Biography for
Armand Assante More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

4 October 1949, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name

Armand Anthony Assante Jr.

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Coarsely handsome US actor of Irish-Italian background who has successfully portrayed a wide range of intriguing characters from numerous ethnic backgrounds, both on screen and in the theater. Assante was a graduate from Cornwall Central High School and received his dramatic training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first screen role was as a wedding guest in the minor cult film The Lord's of Flatbush (1974) starring Henry Winkler and Sylvester Stallone, then after guest appearances in several TV soap operas, he was back alongside Sylvester Stallone in Paradise Alley (1978). He played a wealthy Frenchman seducing army recruit Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin (1980), portrayed literary "hard boiled" detective Mike Hammer in I, the Jury (1982) plus, he was excellent in the title character role in Belizaire the Cajun (1986).

Assante continued on into the 1990s with more strong performances as a drug baron in Q & A (1990) directed by Sidney Lumet, he made a sensational team with Antonio Banderas for the Cuban music spectacular The Mambo Kings (1992), he was very impressive in the mob drama Hoffa (1992), and once more he was on screen with Sylvester Stallone in the film adaptation of the futuristic comic book _Judge Dredd (1955)_, and Assante co-starred in the uneven Demi Moore film Striptease (1996).

Assante's acting talents remain in strong demand, and he has continued to stay busy on screen with recent appearances in One Eyed King (2001), Citizen Verdict (2003) and Two for the Money (2005).

IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com

Spouse

Karen Assante

(28 February 1982 - 1994) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

He is the son of an Irish mother and an Italian father, but contrary to many popular beliefs, he was born in New York City.

Graduated from Cornwall Central High School in upstate New York.

Reportedly gained nearly 50 lbs for his role in Gotti.

Friends with Jennifer Blanc since they filmed The Third Wish.

Lives on a 225 acre farm in upstate New York.

Living in upstate New York, he has been separated from wife Karen since 1994 and has two daughters, Anya and Alessandra.

Came from a creative, arts-related family. His Irish mother, Katherine, was a music teacher and poet; his Italian father, Armand Sr., a painter and artist.

Christopher Reeve was scheduled to play the lead role in Kidnapped (1995) (TV); Armand replaced him following Reeve's paralyzing horse-riding accident.

Personal Quotes

I go out there and make a fool of myself. It's inevitable.

It's a blessing and a curse. But it's not always the best situation to be in. As a profession, I don't recommend acting at all.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z