Joseph R. Gannascoli is an American actor and former professional chef who rose to fame during his portrayal of Vito Spatafore (Tony Soprano’s underling and a member of the DiMeo
crime family) on HBO’s The Sopranos, frequently regarded as one of the best series of all time. He received this big break after featuring in Money for Nothing (1993) with John Cusack and Ed Wood (1994) with Johnny Depp, when acclaimed Puerto Rican director Benicio del Toro cast him in his directorial debut Submission (1995) and introduced Gannascoli to the casting directors for The Sopranos.
His character Vito was a compelling character in the series because of the double life he lived, playing the role of an impassive, macho mobster while concealing his true personality and sexuality. During the day, he’s hard to tell apart from any of his friends or coworkers, but at night he would visit gay bars far from home such that nobody he knows would recognise him.
Gannascoli’s other movie credits include Men in Black 3 (2012) with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and a starring role in the thriller An Act of War (2015). More recently he has involved himself in indie movie projects such as Jason’s Letter (2017) with Vivica A. Fox as well as larger movies such as The Brawler (2019) with Zach McGowan and Amy Smart.
Regarding the culinary arts as his first passion, Gannascoli continues to revel in cooking, hosting private dinner parties for guests in which he gladly answers any Sopranos-related questions they have. He happily divides his time between further acting opportunities and cooking, all the while regaling the loyal Sopranos fanbase with tales of his experiences on set.