Dominic Chianese

Drunk with applause from appreciative relatives, Dominic Chianese dabbled with singing and acting in high school and college - then launched his show business career in 1952 with a touring company mounting modest productions of Gilbert and Sullivan`s "The Mikado" and "Patience."

Almost 50 years later, he finally was able to make a living at his chosen profession as Corrado Enrico Soprano (Uncle Junior), in the critically acclaimed mobster series "The Sopranos."

"For the first time in my life, I don`t think about money or when the checks are coming in," says Chianese, 70, a bald, spare man whose natural warmth underscores his acting ability as Uncle Junior - "a soft, gentle, mean bastard who`s a typical first-generation Italian-American pain in the ass."

The Bronx-born Chianese earned a bachelor`s degree in speech and theater from Brooklyn College at the age of 30, then spent the next several years as a school teacher "to please his parents and others." When his career in education proved "too restrictive," he decided to follow his gut instincts. Burdened with two ex-wives and six children, there were times when he questioned his own sanity.

Somehow he kept it all together with sporadic microscopic or small parts in TV series ranging from "East Side, West Side," "Dark Shadows," "Kojak" and "Law & Order" to such feature films as "The Godfather, Part II," "All The President`s Men," "Fort Apache, The Bronx" and "If Lucy Fell." When the acting gigs dried up, he grabbed his guitar and - for a few bucks - sang in everything from saloons and cabarets to night clubs and nursing homes. Failing that, he worked as a temporary clerk in a science laboratory "typing number after number, hour after hour, day after day ... It was the most miserable period in my life."

Chianese`s hardscrabble days are all but forgotten with a new apartment on a quiet street near the New York mayor`s residence on Manhattan`s Upper East Side. He shares the spacious digs with his live-in girlfriend of seven years, Jane Pittson, 54, a United Nations program officer. "I finally have a large apartment for the first time in my life," he says, laughing, "and I`m actually improving it with a custom-made kitchen and a patio.

"But the biggest thing that happened (with success) is that it has connected me back with everyone in my family," Chianese continues, immensely proud of the two sons and four daughters who have provided him with 11 grandchildren so far. "I`ve always been close to my kids, but now we`re talking about everybody - cousins, aunts, uncles - and old friends. They think it`s a beautiful thing that I`ve reached success late in life, but in only two years. I`m also very grateful that it happened at an age where the success doesn`t go to my head."

The man who plays Uncle Junior is actually Dominic Chianese Sr., a caring father who passes on his wealth of experience to Dominic Chianese Jr., his 36-year-old actor son who is working his way up the ranks with credits ranging from guest shots on the New York-based series "Third Watch" and a supporting role in Pierce Brosnan`s feature film remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair."

"Things weren`t easy for my son when he was growing up, but we have a terrific relationship," says Chianese. "He started out doing stand-up comedy and it has taken him a while to move into acting, but now he`s really coming up. He`s a very good natural actor who looks great, too. Dominic is very independent, but he does listen when I tell him to get more theater experience to learn his craft. I keep telling him not to worry about stereotypes - just keep working."

Uncle Junior, according to Chianese, is every male relative he ever knew in the Bronx. "He`s a sharp guy from the kick `em in the ass school - so he is my father, my uncles, my cousins, the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker - everything but a mobster, though my dad used to point them out to me - they had great suits and hats," he explains. "My father, Gaetano (Tony) was a sweetheart working as a bricklayer for a living. Like my mother, Angelina, his parents came from the Naples area, which is where the Soprano family happens to be from."

The show has drawn heavy fire from several civic and professional groups during the past two years, claiming the show glorifies violence, nudity, foul language and generally puts a negative spin on Italian-Americans. "I think the criticism is ridiculous and all out of proportion," he says. "We`re obviously dealing with a tiny segment of the Italian-American population; 99 percent of them have a sense of reality and humor about it. The other 1 percent is irony deficient."

As the third season of "The Sopranos" unfolds, Uncle Junior is under house arrest and watched very closely by the FBI and his nephew, Mafia don Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). Having conspired with his sister-in-law Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand) to whack her son Tony last season, he is not regarded as a particularly trustworthy family member anymore.

Marchand`s death last June after a long, painful and exhausting bout with cancer presented several complications to "The Sopranos" production at the start of this year`s 13 new episodes. David Chase, the show`s creator, felt it was extremely important to insert a scene with Livia talking to her son, to explain Tony`s reaction to her death. To effect a scene between mother and son, computer technology, dubbing, tape editing and a body double for Marchand were used delicately.

"We still have a hard time talking about Nancy this year," he says softly. "She was so close to us all, a real trouper with incredible courage. She always did her job great, even though she needed a hit from her oxygen tank between takes. But I think what killed her was the death of her husband, Paul, after 48 years of marriage, about six months before she did. The week before she died, she told me that she was very, very depressed. Life just isn`t the same without her."

Success breeds success, and five decades after he made his debut in a stage musical, Chianese is coming out with the first of two CDs this year. His debut album is called "Dominic Chianese`s Hits" (Madacy Entertainment) is "an eclectic mix" of songs, including two in Italian, two in Spanish and an American gospel arrangement. The second, as yet untitled, will contain only Italian tunes.

"When everything is done, Jane and I will take another vacation in and around Naples again," he says. "I`ve found out that I have number of cousins there that I haven`t managed to connect with yet. I`m also hoping to meet a famous retired Neapolitan singer named Sergio Brunt - his real name is Chianese."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Eirik Knutzen