Use Arrow Keys to Navigate

View Gallery

29 Slides

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1960s-1980s: Growing Up In New York

Imperioli was born in 1966 to Dan Imperioli, a bus driver and amateur actor, and Claire Imperioli, a department store worker who also loved acting, in Mount Vernon, New York. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to nearby Brewster, and it was there in high school that he began to have an interest in Broadway.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1980s: Acting Classes

At 17, Imperioli relocated to New York City’s East Village and began taking acting classes at the renowned Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Acting School. Fun fact: Imperioli met fellow actor John Ventimiglia while taking classes here and decided to become roommates. The two would join forces years later when they both were given lead roles in The Sopranos—Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti and Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1990: Goodfellas

In 1990, Imperioli appeared in the Martin Scorsese-directed mob movie Goodfellas, which starred big names like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. In the film, Imperioli plays Spider, a fellow mob associate who gets shot and killed.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1992: Malcolm X

Blink, and you might miss him. A 20-something-year-old Imperioli appeared as a news reporter in the hit film Malcolm X.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1995: Bad Boys

He appeared on screen a few years later in the action comedy Bad Boys, which starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Imperioli took on the role of Jojo, an old informant of Mike and Marcus.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1995: The Basketball Diaries Premiere

Here, Imperioli is photographed attending The Basketball Diaries premiere at New York City’s Sony 7 Village Theater. He played Bobby in the movie.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1996: Last Man Standing

One year later, Imperioli had a role in Last Man Standing, which boasted a cast including Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Leslie Mann. The young actor appeared as Girgio Carmonte, a Chicago mobster.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1996: Law & Order

In the mid-90s, Imperioli guest starred as Johnny Stivers in an episode of Law & Order. Fun fact: He was incorrectly credited as “Michael Imperiola.”

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1999: The Sopranos

Imperioli became a household name when he became Christopher Moltisanti in the hit HBO television series The Sopranos. The actor won several awards for his performance on the show.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1999: Summer of Sam

In 1999, Imperioli not only starred in Summer of Sam but also wrote and executive produced the picture. The film also featured other well-known stars, including Spike Lee, John Leguizamo, Adrian Broday, and Mira Sorvino.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Early-2000s: Television Films

During the early 2000s, he appeared in several television films, including Disappearing Acts and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2002: Love In The Time Of Money

During this period, he also appeared in the 2002 romantic comedy Love In The Time Of Money, which starred Steve Buscemi and Vera Farmiga. The movie received poor reviews from film critics.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2004: My Baby’s Daddy

A few years later, he joined forces with Eddie Griffin and Anthony Anderson for the comedy My Baby’s Daddy. The movie follows the story of three friends played by Griffin, Anderson, and Imperioli, who all find out that their girlfriends are expecting at the same time.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2005: Law & Order (Again)

He appeared on Law & Order once again in 2005. This time it was for five episodes.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2008: Life on Mars

Imperioli also acted on the short-lived ABC television series Life on Mars, which aired from October 2008 to April 2009. In it, he played Ray Carling, a detective with anger issues.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2009: Hungry Ghosts

The New York native reunited with his Sopranos counterpart, Steve Schirippa, for Hungry Ghosts. Hungry Ghosts, both written and directed by Imperioli, was his directorial debut.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2009: The Lovely Bones

That same year he played the role of Detective Len Fenerman in the drama thriller The Lovely Bones, a film based on a book of the same name.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2010: The Secret Life of the American Teenager

A year later, he guest-starred on the ABC television series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager as an OB/GYN.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2010: Detroit 1-8-7

Imperioli joined another police drama when he took on the lead role of Detective Louis Fitch in Detroit 1-8-7. The show ran for just one season on ABC.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2012: Girls

Go back and rewatch the first season of Girls, and you may see a familiar face. The Sopranos star appeared in the popular HBO series Girls as Hannah’s writing professor, Powell Goodman.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FQrqCrnV6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2ifZGiEcn%2BYb25opZmYtaKxy2agpqiVp7awuMhmmpqqlZq%2FbrXNZqehp6SkwHA%3D