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The One Man Show Starring Chazz Palminteri
Bronx-born Chazz Palminteri wrote “A Bronx Tale” in 1988. The powerful one-man play depicts his challenging childhood, including witnessing a gangland killing at age nine. Palminteri played 18 characters, bringing his friends, enemies and family vividly to life on stage.
After premiering the play in Los Angeles in 1989, Palminteri refused multiple offers from major studios to sell the story rights. Studios wanted a star to play Sonny and another writer to handle the screenplay, but Palminteri insisted on writing and starring in it himself. Despite having only $200 in the bank, his persistence paid off when Robert De Niro attended the play unannounced and encouraged him to write the screenplay and star in the film adaptation.
Palminteri went on to write the screenplay for the film “A Bronx Tale” and most recently wrote the book for the Broadway musical. He is the first actor to write and star in all three versions: the one-man play, the film, and the Broadway show.
Over the past 35 years, Palminteri has appeared in more than 60 films, including “The Usual Suspects,” “Analyze This,” “Mulholland Falls,” “Jade,” “A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints,” “Legend,” and “Bullets Over Broadway,” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He has also starred in over 20 television series and won three Emmys. His recent credits include “Modern Family,” “Godfather of Harlem,” “Law & Order” and “Gravesend.”
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