Anthony LaPaglia

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Gia Carides

**Anthony M. LaPaglia**English pronunciation: **Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".** born 31 January 1959 is an award-winning Australian actor.

He played the role of Joe in the coming of age comedy *Empire Records*, John in the film Autumn In New York , as well as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series *Without a Trace*, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.
He also appeared in 8 episodes of *Frasier* as Daphne Moon's alcoholic brother Simon.

LaPaglia starred in the Australian films *Looking for Alibrandi*, *Holding the Man*, *Lantana* and *Balibo*. For the latter two films he won AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2001 and 2009.

## Early life

LaPaglia was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of Maria Johannes (née Brendel), a secretary and model, and Gedio "Eddie" LaPaglia (deceased), and auto mechanic and car dealer. LaPaglia's mother was Dutch, and his father immigrated from Bovalino, Calabria, Italy, at the age of eighteen. His younger brother, Jonathan LaPaglia, is also an actor, and his other brother, Michael, is a car wholesaler in Los Angeles. His half-brother Robert Ringsell is an avid AFC fan, based in London.[*citation needed*] LaPaglia attended Rostrevor College & Norwood High School.

LaPaglia was working in Adelaide as a shoe salesman for Florsheim shoes in the early 1980s. He asked to be transferred to the US and continued working there whilst studying acting as he was rejected by the prestigious Sydney drama school NIDA. LaPaglia first began his venture into dramatic art in his late teens, when he enrolled in an acting course at the South Australian Castings Agency (SA Castings) in Adelaide. The two and half year course was to be supplemented with a further three months, which would have included a "boot camp" and a trial listing with SA Castings. After completing one and half years of the course, LaPaglia left Adelaide for Los Angeles.[*citation needed*]

## Career

LaPaglia's earliest credit was a 1985 part in an episode of the television series *Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories*. His first feature film was *Cold Steel* in 1987, followed that same year by the title role of Frank Nitti in the telemovie *Nitti: The Enforcer*. LaPaglia had a supporting role as a mobster in the minor hit *Betsy's Wedding* (1990). LaPaglia also starred alongside Danny Aiello & Lanie Kazan in *29th Street*, a fact-based comedy/bio-pic, as the first New York State Lottery winner, Frank Pesce, Jr. This was followed by roles in the vampire/Mafia story *Innocent Blood* (1992), the comedy thriller *So I Married an Axe Murderer* (1993), the legal thriller *The Client* (1994), and the comedy *Empire Records* in 1995. That same year, LaPaglia appeared in the role of Jimmy Wyler, lead character in the TV series *Murder One*, during its second and final season.

During 1997–98, LaPaglia appeared in a Broadway production of Arthur Miller's *A View From the Bridge* with the Roundabout Theatre Company and later received a Tony Award for his portrayal of the protagonist, Eddie Carbone. LaPaglia also played Tito Merelli in Ken Ludwig's *Lend Me a Tenor* on Broadway. Before *A View From the Bridge* opened, LaPaglia was sent a script for the pilot of *The Sopranos* and met its creator, David Chase, to discuss the role of protagonist Tony Soprano. However, various factors, including his Broadway role, prevented LaPaglia obtaining the role. "'The Sopranos' thing didn't work out...and of course it did work out perfectly, because the right person ended up with the role. You can't imagine that show without James Gandolfini." LaPaglia did, however, later play (in an uncredited 2002 cameo) an actor in a *Sopranos*-style TV show-within-a-film, in the comedy movie *Analyze That*. (In 2007, *The Sopranos* reciprocated, by featuring LaPaglia's brother Jonathan in a film-within-the-TV show.)

Spike Lee cast LaPaglia as a New York police detective in *Summer of Sam* (1999).

During 2000–04, LaPaglia appeared in eight episodes of the sitcom *Frasier*, including the finale, playing Daphne Moon's brother Simon. The role won him an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series".

LaPaglia made his debut in an Australian production with *Looking for Alibrandi* (1999), followed by a role as a Sydney police detective in the critically acclaimed Ray Lawrence film *Lantana* (2001).

In 2002, LaPaglia co-starred as a fire captain opposite Sigourney Weaver in *The Guys*, a film about New York firemen who died in the World Trade Center. He also played the role onstage, rotating with Bill Murray and others. "We did it as a tribute to the men," said LaPaglia. "I've been so lucky to do it, to be part of this experience. But I can't go back to that morning or watch the video. It's too painful." He also played fictional Australian actor Anthony Bella (who played Nicky Caesar in the fictitious series 'Little Caesar') in the comedy movie *Analyze That*, but was uncredited in his role.

In addition to playing the central character in *Without a Trace* during 2002–09, LaPaglia co-wrote an episode entitled "Deep Water".

In 2009, LaPaglia played the part of Roger East, a real life Australian journalist, in the political thriller *Balibo*, about the killing in 1975 of five Australian journalists by the Indonesian Army in the town of Balibo, East Timor. The opening scene depicts East's own summary execution, during the Indonesian invasion.

In October 2011 it was announced that LaPaglia would join the cast of Quentin Tarantino's new film *Django Unchained*, in which he would portray an Australian character once again. However, he eventually left the project, calling the production "out of control."

In February 18, 2012, it was announced that LaPaglia would star in the ABC drama pilot *Americana*. The show was not picked up.

It was announced in May 2013 that LaPaglia signed on in the feature adaptation of Stephen King's *A Good Marriage* with Joan Allen.

In March 2014, LaPaglia joined a new CBS terrorism drama pilot titled *Red Zone* starring as a retired CIA operative and current high school football coach who returns to active duty after a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. It was renamed *Field of Play* and not picked up for the 2014 season.

