Armand Assante

Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (/ɑːˈsɑːnti/; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film Gotti, Odysseus in the 1997 miniseries adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, Nietzsche in When Nietzsche Wept, and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in 1982's I, the Jury. He has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards (one win for his performance in Gotti), four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Armand Assante
Assante in 2018
Born	Armand Anthony Assante, Jr. (1949-10-04) October 4, 1949 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Karen McArn ​ ​ (m. 1982; sep. 1992)​
Children	2
Website	armandassante.net

Early life

Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Armand Anthony Assante Sr.,^[1] a painter and artist, and Katharine (née Healy), a music teacher, English teacher and poet.^[2][3] He is of Italian and Irish descent.^[4]

Career

During the 1970s, Assante was a regular on two NBC soap operas, How to Survive a Marriage as Johnny McGhee and The Doctors as Mike Powers. His first film was The Lords of Flatbush (1974), although his work did not appear in the final cut of the film and the end credits misspelled his last name as Assanti. He starred in Prophecy (1979). His first on-screen role was playing Sylvester Stallone's brother in Paradise Alley, and a role that brought him greater attention came in 1980's Private Benjamin as a handsome Frenchman who becomes the love interest of a U.S. soldier played by Goldie Hawn. In 1984 he portrayed the playboy violin virtuoso Maximillian Stein in the Dudley Moore comedy vehicle Unfaithfully Yours.

Assante has played a number of tough hero characters, such as his starring role as private eye Mike Hammer in the film I, the Jury (1982) as well as Mafia gangsters such as Michael Moretti in Sidney Sheldon's Rage of Angels. In 1990 his role as Roberto Texador in Sidney Lumet's film Q&A garnered him a Golden Globe nomination, and the following year he portrayed Bugsy Siegel in Neil Simon's The Marrying Man (1991). The following year he was seen as mafia boss Carol D'Allesandro in Hoffa (1992) starring Jack Nicholson, and crime kingpin John Gotti in the 1996 made-for-television biopic Gotti, for which he won his Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Assante at a film screening in Chicago 2015

In addition to mafia and "tough-guy" roles, Assante has appeared in historical dramas, such as Napoleon Bonaparte in 1987's Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story opposite Jacqueline Bisset, the heroic Odysseus in The Odyssey, Friedrich Nietzsche in the film adaptation of Irving Yalom's novel When Nietzsche Wept, and as Sanchez, Queen Isabella's Minister of State, in 1492: Conquest of Paradise.

Other film appearances include one as a Cuban bandleader in The Mambo Kings opposite Antonio Banderas and in the adaptation of the science-fiction story Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone, his co-star in Paradise Alley. He appeared in the 2007 film American Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. He had a recurring guest star role in several episodes of NCIS, playing the international arms dealer René Benoit. He has also appeared in the 2009 horror film Smile as the mysterious Tollinger and portrayed Ernie in Sugar (marketed on Lifetime as Danger Below Deck). Outside of the U.S., he has participated in several film projects and humanitarian endeavors in Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Personal life

Assante had a high-profile relationship with Dyan Cannon, his co-star from 1978's Lady of the House.^[5] He married Karen McArn in 1982.^[6] The couple had two daughters: Anya (born 1983) and Alesandra (born 1988).^[7] They separated in 1992.^[8] It is not clear whether or when they divorced. Assante has also dated Mara Venier^[9] and Vanessa Constantino.^[7]

