Vincent Frank Vella (January 11, 1947 – February 20, 2019) was an American actor, talk show host and comedian. He acted in more than forty films often in the role of a gangster. He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino and Jimmy Petrille in the HBO series The Sopranos.

Early life

Vella was born on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. His father was from Bari, Italy and his mother was from Naples, Italy. Vella's father had a fish store in Little Italy.

Career

Vella acted in more than forty films often in the role of gangster. He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese's Casino. He played Jimmy Petrille on the HBO series The Sopranos. He was the subject of a 67-minute 2000 documentary called Hey, Vinny by director John Huba. In New York City, he hosted a public-access television cable TV show on MNN, the Vinny Vella show. He appeared in more than 35 advertisements.

Personal life

He was married to Margaret Ann Hernandez; they had one son, Vincent Vella Jr. Besides Vincent Vella Jr., Vinny was also a father to Ben and Anthony Hernandez, Jennifer Maloney and Lauren Vella. Vella was at one time the "Mayor of Elizabeth Street". In 2007, he opened his own pizzeria in Williamsburg, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. In June 2008, Vella was involved in controversy around a lottery ticket, according to some sources, and threatened to sue over it.

Death

Vella died at home on Elizabeth Street, New York City on February 20, 2019, due to liver cancer, at age 72.

Filmography

Film

Vella's films include:

Television