Vincent Pastore

VINCENT PASTORE

Date of Birth: July 14, 1946

If you need a stereotypical Italian mobster named Tony, then Vincent Pastore is your man. He's known best for his mean looking mafia characters in films like The Jerky Boys, Mickey Blue Eyes and the mega-popular series The Sopranos playing 'Big Pussy' Bompensiero.

Oddly enough, acting wasn't something this New Rochelle, New York native even considered until later on in life. The second of three children in a blue-collar family, Pastore started acting at Pace University in 1967, only to drop out after three years. Distracted by his love for the nightlife, he turned to owning and managing his own nightclub for 20 years.

In the mid-80s, he met and befriended two actors, Kevin and Matt Dillon, who persuaded him to take up the art. After meeting Kevin's manager, he was soon pursuing the business in earnest, taking acting lessons and turning up in community theatre productions. He thought he had it made when his second film, True Love (1989), won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize. But in the next few years he was only able to garner small roles in a mixture of big budget and indie films.

The tide would finally turn to Pastore's favor when HBO cast him in a new series called The Sopranos, focusing on the personal lives of the Italian mob. Playing the pivotal role of 'Big Pussy' Bompensiero, Pastore soon became a well-recognized face, if not household name, across the North America.

Since the nation-wide exposure, Pastore has landed larger and starring roles in films like Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), The Hurricane (1999), Made (2001), Corky Romano (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) and Serving Sara(2002).

Divorced, Pastore has a daughter.

Filmography:

Return to Sleepaway Camp (2006)
Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders (2006)
Revolver (2006)
Remedy (2005)
Spy (2005)
Vegas Baby (2005)
The Cookout (2004)
Shark Tale (2004) (voice)
This Thing of Ours (2003)
A Tale of Two Pizzas (2003)
American Cousins (2003)
Mail Order Bride (2003)
Serving Sara (2002)
Deuces Wild (2002)
After the Storm (2001)
Dating Service (2001)
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
Corky Romano (2001)
Made (2001)
Under Hellgate Bridge (2000)
Two Family House (2000)
Blue Moon (2000)
18 Shades of Dust (1999)
The Rules (For Men) (1999)
The Hurricane (1999)
Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
No Exit (1998)
Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998)
Six Ways to Sunday (1998)
The Deli (1997)
All Over Me (1997)
Night Falls on Manhattan (1997)
West New York (1996)
Joe's Apartment (1996)
Walking and Talking (1996)
Sunset Park (1996)
The Dutch Master (1995)
Pictures of Baby Jane Doe (1995)
Money Train (1995)
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
The Jerky Boys (1995)
Hand Gun (1994)
It Could Happen to You (1994)
The Ref (1994)
Italian Movie (1993)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Who's the Man? (1993)
Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1992)
Flodder 2 (1992)
Men of Respect (1991)
Backstreet Dreams (1990)
Awakenings (1990)
Goodfellas (1990)
True Love (1989)
Black Roses (1988)