Born in Naples, Italy, Castelluccio moved with his family to Paterson, New Jersey, when he was three years old. In 1982, Castelluccio was awarded a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he earned a BFA in painting and media arts. Prior to winning the scholarship, he received an opportunity to create a painting for actor George Burns.
Career
Castelluccio began his career as an actor in 1986. Some of his film credits include Made with Jon Favreau, Fire with Paul Campbell and 18 Shades of Dust with Danny Aiello. In television, his credits include NYPD Blue and his best known role in the HBO hit series, The Sopranos as the Neapolitan enforcer Furio Giunta. He also appeared in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints which debuted in 2006 at the Sundance Film Festival and received two awards, one for best dramatic directing and another for best dramatic ensemble, headed by Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri, and Rosario Dawson. Other film projects include the biographical El Cantante; Aftermath, a crime thriller; and The Obscure Brother, filmed in southern Italy, a short film that he executive produced and acted in; 2003's La Araña; the 2008 comedy Capers; Lucky Days; and the 2009 Forget Me Not. In television, Castelluccio played the lead role in Dragon Dynasty, a telefilm that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. He also appeared in the episode of Kenny Vs. Spenny titled "Who Can Produce The Best Commercial". In 2014, Castelluccio starred in the short film Eulogy directed by Don Capria The film won "Best Ensemble" in the 2015 Queens World Film Festival. In 2016, Castelluccio directed the feature filmThe Brooklyn Banker. In 2017, Castelluccio directed the TV pilotOutcall. During the fourth season of Celebrity Apprentice, Castelluccio was asked by Donald Trump to judge which celebrity designed the best hat. Castelluccio eventually chose La Toya Jackson. She was awarded $25,000 for her charity, the AIDS Project Los Angeles.
Painting discovery
Castelluccio discovered a 17th century painting by Italian Baroque painterGuercino at a Frankfurt gallery and subsequently purchased it at auction after it had been incorrectly identified as an 18th-century painting. The painting was purchased for €49,000 and was estimated at $10M. The total cost of the painting including restoration and shipping plus extra costs came to $140,000.
Filmography
Movies
1999 18 Shades of Dust – Bouncer #1
2001 Made – Doorman
2002 Fire – Himself
2003 La Arana – Bobby
2004 Return of Fire – Himself
2004 Volare – Paolo Bongiovanni
2005 In Hot Water – Father Sal Manella
2006 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints – Antonio's Father
