# Max Casella

Max Casella (born Maximilian Deitch; June 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series Doogie Howser, M.D., The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, Cro and the voice of Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series.

## Early life

Casella was born in Washington, D.C., the son of David Deitch, a newspaper columnist, and Doris Casella, a social worker. His father is Jewish and his mother is of Italian descent. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where his classmates included Traci Bingham, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Casella has growth hormone deficiency, which accounted for his ability to play characters much younger than his actual age. His brother also shares the condition. He did not go through puberty until the age of 27 after medical intervention. His physical changes caused him to gain weight and he was dropped by his agents. He then had to completely reinvent himself as an actor.

## Career

Casella played Vincent "Vinnie" Delpino in the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. from 1989 to 1993 with Neil Patrick Harris. In 1992, Casella played Racetrack Higgins in Newsies, which was based upon true events in the 1899 newsboys strike against Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. He appeared in WindRunner: A Spirited Journey, starring Margot Kidder and Russell Means as Jim Thorpe's ghost. In 1997, Casella played Timon in the original Broadway production of The Lion King; a performance for which he was awarded a Theatre World Award and received a Drama Desk Award nomination. From 2000 to 2001 he returned to Broadway as Marcellus Washburn in the revival of The Music Man. Casella portrayed Pvt. Dino Paparelli in Sgt. Bilko. He joined the cast of the HBO series The Sopranos during its third season, as Benny Fazio. Casella also starred in Ed Wood and Analyze This. In 2007, Casella portrayed Dick Howser in the ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning. He also voiced Tip in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Zini in the CGI film Dinosaur and the titular character in ABC's Cro. In 2008, Casella played Mack Steiner in Leatherheads and Dennis, one of the main characters in Scaring the Fish. He also played Leo D'Alessio in season one of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
Since 2022, Casella has portrayed Armand Truisi on the Paramount+ series Tulsa King.

## Personal life

Casella married Leona Robbins in 2002, and has two daughters, Mia and Gioia. They lived in New York City, and they separated in 2018.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Newsies | Racetrack Higgins | |
| 1994 | Ed Wood | Paul Marco | |
| 1996 | Sgt. Bilko | Spc. Dino Paparelli | |
| 1997 | Trial and Error | Dr. Brown | |
| 1999 | Analyze This | Nicky Shivers | |
| 1999 | Freak Talks About Sex | Freak's High School Friend | |
| 2000 | The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea | Tip (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2000 | Dinosaur | Zini (voice) | |
| 2005 | The Notorious Bettie Page | Howie | |
| 2006 | Bristol Boys | Donny | |
| 2008 | Leatherheads | Max Steiner | |
| 2008 | Revolutionary Road | Ed Small | |
| 2011 | Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son | Anthony Canetti | |
| 2011 | Somewhere Tonight | Fred | |
| 2012 | Killing Them Softly | Barry Caprio | |
| 2013 | Inside Llewyn Davis | Pappi Corsicato | |
| 2013 | Blue Jasmine | Eddie | |
| 2013 | The Last of Robin Hood | Stanley Kubrick | |
| 2013 | Fading Gigolo | Guy at Counter | |
| 2013 | Oldboy | James Prestley | |
| 2015 | Wild Card | Osgood | |
| 2015 | Applesauce | Les | |
| 2015 | Christmas Eve | Randy | |
| 2016 | Jackie | Jack Valenti | |
| 2016 | Live by Night | Digger Pescatore | |
| 2017 | Wonder Wheel | Ryan | |
| 2018 | Night Comes On | Mark | |
| 2019 | Late Night | Burditt | |
| 2020 | The Rhythm Section | Leon Giler | |
| 2020 | Paper Spiders | Gary | |
| 2021 | This Is the Night | Police Officer | Uncredited |
| 2021 | The Tender Bar | Chief | |
| 2022 | Allswell in New York | Tim | |
| 2024 | Lake George | Harout | |
| TBA | Special Delivery | Man | Short; post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Don't Look Now! | Max Deitch | 3 episodes |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Streak | Episode: "The Child Broker" |
| 1989 | Kate & Allie | Mike Sheridan | Episode: "Chip's Notes" |
| 1989–1993 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Vinnie Delpino | 97 episodes |
| 1993–1994 | Cro | Cro (voice) | 20 episodes |
| 1995 | The Cosby Mysteries | Simon Cosler | Episode: "Comic Book Murder" |
| 1995–1996 | The Adventures of Hyperman | Studd Puppy (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 1996 | Hey Arnold! | Tony B. / Philly D. (voices) | Episodes: "Benchwarmer/Cool Jerk" |
| 1998 | Working | Quinten McCracken | Episode: "Greenery" |
| 2001–2007 | The Sopranos | Benny Fazio | 28 episodes |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Nicky | Episode: "Shandeh" |
| 2002 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | The Beaver (voice) | Episode: "A Beaver's Tale" |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Christopher Schiffer | Episode: "Case by Case" |
| 2007 | The Bronx Is Burning | Dick Howser | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | Medium | Joel Tiernan | Episode: "Soul Survivor" |
| 2010 | Hawaii Five-0 | Joey | Episode: "Malama Ka Aina" |
| 2010 | Boardwalk Empire | Leo D'Alessio | 7 episodes |
| 2011 | The Confession | Eddie | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Vinyl | Julian "Julie" Silver | Main cast; 10 episodes |
| 2016 | The Night Of | Edgar | Episode: "The Art of War" |
| 2016 | Crisis in Six Scenes | Barber | Episode #1.1 |
| 2017–2022 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Michael Kessler | 5 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | The Detour | Joe Delicious | 13 episodes |
| 2018 | Shades of Blue | Capt. Daniel Pines | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Ray Donovan | Emerson Lake | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | The Blacklist | Henry Morris | Episode: "Lady Luck (No. 69)" |
| 2021 | The Good Fight | Danny Trumpet | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | WeCrashed | Detective Donny | Episode: "Masha Masha Masha" |
| 2022–present | Tulsa King | Armand Truisi | Main role |
| 2023 | Kaleidoscope | Taco | Episode: "Pink" (6 Months After the Heist) |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2001 | Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy | Daxter |
| 2003 | Jak II | Daxter |
| 2004 | Jak 3 | Daxter |
| 2005 | Jak X: Combat Racing | Daxter |
| 2006 | Daxter | Daxter, Hotelier |
| 2007 | Pain | Daxter |
| 2009 | Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier | Daxter |
| 2009 | Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony | Union Official |
| 2011 | PlayStation Move Heroes | Daxter |
| 2012 | PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale | Daxter |