Biography

Like many another contemporary movie and TV favorite, Stanley Tucci is a graduate of the drama department at SUNY-Purchase. Tucci made his film bow in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, after which he specialized in playing lowlifes and scuzzbags, despite his offscreen credentials as a loyal friend and loving family man. Some of his more memorable appearances were as Rick Pinzolo in TV's Wiseguy (1987-1989), a minor-league thug named Vernon in Beethoven (1992), and a Middle-Eastern assassin in The Pelican Brief (1993). Tucci acquired a fan following of sorts for his slimy year-long role of Richard Cross on the weekly TV series Murder One (1995).

In 1996, Tucci broke loose from his established screen persona by playing an ambitious Italian-American restaurateur in Big Night, the most delightfully "gastronomic" film since Like Water for Chocolate. The art-house favorite was a sheer labor of love for Tucci, who served as its producer, co-wrote its script with his cousin Joe Tropiano, and shared directorial duties with his friend Campbell Scott. Tucci again directed two years later with The Impostors, a farcical comedy that cast him and longtime friend Oliver Platt as two stowaways on an ocean liner. Unlike Big Night, however, the film did not do well with audiences or critics. After starring in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1998) as Puck and In Too Deep (1999) as a police supervisor, Tucci again stepped behind the camera, this time to direct Joe Gould's Secret (2000). A historical drama about an eccentric man (Ian Holm) living on the streets of Greenwich Village, it received a very enthusiastic reception at the 2000 Sundance Festival, where it premiered. The early 2000s seemed to be a winning period for the versatile actor, with Tucci also taking home the Best Supporting Actor in a television movie award for his role in Conspiracy (2001). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Core, The (2003) .... Dr. Conrad Zimsky
Maid in Manhattan (2002) .... Jerry Siegel
... aka Made in New York (2002) (USA: poster title)
Road to Perdition (2002) .... Frank Nitti
Making of 'Road to Perdition', The (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Big Trouble (2002) .... Arthur Herk
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002) (TV) .... Narrator
America's Sweethearts (2001) .... Dave Kingman
Conspiracy (2001) (TV) .... SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer (Lt Col) Adolf Eichmann, Chief of Section IV B 4 (Jewish Section, Gestapo), Reich Security Main Office (and Heydrich's Executive Secretary)
Sidewalks of New York (2001) .... Griffin
"Bull" (2000) TV Series .... Hunter Lasky (2000)
Whole Shebang, The (2000) .... Giovanni Bazinni
Joe Gould's Secret (2000) .... Joe Mitchell
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000) .... Voice
In Too Deep (1999) .... Preston D'Ambrosio
Midsummer Night's Dream, A (1999) .... Robin 'Puck' Goodfellow
... aka Sogno di una notte di mezza estate (1999) (Italy)
... aka William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) (USA: complete title)
Winchell (1998) (TV) .... Walter Winchell
Impostors, The (1998) .... Arthur
Montana (1998) .... Nicholas 'Nick' Roth
... aka Nothing Personal (1998) (Australia: video title)
Eighteenth Angel, The (1997) .... Todd Stanton
Life Less Ordinary, A (1997) .... Elliot Zweikel
Life During Wartime (1997) .... Heinrich Grigoris
... aka Alarmist, The (1998) (USA: new title)
Deconstructing Harry (1997) .... Paul Epstein
Sex & the Other Man (1997) .... Arthur
Modern Affair, A (1996) .... Peter Kessler
... aka Mr. #247 (1996)
Big Night (1996) .... Secondo
Daytrippers, The (1996) .... Louis D'Amico
... aka En route vers Manhattan (1997) (Canada: French title)
"Murder One" (1995) TV Series .... Richard Cross (1995-1996)
Kiss of Death (1995) .... Frank Zioli
Jury Duty (1995) .... Frank
Somebody to Love (1994) .... George
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) .... Fred Hunter
... aka Mrs. Parker and the Round Table (1994)
It Could Happen to You (1994) .... Eddie Biasi
Pelican Brief, The (1993) .... Khamel
Undercover Blues (1993) .... Muerte (aka Morty)
Public Eye, The (1992) .... Sal
Prelude to a Kiss (1992) .... Taylor
Beethoven (1992) .... Vernon
In the Soup (1992) .... Gregoire
... aka In the Soup - Alles Kino (1992) (Germany)
... aka In the soup: en la sopa (1992) (Spain)
Billy Bathgate (1991) .... Lucky Luciano
Men of Respect (1991) .... Mal
Quick Change (1990) .... Johnny
Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler (1990) (TV) .... Det. Patrick McGuire
Feud, The (1989) .... Harvey Yelton
Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989)
Slaves of New York (1989) .... Darryl
"Wiseguy" (1987) TV Series .... Rick Pinzolo (1988-1989)
"Street, The" (1988) TV Series .... Arthur Scolari
Monkey Shines (1988) .... Dr. John Wiseman
... aka Ella (1988)
... aka Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear (1988) (USA: promotional title)
Who's That Girl? (1987) .... 2nd Dock Worker
Kojak: The Price of Justice (1987) (TV) .... 1st Tenant
Prizzi's Honor (1985) .... Soldier