Armand Assante
Armand Assante | |
|---|---|
.jpg?lang=en) Armand Assante at a film screening in Chicago 2015 | |
| Born | Armand Anthony Assante, Jr. October 4, 1949 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse |
Karen McArn
(m. 1982; div. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | armandassante |
Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (/ɑːˈsɑːnti/; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film Gotti, Odysseus in the 1997 mini-series adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, Nietzsche in When Nietzsche Wept, and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in 1982's I, the Jury. His performance in Gotti earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Early life
Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Armand Anthony Assante Sr. (1922–2017),[1] a painter and artist, and Katharine (née Healy; 1921–2011), a music teacher, English teacher and poet.[2][3][4] He is of Italian and Irish descent.[5]
Career
During the 1970s, Assante was a regular on two NBC soap operas, How to Survive a Marriage as Johnny McGhee and The Doctors as Mike Powers. His first film was The Lords of Flatbush (1974), although his work did not appear in the final cut of the film and the end credits misspelled his last name as Assanti. He starred in The Prophecy, 1975.[citation needed] His first on-screen role was playing Sylvester Stallone's brother in Paradise Alley and a role that brought him greater attention came in 1980's Private Benjamin as a handsome Frenchman who becomes the love interest of a U.S. soldier played by Goldie Hawn. In 1984 he portrayed the playboy violin virtuoso Maximillian Stein in the Dudley Moore comedy vehicle Unfaithfully Yours.
Assante has played a number of tough hero characters, such as his starring role as private eye Mike Hammer in the film I, the Jury (1982) as well as Mafia gangsters such as Michael Moretti in Sidney Sheldon's Rage of Angels. In 1990 his role as Roberto Texador in Sidney Lumet's film Q&A garnered him a Golden Globe nomination, and the following year he portrayed Bugsy Siegel in Neil Simon's The Marrying Man (1991). The following year he was seen as mafia boss Carol D'Allesandro in Hoffa (1992) starring Jack Nicholson, and crime kingpin John Gotti in the 1996 made-for-television biopic Gotti, for which he won his Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.
In addition to mafia and "tough-guy" roles, Assante has appeared in historical dramas, such as Napoleon Bonaparte in 1987's Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story opposite Jacqueline Bisset, the heroic Odysseus in The Odyssey, Friedrich Nietzsche in the film adaptation of Irving Yalom's novel When Nietzsche Wept, and as Sanchez, Queen Isabella's Minister of State, in 1492: Conquest of Paradise.
Other film appearances include one as a Cuban bandleader in The Mambo Kings opposite Antonio Banderas and in the adaptation of the science-fiction story Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone, his co-star in Paradise Alley. He appeared in the 2007 film American Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. He had a recurring guest star role in several episodes of NCIS, playing the international arms dealer René Benoit. He has also appeared in the 2009 horror film Smile as the mysterious Tollinger. Outside of the U.S., he has participated in several film projects and humanitarian endeavors in Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Other work
In 2013, Assante became a partner in his own premium cigar brand known as Ora Vivo Cigars.[6]
Personal life
From 1982 to 1994, Assante was married to Karen McArn, with whom he had two daughters: Anya (born 1983) and Alesandra (born 1988).[7] He has dated Dyan Cannon,[8] Mara Venier and Vanessa Constantino.[7]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Lords of Flatbush | Wedding Guest | |
