{{Short description|American actor}} {{Use American English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Vincent Piazza | image = Vincent Piazza 2012 Shankbone.JPG | imagesize = | caption = Piazza in 2012 | birth_name = | birth_date = <!-- Valid citation required if adding EXACT DATE OF BIRTH for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) -->{{birth based on age as of date|38|2014|9|26}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = Actor | yearsactive = 2005–present | website = | education = | height = | known_for = }}
'''Vincent Piazza''' (born <!-- Valid citation required if adding EXACT DATE OF BIRTH for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) -->{{birth based on age as of date|38|2014|9|26|noage=1}})<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Leland |first=John |date=2014-09-28 |title=Vincent Piazza: 40 Blocks From Home, but a World Away |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/nyregion/vincent-piazza-40-blocks-from-home-but-a-world-away.html |work=The New York Times |quote=A native of Queens, Mr. Piazza, 38... |access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref> is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of gangster Lucky Luciano in the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He has also played Earl Hefner in the comedy-drama ''Rocket Science'' (2007) and singer Tommy DeVito in Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of ''Jersey Boys'' (2014).
== Early life and education == Piazza was born in Middle Village, Queens, New York City, and raised in nearby Maspeth.<ref>Rennison, Billy. [http://qns.com/story/2012/09/14/vincent-piazza-dishes-on-going-from-queens-to-the-boardwalk/ "Vincent Piazza dishes on going from Queens to the 'Boardwalk'"], ''Queens Courier'', September 14, 2012. Accessed March 15, 2023. "Vincent Piazza — born in Middle Village before moving to neighboring Maspeth shortly thereafter, where his family still lives — grew up watching the films of Martin Scorsese, never imagining he would one day be directed by the film giant."</ref><ref name="nyt" /> His father is Italian, having immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s. His mother is of German descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/collection/jersey-boy-vincent-piazza-embraces-his-roots-20140619|title=Vincent Piazza Embraces His Roots|last=Thorp|first=Charles|date=June 19, 2014|work=Men's Journal|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref>
Piazza played ACHA Division I-AA ice hockey for Villanova University, until a shoulder injury forced him to quit playing and leave the university after a year.<ref name="prod">{{Cite web|url=http://www.rocketsciencemovie.com/prodnotes.html|title=''Rocket Science'' Production Notes|publisher=Picturehouse Entertainment|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514172247/http://www.rocketsciencemovie.com/prodnotes.html|archive-date=May 14, 2008|access-date=2008-04-11}}</ref>
== Career == {{BLP sources section|date=June 2025}} After retiring from hockey, he began to work with acting coach Alice Spivak and joined the TerraNOVA Collective theatre group in Lion Theatre along Theatre Row in New York City.<ref name="terra">{{cite web| url = http://www.terranovacollective.org/CREATIVECOLLECTIVE/VincentPiazza.php| title = VINCENT PIAZZA| access-date = 2008-04-11| author = Jeff Mitchell| publisher = TerraNOVA Collective|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910200323/http://www.terranovacollective.org/CREATIVECOLLECTIVE/VincentPiazza.php|archive-date=September 10, 2007}}</ref> After appearing in a number of New York Off Broadway productions, including ''Baby Steps'', ''A Match Made in Manhattan'' and ''Much Ado About Nothing'',<ref name="terra" /> he made his feature film debut in the 2006 film ''Stephanie Daley'' and went on to appear in the television movie ''The Dawn'' and an episode of ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''.<ref name="prod" />
Piazza has appeared in three episodes of the television series ''The Sopranos''; the eighth, eleventh and thirteenth episodes of the show's sixth season. He describes his experience working on the show as "incredible" and says he would appear in any prequels or sequels to the series if he was asked.<ref name="inter">{{cite web|url=http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/6747/tcid/1|title=Vincent Piazza – Exclusive Sundance Video Interview|last=Weintraub|first=Steve|date=28 January 2008|publisher=Collider.com|access-date=2008-04-11|archive-date=February 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140217071830/http://collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/6747/tcid/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> He then featured in the 2007 film ''Rocket Science'' as Earl Hefner, the kleptomaniac older brother of the film's protagonist. After auditioning at a casting session held at a New York acting school, he ended up being one of the first actors cast, writer-director Jeffrey Blitz saying: "Vince brought just the right combination of humor and threat to the part ... [I] kept many of the rest of the choices Vince brought to Earl. He's a very physical actor and a very funny one, too."<ref name=prod/> He went on to appear in the independent films ''Goodbye Baby'', ''Tie a Yellow Ribbon'' and ''Apology'', as well as guest-starring in an episode of ''Law & Order'', before he landed the recurring role of Tony in ''Rescue Me''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fourth season.
