Michael Imperioli, born on March 26, 1966, in Mt. Vernon, New York, began his film career in the late 1980s. His early work gained recognition for his role as Spider in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990),where he played a local kid who worked for gangsters and had a confrontation with a psychopathic mob soldier portrayed by Joe Pesci.
Throughout the 1990s, Imperioli worked extensively in the New York independent film industry, frequently appearing in Spike Lee's movies, including Jungle Fever (1991),Malcolm X (1992),Clockers (1995),Girl 6 (1996),and Summer of Sam (1999). He typically played working-class Italian-Americans from the "outer boroughs."
While rooted in the New York film scene, Imperioli also worked in Hollywood during the mid-1990s, starring in the formulaic movies Bad Boys (1995) and Last Man Standing (1996).
In 1999, Imperioli was cast in the HBO series The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, a mafia soldier in the Soprano crime organization whose family connections to street boss Tony Soprano propelled him up the ranks. Imperioli's complex portrayal of this unappealing character earned him an Emmy and a SAG award.
Active in the New York theater scene, Imperioli has written, directed, produced, or starred in numerous plays. He co-founded the downtown theater company Machine Full with Lili Taylor, his then-girlfriend and co-star in Household Saints (1993). Imperioli has also written several episodes of "The Sopranos" and was a writer on Lee's "Summer of Sam," which he also executive-produced.
Although most famous for his role in "The Sopranos," Imperioli has worked on other television programs, including Law & Order (1990),New York Undercover (1994),and NYPD Blue (1993). He is married with two children and one stepdaughter.
