Character actor Joseph Siravo, who specialized in playing Italian mob figures, and who appeared in "The Sopranos" as Tony Soprano's father passed away in April of this year.
In CARLITO’S WAY, “Carlito Brigante” (Al Pacino), a Puerto Rican former convict just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him, and to lead a better life. Joseph Siravo made his feature film debut in the picture, playing “Vinnie Taglialucci,” the son of mobster “Tony Taglialucci” (Frank Minucci).
Joseph Siravo, Richard Foronjy, and Frank Ferrara in CARLITO’S WAY
Brian De Palma directed the 1993 release. Patrick Doyle’s score was released by Varese Sarabande, while Epic released a CD of songs from the film. The $40 million production lost money in the U.S., with a $37 million domestic gross, but went into the black with an additional $27 million in foreign receipts.
In WALKING AND TALKING, Catherine Keener plays “Amelia,” an editor who has been best friends with “Laura” (Anne Heche) for most of their lives. But they begin to drift apart when Laura gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend “Frank” (Todd Field). While Laura struggles with the conflicts and compromises of impending marriage, Amelia navigates New York City single life. Joseph Siravo plays Amelia’s analyst in the film.
Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed the 1996 release. Four tracks of Billy Bragg’s score appeared on the TVT Soundtrax CD, along with four of his songs and songs from eight other artists. The film underperformed at the box office, with a $1.3 million gross.
The “one thing” in 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING is happiness. More specifically, the search and definition of happiness. Writer/director Jill Sprecher and co-writer Karen Sprecher weave together four interconnected stories that meditate on the nature of happiness in a bleakly comedic way. “Walker” (John Turturro) is a college professor cheating on his wife “Patricia” (Amy Irving) with “Helen” (Barbara Sukowa), a fellow professor. Walker and Helen's marriage is falling apart, and an altercation that leaves Walker with a black eye leaves him traumatized.
“Troy” (Matthew McConaughey) is a rising hotshot attorney who doesn't believe in luck. He attributes his success to his own skill. After an accident, his outlook on life changes profoundly. “Beatrice (Clea DuVall) and “Dorrie” (Tia Texada) are maids for a cleaning service. Dorrie admires Beatrice's ability to look at the bright side of things. “Gene” (Alan Arkin) is in middle management in the claims department of a large company. He is divorced, bitter, and overworked, and cannot fathom why “Wade” (William Wise), one of his employees is so optimistic. Joseph Siravo plays a “Bureau Chief” in the film.
Alex Wurman’s score for the 2002 film has only appeared on a composer promo disc. The film did below-average business, with a $3.7 million box office take worldwide.
An aging alcoholic cop (Bruce Willis) is assigned the task of escorting a witness (Mos Def) from police custody to a courthouse 16 BLOCKS away. There are, however, forces at work that try to prevent them from making it in one piece. Joseph Siravo plays “District Attorney Haynes” in this 2006 action film. Richard Donner directed the film, which grossed nearly $66 million on the strength of Bruce Willis’ name. Klaus Badelt’s score has not had a release.
In “The Sopranos”, Joseph Siravo played “Giovanni ‘Johnny Boy’ Soprano.” He is Tony Soprano's deceased father, the former captain of the Soprano crew. Johnny was only seen in flashbacks to Tony's 1960s childhood or in Tony's dream sequences.
Joseph Siravo and Rocco Sisto in “The Sopranos”
Joseph Siravo appeared in five episodes of the series during its six-season run, from 1999 to 2007.
In ENCHANTED, “Giselle” (Amy Adams), a young maiden in a land called Andalasia, is preparing to be wed, when she is sent away to New York City by evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), where she falls in love with lawyer “Robert Philip” (Patrick Dempsey). Joseph Siravo had a small role as a bartender in the film. Kevin Lima directed the $85 million Disney production, which was a smash at the worldwide box office, grossing more than $340 million. Alen Menken’s score plus songs by Menken and Stephen Schwartz were released on the Walt Disney soundtrack CD.
“Made In Jersey” was a television legal drama that followed streetwise attorney “Martina Garretti” (Janet Montgomery), a first-year lawyer born and raised in a close-knit Italian-American blue collar family in New Jersey, who gets a job at the high powered law firm of Stark & Rowan in New York. There, she must make the transition from the state prosecutor's office in Trenton and defend her clients while surviving her colleagues' skepticism. Joseph Siravo had a recurring role as “Gavin Garretti,” Martina's brother.
Joseph Siravo in “Made In Jersey”
CBS debuted the series on Friday, 28 September 2012 at 9 PM. There, the show faced off against the fantasy show “Grimm” on NBC and the ABC newsmagazine “Primetime.” On 10 October 2012, after only two episodes aired, the show was canceled and removed from the network's schedule, making it the first canceled series of the 2012–13 television season. On 5 November 2012, it was announced that CBS planned to burn off the remaining six filmed episodes beginning Saturday, 24 November.
Joseph Siravo appeared in five of the eight episodes, and can be glimpsed in several of the family scenes in this series promo, starting at the 00:40 mark.
“American Crime Story” is an anthology true crime television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Similar to the fictional horror anthology series “American Horror Story,” each season is presented as a self-contained miniseries, following separate unrelated true events.
The first season, subtitled “The People v. O. J. Simpson”, presented the trial of O. J. Simpson for the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. It was based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson.
The season starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, Kenneth Choi as Judge Lance Ito, Bruce Greenwood as Gil Garcetti, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, Joseph Siravo as Fred Goldman (Ron’s father) and Jessica Blair Herman as Kim Goldman (Ron’s sister).
Jessica Blair Herman and Joseph Siravo in “The People v. O. J. Simpson”
Joseph Siravo appeared in seven of the ten episodes of the series, which ran from 2 February to 5 April 2016 on the FX Network.
Joseph Siravo’s final feature film appearance came in 2019’s MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. In 1950s New York, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome (Edward Norton) ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. In so doing, he runs into a CHINATOWN-like web of political corruption and intrigue. Siravo played a union boss in the film. Edward Norton also wrote and directed the picture. Daniel Pemberton's score was released by WaterTower Music.
Joseph Siravo played over 2000 performances as “Gyp DeCarlo” in the first National Tour of "Jersey Boys," which premiered at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on December 10, 2006.
Siravo was also highly regarded as a teacher at various actor training programs in New York. After studying at NYU, where he trained under Ron Van Lieu, Olympia Dukakis and Nora Dunfee, he eventually joined the faculty of NYU Grad Acting, where he taught Shakespeare.
As a character actor on screen, Siravo always made a memorable impression. Farewell, Joe.
