Joseph R. Gannascoli Bio, Age, Actor, chef, and spokesman, Wife, Net worth

Joseph R. Gannascoli Biography

Joseph R. Gannascoli is an American actor, chef, and spokesman most notable for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series The Sopranos. He began his cooking career at Manhattan Market in 1981, before leaving to work at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and then at various restaurants around the country. He knew how to cook and opened his Soup As Art restaurant in Brooklyn New York.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Age

Joseph R. Gannascoli was born on February 15, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He is 60 years old as of 2019.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Education

Joseph R. Gannascoli attended St. John’s University in 1980,s for two years, majoring in communications. He then began his cooking career at Manhattan Market in 1981, before leaving to work at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and then at various restaurants around the country.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Wife

Joseph R. Gannascoli is married to Diana Benincasa in 2005.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Weight loss

The whole weight loss of Joseph R. Gannascoli was because the writers added that he had to lose weight inorder to fit the script or to change his diet and lifestyle and they ended up just fitting it into the script?

Joseph R. Gannascoli Net worth

Joseph R. Gannascoli is an Italian-American actor and celebrity spokesman most notable for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series, The Sopranos who has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars as of 2019.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Actor, chef, and spokesman

Joseph R. Gannascoli learned culinary art and opened a restaurant, Soup As Art Restaurant in Brooklyn. He has worked in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and New York, though he dabbled in acting at the time.

Joseph R. Gannascoli began his cooking career at Manhattan Market in 1981, before leaving to work at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and then at various restaurants around the country.

Gannascoli received his “big break” in acting from Benicio del Toro, whom he met on the set on Money for Nothing. After appearing in Ed Wood, Del Toro later cast Gannascoli in his directorial debut, Submission.  He also introduced him to Sheila Jaffe and Georgianne Walken, who did casting work for the HBO TV series The Sopranos.

Joseph R. Gannascoli has appeared in films including Mickey Blue Eyes and television shows including Law and Order before appearing on The Sopranos as a pastry shop patron named “Gino” in the season one episode “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti”.

He later secured a recurring role as the nephew of Richie Aprile, Vito Spatafore, in the season two episode “The Happy Wanderer”. Gannascoli is moving quickly to capitalize on the buzz surrounding his performance.

He is also a onetime chef, who recently published a novel about Mafia chef titled “A Meal to Die For,” and he is selling a line of pasta sauce and spices under the label “To Die For.” The next product in that line, he says, will be . . . a pool cue. You may also read: Kathrine Narducci 

Joseph R. Gannascoli and Dan Grimaldi played identical twins Patsy and Phillip “Philly Spoons” Parisi and Saundra Santiago playing identical twins Jeannie and Joannie Cusamano, it was one of the three times that the show used a single actor for separate roles.

Prior to Season 6, Gannascoli was promoted to series regular. The writers brought the idea of making his character gay from a true story of the Gambino crime family, in a book called Murder Machine. Joseph R. Gannascoli appeared in other films including Men in Black III. He stars in the 2015 movie An Act of War.

Other ventures

In January 2006, Joseph R. Gannascoli published a crime novel called A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Just finished my first watch through of The Sopranos.

Joseph R. Gannascoli went in knowing almost nothing about the show, other than the ending was controversial. All I can say is WOW. Twenty years after it debuted, this show should rightfully be counted among the greatest serial dramas of all time. I’d put it up against any show that has come out since the original run of The Sopranos ended.

It wasn’t at all what I expected. As a big fan of true crime, I loved seeing how a character’s personal lives affected their work life and vice versa. Watching background characters with little to no dialogue grow to be key members of the overarching story and directly influencing the main story plot in their own way (looking at you Vito).

Every episode helped build tension for what was always an exciting end to every season. The ending happened so fast. Once Chrissy died (which my wife and I did not see coming), the show felt like a snowball picking up speed down a mountain until we have the avalanche of the final episode.

Just brilliant storytelling with subtle yet effective symbolism the entire way through. Joseph R. Gannascoli wish was more of it. I couldn’t get enough of Tony, his family and crew, and all the colorful cast of characters we met along the way.

Just had to get that off my chest, and I’m happy I can now browse this sub and read all the details and theories people have that I most likely missed. I may just start a rewatch tonight.

Joseph R. Gannascoli Movies

  • Fratello 2013
  • My Cross To Bear 2013
  • Rob the Mob 2014
  • Jason’s Letter 2017
  • Leaving Circadia 2013
  • An Act of War 2015
  • Men in Black 3 2012
  • Ed Wood (film) 1994
  • Mickey Blue Eyes 1999
  • Basquiat (film) 1996
  • Blowfish Film

Joseph R. Gannascoli Tv Shows

  • Celebrity Fit Club
    2005 – 2010
  • The Sopranos
    1999 – 2007

Joseph R. Gannascoli Awards

The popular HBO series The Sopranos turns 20 years old in just one month! To celebrate this milestone, we’ll be sharing some Soprano’s content behind the scenes look at the Sopranos Sites Tour throughout the years.

To kick it off, Joseph R. Gannascoli, who plays Vito in the series and visits the tour often, tells us his thoughts about the show’s legacy, his favorite moments, and his thoughts on a reboot.

The Sopranos by Joseph R. Gannascoli

As you know, the 20th anniversary of The Sopranos is on January 10th, which is pretty crazy. So I’m just going to start at the beginning, how did you land the role of Vito?

Well, I actually… I was cast in a different role, you know that?

Yes, you were the only, or one of the only actors that played different characters?

I think the only one, I believe. I know that one guy played twins, but that might have been a bit different. I played Gino. I got the role of Gino in the bakery, and then they had me come back and audition for Vito and I got that which I was very happy with. Can I talk more about Vito?

Yea, I’d love that.

Joseph R. Gannascoli had a couple of scenes, and I became Richie Aprile’s nephew, I think, in season two. Then I got word that I was killing Jackie, Jr. in season three which was big, in the finale. And in season four, I went to one of the writers with the idea of making my character gay, or bisexual, from a book I was reading, Murder Machine.

They didn’t say if they would do it or not, it took them a couple of years to do it. In season five, they gave me a wife which you never saw, and then I had that security guard scene, so once I knew that they gave me a wife, it felt like something was happening. And then I had that big scene.

I asked them I said, “look, I’m willing to do this, but I just hope it’s not going to be just that and that’s it,” and they said, “well, nothing this year, but next years I gonna be big for you.” And that’s how that all evolved. So, I mean that year sort of changed my life, and you know, I mean, to be recognized around the world just from that role is pretty cool.

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