Piazza appeared in the 2008 film ''Assassination of a High School President'' in the role of Ricky Delacruz. He had originally unsuccessfully auditioned for a different part, but Brett Simon, the film's director, was fond of his performance in ''Rocket Science'' and so suggested that he take on another role.<ref name=inter/> In order to master a Hispanic accent for the role, he visited a woman he knew who runs a Puerto Rican theatre in Manhattan and usually coached Puerto Ricans to adapt American accents, to have her coach him to read his lines in a thick Puerto Rican accent.<ref name=inter/> He also completed a television pilot directed by Brett Ratner, ''Blue Blood'', for which he had a seven-year contract if the series had been picked up by NBC.<ref name=inter/>
Piazza was then cast as a series regular on ''Boardwalk Empire'' in 2009 as real life Italian-American mobster Lucky Luciano, appearing in all five seasons. In 2013, Piazza won the role of Tommy DeVito in the Clint Eastwood-directed adaptation of the Broadway musical ''Jersey Boys''. Piazza had to take vocal, guitar, and dance lessons to play DeVito, one of the founding members of the band The Four Seasons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/vincent-piazza-plays-tommy-devito-jersey-boys-article-1.1824701|title=Vincent Piazza walked like a man as Four Seasons founder Tommy DeVito in 'Jersey Boys'|last=Serico|first=Chris|date=June 15, 2014|website=New York Daily News|access-date=2016-08-26}}</ref>
== Personal life == Piazza was in a relationship with singer Ashlee Simpson from June 2011 to November 2012. As of May 21, 2018, he was engaged to actress Genesis Rodriguez but the relationship ended shortly after they became engaged.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BjC4l8VBaRg/ | title=Instagram }}</ref>
== Filmography == === Film === thumb|Vincent Piazza in February 2011 {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 2005 || ''Color of a Doubt: an Urban Fable'' || Chris Parker || |- | 2006 || ''Stephanie Daley'' || Geoff || |- | 2006 || ''The Dawn'' || Scott || |- | 2007 || ''Rocket Science'' || Earl Hefner || |- | 2007 || ''Goodbye Baby'' || Dominick || |- | 2007 || ''Tie a Yellow Ribbon'' || Ed || |- | 2008 || ''Assassination of a High School President'' || Ricky Delacruz || |- | 2010 || ''Polish Bar'' || Reuben || |- | 2014 || ''3 Nights in the Desert'' || Barry || |- | 2014 || ''Jersey Boys'' || Tommy DeVito || |- | 2015 || ''The Wannabe'' || Thomas || |- | 2016 || ''The Intervention'' || Peter || |- | 2017 || ''Never Here'' || Andy Williams || |- | 2017 || ''The Girl Who Invented Kissing'' || Jimmy || |- | 2020 || ''Centigrade'' || Matt || |- | 2020 || ''618 to Omaha'' || Ed Merriweather || Short film |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 2006 || ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' || Eric Newsome || Episode: "Wrongful Life" |- | 2007 || ''The Sopranos'' || Hernan O'Brien || 3 episodes |- | 2007 || ''Law & Order'' || Peter Harris || Episode: "Over Here" |- | 2007 || ''Rescue Me'' || Tony || 6 episodes |- | 2008 || ''Blue Blood'' || Bobby Moran || TV pilot |- | 2009 || ''How I Met Your Mother'' || Bus Boy || Episode: "The Rough Patch" |- | 2010–2014 || ''Boardwalk Empire'' || Lucky Luciano || Main Cast |- | 2019 || ''The Passage'' || Clark Richards || |- | rowspan="2" | 2021 || ''Pacific Rim: The Black'' || Joel || Animated series; voice role |- | ''Money, Explained'' || Scam Artist || docuseries; Episode: "Get Rich Quick" |- | 2022–present || ''Tulsa King'' || Vince Antonacci || Main role<ref name="Mar22-cast">{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=''Tulsa King'': Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza & Jay Will Join Sylvester Stallone In Paramount+ Series |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/tulsa-king-max-casella-domenick-lombardozzi-vincent-piazza-jay-cast-sylvester-stallone-paramount-plus-1234985490/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=March 24, 2022}}</ref> |- | 2024 || ''Batman: Caped Crusader'' || Tony Zito || Voice role |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|1842344}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160919005202/http://www.lideamagazine.com/boardwalk-empire-meets-final-season-vincent-piazza-shines-lucky-luciano/ As Boardwalk Empire Meets its Final Season, Vincent Piazza Shines as Lucky Luciano] Tiziano Thomas Dossena, L'Idea Magazine, 2014
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Piazza, Vincent}} Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Archbishop Molloy High School alumni Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Queens, New York Category:People from Maspeth, Queens Category:People from Middle Village, Queens Category:Villanova Wildcats athletes Category:Year of birth missing (living people)