Dr. Biden also served as 2'ND Lady 2009–2017. #EducationLeadership
Art/Literture
Literature: Several distinguished Italians who came to the American colonies, or the United States. Among them in the eighteenth century was Lorenzo da Ponte, (q.v.), the librettist of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni". Another name worthy of note is that of Constantino Brumidi, who produced many noteworthy paintings, among them those in the Capitol at Washington, where he died in 1880. Father Joseph M. Finotti, the author of "Bibliographia Catholica Americana" and several other widely known works, came to this country from Italy in 1845. At the time of the Revolution of '48 many well-known Italians came to the United States and lived there for some time. The best known of these was Garibaldi, who resided two years on Staten island working in a candle factory. Great authors like .Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Don DeLillo. Paola Corso. Danielle Trussoni were exloding. The works of a number of early Italian-American authors and poets, born of immigrant parents, were published in the first half of the 20th century. Pietro Di Donato, born in 1911, was a writer best known for his novel, Christ in Concrete, which was hailed by critics in the United States and abroad as a metaphor for the immigrant experience in America. Frances Winwar, born Francesca Vinciguerra in 1907 in Sicily, came to the United States at age ten. She is best known for her series of biographies of 19th-century English writers. She was also a frequent translator of classic Italian works into English, and published several romantic novels set during historical events. John Ciardi, born in 1916, was primarily a poet. Among his works is a highly respected English-language rendition of Dante's Divine Comedy. John Fante, born in 1909, was a novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Later in the century, a growing number of books by recognized Italian-American authors, such as Don DeLillo, Paul Gallico (Poseidon Adventure), Gilbert Sorrentino, Gay Talese, Camille Paglia and Mario Puzo (The Fortunate Pilgrim) found a place in mainstream American literature. Other notable 20th-century authors included: Dana Gioia, Executive Director of the National Endowment for the Arts; John Fusco, author of Paradise Salvage; Tina DeRosa; and Daniela Gioseffi, winner of the John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry, and The American Book Award; and Josephine Gattuso Hendin (The Right Thing to Do). Poets Sandra (Mortola) Gilbert and Kim Addonizio were also winners of the John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry from Italian Americana, as was writer Helen Barolini and poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan. These women have authored many books depicting Italian American women in a new light. Helen Barolini's The Dream Book: An Anthology of Writings by Italian American Women (1985) was the first anthology that pulled together the historic range of writing from the late 19th century to the 1980s. It exhibited the wealth of fiction, poetry, essays, and letters, and paid special attention to the interaction of Italian American women with American social activism. Italian American poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso played a prominent role in the Beat Generation. Ferlinghetti was also the co-founder of City Lights Bookstore, a San Francisco bookstore and publishing company that published much of the work of other Beat Generation writers. Many of these authors' books and writings are easily found on the internet, as for example on an archive of Contemporary Italian American authors, as well as in bibliographies online at Stonybrook University's Italian American Studies Department in New York, or at the Italian American Writers Association website. A scholarly literature has also emerged that critiques the literary output. Common themes include conflicts between marginal Italian American and mainstream culture, and tradition-bound immigrant parents opposed by their more assimilated children. Mary Jo Bona provided the first full-length scholarly analysis of the literary tradition. She is especially interested in showing how authors portrayed the many configurations of family relationships, from the early immigrant narratives of journeying to a new world, through novels that stress intergenerational conflicts, to contemporary works about the struggle of modern women to form nontraditional gender roles. Among the scholars who have led the renaissance in Italian-American literature are professors Richard Gambino, Anthony Julian Tamburri, Paolo Giordano, and Fred Gardaphé. The latter three founded Bordighera Press and edited From the Margin, An Anthology of Italian American Writing, Purdue University Press. At Brooklyn College, Dr. Robert Viscusi founded the Italian American Writers Association, and is an author and American Book Award winner himself. As a result of the efforts of magazines like Voices in Italian Americana, Ambassador, a publication of the National Italian American Foundation and Italian