| 1975 | First Ladies Diaries | Robards | TV movie |
| 1978 | Paradise Alley | Lenny Carboni | |
| Human Feelings | Johnny Turner | TV movie | |
| Lady of the House | Ernest | TV movie | |
| The Pirate | Ahmed | TV movie | |
| 1979 | Prophecy | John Hawks | |
| 1980 | Little Darlings | Gary Callahan | |
| Private Benjamin | Henri Alan Tremont | ||
| Sophia Loren: Her Own Story | Riccardo Scicolone | TV movie | |
| 1982 | Love and Money | Lorenzo Prado | |
| I, the Jury | Mike Hammer | ||
| 1983 | Rage of Angels | Michael Moretti | TV movie |
| 1984 | Unfaithfully Yours | Maximillian Stein | |
| Why Me? | James Stalling | TV movie | |
| 1986 | A Deadly Business | Charles Macaluso | TV movie |
| Belizaire the Cajun | Belizaire Breaux | ||
| 1987 | Stranger in My Bed | Hal Slater | TV movie |
| Hands of a Stranger | Joe Hearn | TV movie | |
| 1988 | The Penitent | Juan Mateo | |
| 1989 | Passion and Paradise | Alfred de Marigny | TV movie |
| Animal Behavior | Mark Mathias | ||
| 1990 | Q&A | Roberto Texador | |
| Eternity | Romi/Sean | ||
| 1991 | The Marrying Man | Bugsy Siegel | |
| Fever | Ray | TV movie | |
| 1992 | The Mambo Kings | Caesar Castillo | |
| 1492: Conquest of Paradise | Sanchez | ||
| Hoffa | Carl "Dally" D'Allesandro | ||
| 1993 | Fatal Instinct | Ned Ravine | |
| 1994 | Blind Justice | Canaan | TV movie |
| Trial by Jury | Rusty Pirone | ||
| 1995 | Judge Dredd | Rico | |
| Kidnapped | Alan Breck Stewart | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Striptease | Lieutenant Al Garcia | |
| Gotti | John Gotti | TV movie | |
| 1999 | The Hunley | Lieutenant George E. Dixon | TV movie |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Tzekel-Kan (voice) | |
| On the Beach | Commander Dwight Towers | TV movie | |
| Looking for an Echo | Vince 'Vinnie' Pirelli | ||
| 2001 | Last Run | Frank Banner | |
| After the Storm | Jean-Pierre | TV movie | |
| One Eyed King | Hollis "Holly" Cone | ||
| 2002 | Federal Protection | Frank Carbone | TV movie |
| Partners in Action | Jack Cunningham | ||
| 2003 | Tough Luck | Ike | |
| Citizen Verdict | Sam Patterson | ||
| Consequence | Sam Tyler | ||
| 2005 | Dot.Kill | Charlie Daines | |
| The Third Wish | Benefactor | ||
| Mirror Wars | York | ||
| Two for the Money | C.M. Novian | ||
| Confessions of a Pit Fighter | Argento | ||
| The Commuters | Donald | TV movie | |
| Ennemis Publics | - | ||
| Rambam: The Story of Maimonides | Yitzchak, The Inkman | ||
| 2006 | Funny Money | Genero | |
| Surveillance | Harley | ||
| Soul's Midnight | Simon | ||
| Dead Lenny | Tony "Thick" | Video | |
| 2007 | Casanova's Last Stand | Sebastian Marr | |
| Mexican Sunrise | Salvidar | ||
| California Dreamin' | Captain Doug Jones | ||
| When Nietzsche Wept | Nietzsche | ||
| Children of Wax | Kemal | ||
| American Gangster | Dominic Cattano | ||
| 2008 | The Man Who Came Back | Amos | |
| Shark Swarm | Hamilton Lux | TV movie | |
| 2009 | The Lost | Kevin | TV movie |
| The Steam Experiment | Detective Mancini | ||
| La Linea | Padre Antonio | ||
| Smile | Tollinger | ||
| Chicago Overcoat | Stefano D'Agnostino | ||
| Death Valley Screamers: Bonnie & Clyde | Casino Owner | Short | |
| The Bleeding | Jake Plummer | ||
| Breaking Point | Marty Berlin | ||
| 2010 | Shadows in Paradise | Captain John "Ghost" Santo | |
| Magic Man | Taper | ||
| Killer by Nature | Eugene Branch | ||
| 2011 | The Return of Joe Rich | Uncle Dom | |
| Jesse | Dominick | ||
| Guido | Lorenzo De Costa | ||
| 2012 | The Night Never Sleeps | Inspector Romanelli | |
| 2013 | Dead Man Down | Lon Gordon | |
| The Fix | Vincent | Short | |
| Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn | Joseph Baldano Sr. | ||
| Assumed Killer | Aaron Banfield | ||
| 2014 | Montevideo, vidimo se! | Hotchkins | |
