Nick Vallelonga | |
---|---|
Born | Nicholas Anthony Vallelonga September 13, 1959 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Actor, filmmaker |
Years active | 1972–present |
Parent(s) | Tony Lip Dolores Venere |
Nicholas Anthony Vallelonga (born September 13, 1959) [1] is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing and producing the film Green Book , for which he received two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. [2] He also won two Golden Globes in the same categories, [3] as well as the PGA Award for Best Film. [4] He has also directed the films In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King , Choker and Stiletto , and co-wrote the screenplay to Deadfall .
Vallelonga was born in 1959, the son of Tony and Dolores Vallelonga. [5] [6] [7] He had a younger brother, Frank, who died in November 2022. [8] He initially followed his father into acting, with minor roles in films including The Godfather , Splash , Goodfellas , and Prizzi's Honor . He made his screenwriting debut with Deadfall , directed by Christopher Coppola. [9] While continuing his acting career, he continued to write and direct various independent films, such as A Brilliant Disguise, The Corporate Ladder, Choker , Stiletto , and Yellow Rock.
Vallelonga achieved prominence with Green Book , which he co-wrote and produced. Based on the friendship of his father and Don Shirley, Green Book was critically praised and received dozens of award nominations, although the film was not without controversy, as Shirley's family accused Vallelonga of falsifying information in the movie. In Variety , Vallelonga disputed the allegations: "There's a lot of information [the Shirley family] doesn't have, and they were hurt that I didn't speak to them. But to be quite honest with you, Don Shirley himself told me not to speak to anyone. And he only wanted certain parts of his life … So obviously, to say I didn't contact them, that was hard for me because I didn't want to betray what I promised him." [10] [11]
In 2019, Vallelonga apologized for a 2015 tweet that agreed with Donald Trump's claim that Muslims in Jersey City cheered when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of 11 year old orphan girl Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
Goodfellas is a 1990 American biographical crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.
The Edge is a 1997 American survival thriller film written by David Mamet and directed by Lee Tamahori starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. The plot follows wealthy businessman Charles Morse (Hopkins), photographer Bob Green (Baldwin), and assistant Stephen, who must trek through the elements and try to survive after their plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness; all while being hunted by a large Kodiak bear and the men's fraying friendships. Bart the Bear, a trained Kodiak bear known for appearances in several Hollywood movies, appears in the film as the bloodthirsty Kodiak, in one of his last film roles.
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Jerry Vale was an American traditional pop singer. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover of Eddy Arnold hit "You Don't Know Me" (1956) and "Have You Looked into Your Heart" (1964). Vale, who was of Italian descent, sang numerous songs in Italian, many of which were used in soundtracks by films of Martin Scorsese.
Deadfall is a 1993 crime drama film directed by Christopher Coppola. Coppola co-wrote the script with Nick Vallelonga. The film stars Michael Biehn, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Trigger, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, and Peter Fonda. It is also the prime influence on the song "Deadfall" written by the American hardcore punk band Snot. A prequel/sequel, Arsenal, starring Nicolas Cage as his character Eddie King, was released in 2017.
Henry Hill Jr. was an American mobster who was associated with the Lucchese crime family of New York City from 1955 until 1980, when he was arrested on narcotics charges and became an FBI informant. Hill testified against his former Mafia associates, resulting in 50 convictions, including those of caporegime (captain) Paul Vario and fellow associate James Burke on multiple charges. He subsequently entered the Witness Protection Program, but was removed from the program in 1987.
Tariq Anwar is an Indian-born British-American film editor whose credits include Center Stage, The Good Shepherd, Sylvia, Oppenheimer, and American Beauty, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won two BAFTA Awards. He has also been nominated for an Academy Award in 2011 for editing The King's Speech. He is now based in the United States and the United Kingdom. With Shirley Hills, he is the father of actress Gabrielle Anwar.
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Donald Walbridge Shirley was an American classical and jazz pianist and composer. He recorded many albums for Cadence Records during the 1950s and 1960s, experimenting with jazz with a classical influence. He wrote organ symphonies, piano concerti, a cello concerto, three string quartets, a one-act opera, works for organ, piano and violin, a symphonic poem based on the 1939 novel Finnegans Wake by James Joyce, and a set of "Variations" on the 1858 opera Orpheus in the Underworld.
Frank Anthony Vallelonga Sr., better known by his stage name Tony Lip, was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of crime boss Carmine Lupertazzi in the HBO series, The Sopranos. Lip portrayed real-life Bonanno crime family mobster Philip Giaccone in Donnie Brasco, and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo in Goodfellas. It was at the Copacabana nightclub that he first met Francis Ford Coppola and Louis DiGiaimo, leading to a small role in The Godfather, his film debut. He also co-wrote the book Shut Up and Eat! (2005).
Lee Richardson was an American character actor who frequently appeared in the films of Sidney Lumet.
Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, the film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard. Written by Farrelly alongside Lip's son Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie, the film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife. It is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide book for African American travelers founded by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1966.
John Travolta is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, singer, dancer, musician and pilot.
The Many Saints of Newark is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, it takes place during the 1960s and 1970s in Newark, New Jersey. The film follows a violent gang war from the perspectives of mobster Dickie Moltisanti and his teenage nephew, Tony Soprano, in the midst of the city's 1967 riots. It stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie and Michael Gandolfini as Tony, the character originated by his father in the series, with Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga in supporting roles. It was Liotta's final release performance before his death in 2022.
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Songs of Solomon is a 2019 period biographical drama film directed by Arman Nshanian, depicting the life and music of Komitas Vardabet, who was an Armenian composer, ethnomusicologist and priest, who lived during the years of the Armenian genocide. The movie was selected by Armenia to compete in the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Baby Shark's Big Show! is an animated children's television series based on the "Baby Shark" brand from the South Korean company Pinkfong. SmartStudy, Pinkfong's parent company, co-produces the show with Nickelodeon Animation Studio from the United States.
That's Amore! is an upcoming American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Nick Vallelonga, and starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, D. B. Sweeney, William Fichtner and Christopher Walken.