Americana, edited by Carla Simonini, Italian Americans have been reading more works of their own writers. A supplemental website at www.italianamericana.com to the journal Italian Americana, edited by novelist Christine Palamidessi Moore, also offers historical articles, stories, memoirs, poetry, and book reviews. Dana Gioia, was Poetry Editor of Italian Americana from 1993 to 2003, followed by poet Michael Palma, who also selects poems for Italian Americana's webpage supplement, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Daniela Gioseffi and Paul Mariani, are among the internationally known authors who have been awarded The John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry during Michael Palma's tenure as Poetry Editor. Daniela Gioseffi, with Alfredo De Palchi, founded The Annual $2000 Bordighera Poetry Prize to further the names of Italian American poets in American literature. As of 1997, twelve books have been published in the bilingual series from Bordighera Press. In the field of academic cinema studies, Peter Bondanella, Peter Brunette and Frank P. Tomasulo have made significant contributions to film scholarship as authors, editors, and educators. Italian Americans have written not only about the Italian American experience but, indeed, the human experience. Some of the most popular inspirational books have been authored by Italian Americans – notably, those of Og Mandino, Leo Buscaglia and Antoinette Bosco. A series of inspirational books for children has been written by Tomie dePaola. Contemporary best-selling fiction writers include David Baldacci, Kate DiCamillo, Richard Russo, Adriana Trigiani and Lisa Scottoline. Writers. Kim Addonizio - poet and novelist, Paul Attanasio - screenwriter, Ken Auletta - writer/journalist and media critic for The New Yorker, David Baldacci (born 1960) - best-selling novelist; a distant cousin of John Baldacci, former governor of Maine, Andrew Berardini - art critic and fiction writer, Greg Berlanti - television writer and producer, Giannina Braschi - poet and novelist, Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998) author and motivational speaker, Christopher Castellani - Novelist, Nick Cafardo (1956–2019) - sportswriter, Duane Capizzi - screenwriter, Lorenzo Carcaterra - novelist and screenwriter, Christopher Carosa - (born 1960) author, journalist, and investment adviser, John Ciardi - poet and etymologist, Diablo Cody - screenwriter, producer, author, journalist, memoirist, Bob Colacello - writer, Angelo F. Coniglio - civil engineer, genealogist and author, Gregory Corso - poet Wendy Corsi Staub - novelist, John Corvino - philosopher, Lorenzo Da Ponte - poet, writer, librettist, William L. DeAndrea - mystery writer, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Don DeLillo (born 1936) - author, Guy Anthony De Marco - author, Tomie dePaola - author, Louise DeSalvo - writer, editor, professor, and lecturer, Pietro Di Donato - writer, John Fante - novelist and screenwriter, Lawrence Ferlinghetti - poet, essayist and painter, David Franzoni - screenwriter of Gladiator and King Arthur, John Fusco - novelist (Paradise Salvage) and screenwriter of Young Guns, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Paul Gallico - Italian father, Daniela Gioseffi (born 1941) - poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, performer, social justice activist, Arturo Giovannitti - poet, political activist, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (1934–2002) - writer, Evan Hunter - aka Ed MacBain, born Salvatore Lombino, Philip Lamantia, Teresa de Lauretis, Luis Marden - born Annibale Luis Paragallo, writer for National Geographic, Fulvio Melia - author of several popular science books, including The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy, Charles Messina - writer/director of the play Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God, the film Merging, and co-author the book My Father, My Don, Henry Samuel Morais - writer, rabbi, Diana Ossana - Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Camille Paglia - post-feminist literary and cultural critic, Christopher Paolini, Michael Parenti, P.M. Pasinetti - novelist, playwright, journalist, professor, Mario Pei, Tom Perrotta - novelist and screenwriter best known for the novels Election (1998) and Little Children (2004), Joseph D. Pistone, Diane di Prima - poet of Beat generation, Mario Puzo (1920–1999) - writer/screenwriter and best-selling author of The Godfather, Terry Rossio - screenwriter, Shane Salerno - screenwriter, R.A. Salvatore (born 1959) - born Robert Anthony Salvatore, science fiction fantasy author, known for his Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels, Leslie Scalapino - poet, Piero Scaruffi - poet, historian, scientist, Dom (Domenico) Serafini - TV trade magazine editor, Michelangelo Signorile - journalist, columnist, radio host and gay activist, Michael Smerconish - radio host and TV presenter, columnist, Author and lawyer, Gay Talese, Adriana Trigiani, Jessica Valenti - feminist writer, Mark Valenti - screenwriter, Tom Verducci -top sportswriter.