| Hunting the Phantom | Charles Ingrim | ||
| A Fine Step | Alejandro Bolivar | ||
| Charlie Mantle | Inspector Bennett | ||
| In Between Engagements | Alonzo | ||
| 2015 | Diamond Cartel | Mussa | |
| Leaves of the Tree | Joe Buffa | ||
| Sicilian Vampire | Vince | ||
| Kids vs Monsters | Damian | ||
| Blind Pass | Richard James | ||
| 2016 | Beyond the Game | Mr. Leone | |
| Stressed to Kill | Paul Jordan | ||
| The Red Maple Leaf | FBI Agent Joseph Cortez | ||
| Wasn't Afraid to Die | Paul | ||
| Blowtorch | Canarsie | ||
| 2017 | First Law | Don Nowet | |
| You Can't Have It | The Man | ||
| Joe's War | Dr. Galante | ||
| The Wanderers: The Quest of The Demon Hunter | Louis | ||
| The Neighborhood | Tucci | ||
| Power of Silence | The Narrator | ||
| 2018 | Con Man | Jack Saxon | |
| Darc | Lafique | ||
| The P.I.M.P. | Armando | ||
| 2019 | The Brave (aka Lazarat) | Frank Pedulla | |
| General | Andreas | ||
| 2020 | Infamous Six | Dr. Albert Cioran | |
| 2021 | The Match | Camp Commander |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | How to Survive a Marriage | Johnny McGee | Episode: "Episode #1.325" |
| 1975–76 | The Doctors | Dr. Michael Powers | Regular Cast |
| 1977 | Kojak | Tom Ryan | Episode: "Caper on a Quiet Street" |
| 1979 | Mrs. Columbo | Freddie Faust | Episode: "A Chilling Surprise" |
| 1985 | Evergreen | Joe Friedman | TV mini series |
| 1987 | Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story | Napoleon Bonaparte | TV mini series |
| 1988 | Jack the Ripper | Richard Mansfield | TV mini series |
| 1997 | The Odyssey | Odysseus | TV mini series |
| 2002 | Push, Nevada | Mr. Smooth | Episode: "The Amount" |
| 2006 | ER | Richard Elliot | Recurring cast: season 12, guest: season 13 |
| 2007 | NCIS | René 'La Grenouille' Benoit | Recurring cast: season 4, guest: season 5 |
| 2008 | October Road | Gabriel Diaz | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2010 | Chuck | Premier Alejandro Goya | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Angel de la Muerte & Coup d'Etat" |
| Human Target | Joubert | Episode: "Christopher Chance" | |
| 2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nicolas Amaro | Episode: "Padre Sandunguero" |
| 2018–19 | The Family Business | Sal Dash | Main cast: season 1 |
| The Deuce | Mr. Martino | Guest: season 2, recurring cast: season 3 | |
| 2019 | General | Andreas | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| 2022 | Salvage Marines | Kelkis Morturi | Main cast |
Awards and nominations
In 2010, Assante received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[9]
References
- ^ "Armand Assante, Sr. - Friday, August 25, 2017". www.quigleybros.com.
- ^ "Armand Assante Biography (1949-)". Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ Cutting Edge Voices Presents an Interview with Kathy Haggerty Archived May 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Obituaries: Katherine Assante". Cornwall and Cornwall on Hudson. July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Broeske, From Pat H. (May 6, 1990). "Assante: Versatile, but Not French" – via LA Times.
- ^ William Cooper, "Cigar Preview: Ora Vivo Armand Assante by Victor Vitale," Cigar Coop, July 11, 2013.
- ^ a b https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/6484%7C0/Armand-Assante/#family-companions
- ^ "Dyan Cannon trades in actor for sculptor". Fort Lauderdale News. October 5, 1979.
- ^ "Inductees 2010". Italian Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
External links
- 1949 births
- Living people
- American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
- American male film actors
- American male soap opera actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Italian descent
- Male actors from New York City
- People from Cornwall, New York
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors