To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Italian American actors or must have references showing they are Italian American actors and are notable. As discussed in the 2005 book Hollywood Italians by Peter E. Bondanella, as well as numerous other sources, Italian-American actors have made a significant impact. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The Guild of Italian American Actors was founded in 1937.[ citation needed ]
Some Italian-American film directors of the silent film era included Robert Vignola, Gregory LaCava, Frank Borzage (Borzaga) and Frank Capra. [7] Italian-American actors included Enrico Caruso in the cultural legitimation of American silent cinema, to Rudolph (Rodolfo) Valentino.
The of American film Renaissance (New Hollywood) in the 1970s coincided with Scorsese’s Mean Streets (1973) and Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), Giuliana Muscio attributes this to Italian Americans becoming better educated and more affluent after World War II. [7]
Muscio connects the prominence of Italian-American director-actors to the Capocomico of traditional Italian theatre. Such director-actors include: Danny DeVito, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Vincent Gallo, Al Pacino, Stanley Tucci, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Gary Sinise, Anne Bancroft, and Madonna. [7]
The list is organized chronologically, listing Italian American actors by birth date periods.
Lisa Ann Walter is an American actress, comedian, and television producer, best known for her roles as Chessy the housekeeper in the romantic comedy film The Parent Trap (1998) and Melissa Schemmenti on the Peabody Award winning ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary (2021–present), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Carla Gugino is an American actress. After early roles in the films Troop Beverly Hills (1989), This Boy's Life (1993), Son in Law (1993), and Snake Eyes (1998), Gugino received wider recognition for her starring roles in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003), Sin City (2005), Night at the Museum (2006), American Gangster (2007), Righteous Kill (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Sally Jupiter in Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), San Andreas (2015), Gerald's Game (2017), Gunpowder Milkshake (2021), and Lisa Frankenstein (2024).
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has generic name (help)I'm Italian, well Italian American. My family throws an Italian festival every year and we grew up on raviolis and that stuff.
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