Michael Imperioli

Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama The Sopranos (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. In the early part of his career, he played the role of Spider in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990). He went on to play many supporting roles in films such as Jungle Fever (1991), Bad Boys (1995), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Shark Tale (2004) and The Lovely Bones (2009). He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nomination for his role as Dominic Di Grasso in the second season of The White Lotus (2022). Imperioli has co-written the screenplay for Summer of Sam (1999) with Spike Lee, written five episodes of The Sopranos, and written and directed the feature film The Hungry Ghosts (2008). Early life and education Imperioli was born in Mount Vernon, New York, a working class suburb of New York City. He is the son of Dan Imperioli, a bus driver and amateur actor, and Claire Imperioli, a department store worker and amateur actress. His ancestors immigrated to New York City from Lazio and Sicily in Italy. At age 11, Imperioli and his family moved to Brewster, New York, and in high school he began watching Broadway plays. After graduating from Brewster High School in 1983, Imperioli planned on studying pre-med at the State University of New York at Albany. The night before he was set to begin college, he confided in his parents that he sought to be an actor. At age 17, Imperioli then moved to Manhattan's East Village, where he enrolled at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute to study acting. While there, he met John Ventimiglia, who later portrayed Artie Bucco on The Sopranos, and the two became roommates.