Joseph R. Gannascoli

Biography: Devoted pay-cable viewers will most commonly associate the beefy Italian-American character actor Joseph R. Gannascoli with his portrayal of Vito Spatafore, the closet-homosexual mobster and member of the DiMeo crime syndicate (who meets a grim fate after a night in a leather bar) on the long-running HBO crime drama The Sopranos. In truth, the actor originally portrayed another character -- a pastry chef -- in a single episode of season one, and returned as Vito in later seasons, gradually ascending to the level of a regular. Gannascoli's interest in the subject of La Cosa Nostra extends beyond the confines of the series: he authored the darkly comic Mafia-themed (and culinary-tinged) book A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime, which received a rave review from Publishers' Weekly when it emerged in late 2005. Though Gannascoli is best known for his evocation of Vito, his resumé also includes bit parts in such movies as Blowfish (1998), On the Run (1999), and ArtieDevoted pay-cable viewers will most commonly associate the beefy Italian-American character actor Joseph R. Gannascoli with his portrayal of Vito Spatafore, the closet-homosexual mobster and member of the DiMeo crime syndicate (who meets a grim fate after a night in a leather bar) on the long-running HBO crime drama The Sopranos. In truth, the actor originally portrayed another character -- a pastry chef -- in a single episode of season one, and returned as Vito in later seasons, gradually ascending to the level of a regular. Gannascoli's interest in the subject of La Cosa Nostra extends beyond the confines of the series: he authored the darkly comic Mafia-themed (and culinary-tinged) book A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime, which received a rave review from Publishers' Weekly when it emerged in late 2005. Though Gannascoli is best known for his evocation of Vito, his resumé also includes bit parts in such movies as Blowfish (1998), On the Run (1999), and Artie Lange's Beer League -- with the actor often cast as an Italian heavy. Expand

Joseph R. Gannascoli's Scores

Average career score: 95
Highest Metascore: 97 The Sopranos: Season 2
Lowest Metascore: 88 The Sopranos: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
4 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
96 The Sopranos: Season 6 Mar 12, 2006 Vito Spatafore / Joseph Gannascoli / Vito Spatafore 8.9
tbd Jimmy Kimmel Live: Season 4 Jan 4, 2006 Joe Gannascoli tbd
tbd Celebrity Fit Club: Season 1 Jan 9, 2005 Himself / Himself (Season 1) / Reality Cast Member / Joseph Gannascoli tbd
tbd The Sopranos: Season 5 Mar 7, 2004 Vito Spatafore / Joseph Gannascoli / Vito Spatafore 9.2
tbd Law & Order: Season 14 Sep 24, 2003 Arthur Baldo 10
tbd The Sopranos: Season 4 Sep 15, 2002 Vito Spatafore / Joseph R. Gannascoli 9.2
97 The Sopranos: Season 3 Mar 4, 2001 Vito Spatafore / Joseph Gannascoli / Vito Spatafore 9.1
97 The Sopranos: Season 2 Jan 16, 2000 Vito Spatafore / Joseph Gannascoli / Vito Spatafore 9.0
88 The Sopranos: Season 1 Jan 10, 1999 Vito Spatafore / Bakery Customer / Joseph Gannascoli 9.1