Steve Schirripa

Steven Ralph "Steve" Schirripa (/ʃᵻˈriːpə/, Italian pronunciation: [skirˈripa]; born September 3, 1957) is an American actor, producer, author, and voice artist. He is best known for portraying Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos. Schirripa is a producer and host of two Investigation Discovery series Karma's A B*tch! and Nothing Personal. He was a regular cast member of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the voice of Roberto in the Open Season franchise. Schirripa has also done commercials for Lamisil, Dick's Sporting Goods, and McDonalds.

Early life

Schirripa was born on September 3, 1957 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. His father Ralph was Italian American. His grandparents Ilario Schirripa and Maria Capacci are from Riace, Italy. His mother is of Jewish heritage.

Career

Film and television work

While working in Las Vegas, Schirripa landed a role as an uncredited extra in the Martin Scorsese classic Casino. In the film, he portrayed a customer at the bar in the infamous scene when Joe Pesci's character angrily stabs a man with a pen. After this, Schirripa decided that he wanted to become an actor. He had several minor roles in movies, including The Runner (1999) and Joe Dirt. His breakthrough role was in The Sopranos (2000), playing Tony Soprano's dense but likable mobster brother-in-law Bobby Baccalieri for 6 seasons.