LaPaglia had a supporting role in the Neil Armfield's Australian romantic-drama film *Holding the Man*, as Bob Caleo. The 2015 film stars Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, with supporting performances from LaPaglia, Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush. *Holding the Man* was adapted from Timothy Conigrave's 1995 memoir of the same name. For his role within the film, LaPaglia was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 5th AACTA Awards in 2015.

## Personal life

LaPaglia currently lives in Santa Monica, California, USA. He has said that he adopted an American accent to help him get acting work after moving to the US. His current accent is neither distinctly American nor is it Australian, but rather a combination of both. According to an offhand remark by LaPaglia, he has employed an American accent since 1982. LaPaglia is the godfather of Poppy Montgomery and Adam Kaufman's son, Jackson.

LaPaglia's first marriage was to actress Cherie Michan. His second marriage was to actress Gia Carides, whom he met at a party; the two starred in the 1994 (Ben Lewin) Australian movie *Paperback Romance* (a.k.a. *Lucky Break*) and married in 1998. Their daughter Bridget was born in January 2003. In April 2015, newspapers reported that LaPaglia and Carides had split after 17 years.

### Association football

In the 1980s, LaPaglia was a goalkeeper in the National Soccer League, playing for Adelaide City and West Adelaide. LaPaglia was part owner of A-League club Sydney FC until 2008; flying from California to Sydney to attend their matches since their inception in 2005. He was the narrator and executive producer of *The Away Game*, a critically acclaimed television documentary exploring the experiences of Australian footballers in Europe.

He plays occasionally with Hollywood United, an amateur organization of which he is club president, with other luminaries such as Frank Leboeuf, Vinnie Jones, Steve Jones (of the Sex Pistols) and others.

LaPaglia has a minority shareholding in the International Goalkeepers Academy. The Academy was founded and is operated by James Fraser, who represented the Australian national team leading up to the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

LaPaglia has volunteered as an actor with the Young Storytellers Program. He played in a charity football match in 2007 to raise funds for Southern California wildfire relief.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anthony LaPaglia Biography (1959–)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Stated on *Inside the Actors Studio*, 2009
3. ↑ Evan Henerson, 2005, "Tracing a friendship", sopranos.com. Access date: 9 November 2010.
4. ↑ "Anthony LaPaglia (TV and film actor)". *Parade Magazine*. "In Step With: Anthony LaPaglia". 27 March 2005. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Unknown parameter `|deadurl=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help)
5. ↑ *tvguide.com* – "Exclusive! Anthony LaPaglia Reveals His Own Take on Trace" – retrieved 21-04-2009
6. ↑ LaPaglia leads Balibo five thriller cast – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
7. ↑ "Anthony LaPaglia joins 'Django Unchained', discusses Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role |". Reservoirwatchdogs.com. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
8. ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin. "Anthony LaPaglia Exited 'Django Unchained,' Says Production Was "Out Of Control"". *blogs.indiewire.com*. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
9. ↑ Nellie Andreeva (18 February 2012). "Anthony LaPaglia to Star in ABC Drama Pilot 'Americana'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
10. ↑ Leaked scenes from dropped show, *Americana*; retrieved 16 March 2014
11. ↑ Patten, Dominic (3 May 2013). "Anthony LaPaglia Joins 'A Good Marriage'". *Deadline Hollywood*. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
12. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (14 March 2014). "Anthony LaPaglia to Star in CBS' Nikki Toscano Terrorism Drama". *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
13. ↑ Rice, Lynette (19 May 2014). "Rejected pilots: Look who's out of work (for now)". *Entertainment Weekly*. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
14. ↑ Ingram, Hunter (22 April 2014). "CBS pilot 'Red Zone' renamed 'Field of Play'". *StarNews Online*. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
15. ↑ Rice, Lynette (21 April 2014). "Complete fall 2014 pilot list". *Entertainment Weekly*. Time, Inc. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
16. ↑ Davenport, Dawn Meade (16 October 2008). "The Watercooler: How do they lose those accents?". *Johnson City Press*. Johnson City, Tennessee: Sandusky Newspapers. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009. Anthony LaPaglia, Australian, "Without a Trace," CBS. After years in the movies and a memorable recurring roll as Daphne's drunken Mancunian brother on "Frasier," LaPaglia took the part of New York FBI agent Jack Malone on "Without a Trace." Because American accents vary greatly from region to region, and we don't know where Jack grew up, LaPaglia gets away with diction that sounds neither distinctly American nor Australian. Unknown parameter `|deadurl=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: `|coauthors=` (help)
17. ↑ "Chaser gives LaPaglia a g-up". *The Sydney Morning Herald*. 26 August 2006.
18. ↑ Jinks, Caitlin (4 April 2015). "Without A Trace star Anthony LaPaglia splits from wife Gia Carides after 17 years of marriage". *Daily Mail Australia*. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
19. ↑ "Anthony LaPaglia and Gia Carides split after 17 years of marriage: Who's Ant's mystery brunette?". *Daily Telegraph*. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
"LaPaglia lines up after wildfires". *Sydney Morning Herald*. Sydney: Fairfax Media. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009. Cite has empty unknown parameter: `|coauthors=` (help)

## External links

* Template:Str rightmost/ Anthony LaPaglia on IMDb
* Anthony LaPaglia at the Internet Broadway Database
* Template:Iobdb
* Anthony LaPaglia at the TCM Movie Database
* Anthony LaPaglia Bio at CBS – Without a Trace
* ABC TV Enough Rope Interview with Andrew Denton
* Anthony LaPaglia speaks to The Riviera Times