Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He is known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He also appeared in the TV drama series Law & Order as Detective Nick Falco. Imperioli spent the 2008-2009 television season as Detective Ray Carling in the US version of Life on Mars. He was starring as Detective Louis Fitch in the ABC police drama Detroit 1-8-7 until its cancellation. He wrote and directed his first feature film The Hungry Ghosts in 2008 which was the Opening Night Selection for the 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Early life
Imperioli, an Italian American, was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the son of Dan Imperioli, a bus driver, and amateur actress Claire Imperioli. In his early childhood he attended Lincoln School in Mount Vernon. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, New York in 1983.
Career
Imperioli has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards as well as for five Emmy Awards for his work as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos; he won one Emmy, for the show's fifth season in 2004.
In addition to his role on The Sopranos, Imperioli has appeared in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Jungle Fever, Bad Boys, The Basketball Diaries, Clockers, Dead Presidents, Lean on Me, I Shot Andy Warhol, Last Man Standing, Shark Tale, High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, and Summer of Sam, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. In addition, he has also written a number of episodes for The Sopranos.
He served as artistic director of Studio Dante, an Off-Broadway theater he formed with his wife. He is also the lead singer/guitarist for a rock band named La Dolce Vita.
Imperioli is an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America and co-hosted their May 2009 annual benefit concert, "A Great Night in Harlem", at the Apollo Theater, which celebrated the foundation's 20th anniversary.
He was a guest on episode MB2E08 ("San Giuseppe") of Mario Batali's Food Network television show Molto Mario.
In 2010, Imperioli was signed on to play the lead in the ABC TV show, Detroit 1-8-7.
Working with the writer Gabriele Tinti, he wrote the text Pride for Tinti's book New York Shots, and participated in a reading of The Way of the Cross at the Queens Museum of Art in 2011.
He won the "Tournament of Stars" competition on the cooking show Chopped in 2014, sending $50,000 to his designated charity the Pureland Project, an organization which builds and maintains schools in rural Tibet.
Personal life
Married to Victoria Chlebowski since 1995, he lives in Santa Barbara, California, and is a father of three, including his son, Vadim, an aspiring actor and comedian who appeared in Detroit 1-8-7 with his father. Michael and his wife are students of Tibetan Buddhist Lama Garchen Rinpoche.
Politically, he is an Independent, because he "feels limited by the two party system"; he typically votes as a Democrat. Michael Imperioli practices taekwondo in his spare time.
Imperioli serves on the board of the Greenwich International Film Festival.
Filmography
References
External links
- Michael Imperioli at the Internet Movie Database
- Bio and photo of Michael Imperioli â€" Crain's New York Business 40 under 40 â€" 2005