Vincent Curatola
About
Biography
Biography
Character actor Vincent Curatola made a name for himself as a New York mob underboss on one of the most acclaimed crime dramas in the history of cable television, "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007). Entering the highly competitive profession of acting relatively late in life, Curatola invested himself in the craft with acting classes and roles in several off-Broadway productions. Early guest turns on police procedurals like "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) and the spin-off TV movie "Exiled" (NBC, 1998) paved the way for Curatola's big breakthrough on "The Sopranos." As the ambitious crime family second-in-command Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni, Curatola deftly portrayed a complex character in a role that could have easily been two-dimensional. Johnny Sack's rise to power and eventual decline provided the show with some of its most intricate plot developments, and his volatile relationship with New Jersey capo Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) gave audiences several of the venerated series' more intense exchanges. Having enjoyed strong notices for his work, the actor also appeared in such projects as the comedy feature "Fun with Dick and Jane" (2005) and the short-lived metaphysical police drama "Life on Mars" (ABC, 2008-09). Although always reliable in the role of a "made guy," Curatola elevated his characters beyond the usual mob caricature with thoughtful, multi-layered performances.
Born on Aug. 16, 1953 in Englewood, NJ, he was one of two boys born to Phyllis and Costantino Curatola. Curatola's interest in performing was sparked at an early age by entertainers like Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie and Leslie Gore, all of whom happened to be on the paper route he worked as a boy. After attending grade school at Englewood's St. Cecilia Parochial School and Loyola High School, a Jesuit school in Manhattan, he enrolled at New York University and studied filmmaking while cultivating an interest in acting. After college, Curatola undertook several different careers, eventually settling into a lucrative construction business. Well into his late-30s, it was Curatola's wife, Maureen, who encouraged the frustrated actor - whether he was conscious of it or not - to pursue his long-gestating dream of acting. Before long, he was back in Manhattan taking drama classes with the late actor Michael Moriarty. The hard work paid off and Curatola began landing leading roles in off-Broadway productions, including the menacing Harry Roat in "Wait Until Dark" and a starring role in Neil Simon's "Same Time, Next Year," before making the jump to film and television in the early 1990s.
Curatola's earliest screen credits included guest spots in episodes of "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) during its second season, and an appearance on co-producer Robert De Niro's short-lived New York-themed anthology series "Tribeca" (Fox, 1993). During this period, Curatola also wrote and produced the independent short feature, "Dearly Beloved" (1995), an organized crime-related comedy in which he was also top-billed alongside future co-stars Tony Sirico and Michael Badalucco. There was also a small role in the made-for-TV mob biopic "Gotti" (HBO, 1996), which co-starred several more of his soon-to-be cast mates, including Sirico, Dominic Chianese and Vincent Pastore. Curatola picked up another part alongside Chris Noth, who reprised his "Law & Order" character, Detective Mike Logan, in the TV movie "Exiled" (NBC, 1998), a crime drama following the disgraced Logan as he attempts to solve the murder of a Staten Island prostitute. Ironically, it was due to his schedule filming "Exiled" that the struggling actor nearly missed out on a role that would prove to be the turning point of his career. Tired after a day's shooting, an unenthusiastic Curatola was more than 10 minutes late for his audition for a then-unknown cable program about a New Jersey mob boss struggling with emotional issues and a dysfunctional family life. Luckily for Curatola, he fit in just perfectly.
Curatola made his debut as mob boss Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni early in the first season of the acclaimed crime family drama "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007). Well dressed, with a deceptively reserved demeanor, from the very beginning Johnny was a consistent and formidable thorn in the side of mob capo, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). As consigliore of the powerful New York Lupertazzi crime family under aging boss Carmine Lupertazzi (Tony Lip), Sack's ambition to be the family leader was hardly a secret, and his eventual ascension to the position soon revealed the duality of his personality. Passive and restrained in public, behind the scenes Johnny was a man willing to forego respect and even loyalty for the sake of profit. A devoted and faithful husband - an extremely rare example in the mob world of "The Sopranos" - his normally calm exterior would evaporate in an explosion of violent rage at the merest hint of an insult directed at his wife, Ginny (Denise Borino), who struggled with a serious weight problem. From within the walls of a federal prison, Johnny managed to maintain a tenuous control of the family's operations until he accepted a deal from the Feds ensuring the financial security of his beloved Ginny. Now persona non grata to his former criminal associates, Johnny "Sack" was ultimately brought down by an aggressive form of lung cancer which killed him in prison.
Both during and after his time with the cast of "The Sopranos," Curatola also appeared in several independent features and held a four-episode recurring role on "Third Watch" (NBC, 1999-2005) throughout the show's penultimate season. Additionally, he contributed a voice to Bill Cosby's short-lived animated series "Fatherhood (Nick at Nite, 2004), and appeared in the films "Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits" (2005) - alongside "Sopranos" cast mates Richard Portnow and John Fiore - and the remake of the comedy "Fun with Dick and Jane" (2005), starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. He later joined the ensemble of the indie-drama "The Hungry Ghosts" (2009), written and directed by another "Sopranos" alumni, Michael Imperioli. Returning to the franchise that gave him some of his earliest roles, Curatola made guest appearances on "Law & Order" Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-11) in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Life Events
1991
Cast in an early episode of "Law and Order" (NBC)
1993
Appeared in Robert DeNiro¿s short-lived "Tribeca" (Fox)
1995
Wrote and produced independent short "Dearly Beloved"
1996
Landed minor role in HBO biopic "Gotti"
1998
Played small role in NBC TV movie "Exiled"
1999
Cast as Johnny 'Sack' Sacrimoni on HBO mob drama "The Sopranos"
2004
Landed recurring role on "Third Watch" (NBC)
2004
Voiced the crazy, sports-nut neighbor of Dr. Bimblebee (Blair Underwood) on Bill Cosby¿s short-lived animated series "Fatherhood" (Nick at Nite)
2005
Appeared in "Fun with Dick and Jane" with Jim Carrey
2005
Played a mob boss in hiding in "Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits"
2009
Acted in "The Sopranos" co-star Michael Imperioli's film "The Hungry Ghosts"
2012
Cast alongside Brad Pitt in crime drama "Killing Them Softly," a feature adaptation of George V. Higgins' novel Cogan's Trade