In 2013, Assante became a partner in his own premium cigar brand known as Ora Vivo Cigars.^[10]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	The Lords of Flatbush	Wedding Guest
1975	First Ladies Diaries	Robards	Television film
1978	Paradise Alley	Lenny Carboni
	Human Feelings	Johnny Turner	Television film
	Lady of the House	Ernest	Television film
	The Pirate	Ahmed	Television film
1979	Prophecy	John Hawks
1980	Little Darlings	Gary Callahan
	Private Benjamin	Henri Alan Tremont
	Sophia Loren: Her Own Story	Riccardo Scicolone	Television film
1982	Love and Money	Lorenzo Prado
	I, the Jury	Mike Hammer
1983	Rage of Angels	Michael Moretti	Television film
1984	Unfaithfully Yours	Maximillian Stein
	Why Me?	James Stalling	Television film
1986	A Deadly Business	Charles Macaluso	Television film
	Belizaire the Cajun	Belizaire Breaux
1987	Stranger in My Bed	Hal Slater	Television film
	Hands of a Stranger	Joe Hearn	Television film
1988	The Penitent	Juan Mateo
1989	Passion and Paradise	Alfred de Marigny	Television film
	Animal Behavior	Mark Mathias
1990	Q & A	Roberto Texador	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
	Eternity	Romi/Sean
1991	The Marrying Man	Bugsy Siegel
	Fever	Ray	Television film
1992	The Mambo Kings	Caesar Castillo
	1492: Conquest of Paradise	Sanchez
	Hoffa	Carl "Dally" D'Allesandro
1993	Fatal Instinct	Ned Ravine
1994	Blind Justice	Canaan	Television film
	Trial by Jury	Rusty Pirone
1995	Judge Dredd	Rico
	Kidnapped	Alan Breck Stewart	Television film
1996	Striptease	Lieutenant Al Garcia
	Gotti	John Gotti	Television film Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
1999	The Hunley	Lieutenant George E. Dixon	Television film
2000	The Road to El Dorado	Tzekel-Kan	Voice Nominated—Annie Award for Best Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production
	On the Beach	Commander Dwight Towers	Television film
	Looking for an Echo	Vince 'Vinnie' Pirelli
2001	Last Run	Frank Banner
	After the Storm	Jean-Pierre	Television film
	One Eyed King	Hollis "Holly" Cone
2002	Federal Protection	Frank Carbone	Television film
	Partners in Action	Jack Cunningham
2003	Tough Luck	Ike
	Citizen Verdict	Sam Patterson
	Consequence	Sam Tyler
2005	Dot.Kill	Charlie Daines
	The Third Wish	Benefactor
	Mirror Wars	York
	Two for the Money	C.M. Novian
	Confessions of a Pit Fighter	Argento
	The Commuters	Donald	Television film
	Ennemis Publics	-
	Rambam: The Story of Maimonides	Yitzchak, The Inkman
2006	Funny Money	Genero
	Surveillance	Harley
	Soul's Midnight	Simon
	Dead Lenny	Tony "Thick"	Video
2007	Casanova's Last Stand	Sebastian Marr
	Mexican Sunrise	Salvidar
	California Dreamin'	Captain Doug Jones	Nominated—Gopo Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
	When Nietzsche Wept	Nietzsche
	Children of Wax	Kemal
	American Gangster	Dominic Cattano	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008	The Man Who Came Back	Amos
	Shark Swarm	Hamilton Lux	Television film
2009	The Lost	Kevin	Television film
	The Steam Experiment	Detective Mancini
	La Linea	Padre Antonio
	Smile	Tollinger
	Chicago Overcoat	Stefano D'Agnostino
	Death Valley Screamers: Bonnie & Clyde	Casino Owner	Short
	The Bleeding	Jake Plummer
	Breaking Point	Marty Berlin
2010	Shadows in Paradise	Captain John "Ghost" Santo
	Magic Man	Taper
	Killer by Nature	Eugene Branch
2011	The Return of Joe Rich	Uncle Dom
	Jesse	Dominick
	Guido	Lorenzo De Costa
2012	The Night Never Sleeps	Inspector Romanelli
2013	Dead Man Down	Lon Gordon
	The Fix	Vincent	Short
	Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn	Joseph Baldano Sr.
	Assumed Killer	Aaron Banfield
2014	Montevideo, vidimo se!	Hotchkins
	Hunting the Phantom	Charles Ingrim
	A Fine Step	Alejandro Bolivar
	Charlie Mantle	Inspector Bennett
	In Between Engagements	Alonzo
2015	Diamond Cartel	Mussa
	Leaves of the Tree	Joe Buffa
	Sicilian Vampire	Vince
	Kids vs Monsters	Damian
	Blind Pass	Richard James
2016	Beyond the Game	Mr. Leone
	Stressed to Kill	Paul Jordan
	The Red Maple Leaf	FBI Agent Joseph Cortez
	Wasn't Afraid to Die	Paul
	Blowtorch	Canarsie
2017	First Law	Don Nowet
	You Can't Have It	The Man
	Joe's War	Dr. Galante
	The Wanderers: The Quest of the Demon Hunter	Louis
	The Neighborhood	Tucci
	Power of Silence	The Narrator
2018	Con Man	Jack Saxon
	Darc	Lafique
	The P.I.M.P.	Armando
2019	The Brave (aka Lazarat)	Frank Pedulla
	General	Andreas
2020	Infamous Six	Dr. Albert Cioran
2021	The Match	Camp Commander
2022	Sugar	Ernie
2024	Oak	Abe

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	How to Survive a Marriage	Johnny McGee	Episode: "Episode #1.325"
1975–76	The Doctors	Dr. Michael Powers	Regular Cast
1977	Kojak	Tom Ryan	Episode: "Caper on a Quiet Street"
1979	Mrs. Columbo	Freddie Faust	Episode: "A Chilling Surprise"
1985	Evergreen	Joe Friedman	TV miniseries
1987	Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story	Napoleon Bonaparte	TV miniseries
1988	Jack the Ripper	Richard Mansfield	TV miniseries Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
1997	The Odyssey	Odysseus	TV miniseries Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated—Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
2002	Push, Nevada	Mr. Smooth	Episode: "The Amount"
2006	ER	Richard Elliot	Recurring cast: season 12, guest: season 13
2007	NCIS	René 'La Grenouille' Benoit	Recurring cast: season 4, guest: season 5
2008	October Road	Gabriel Diaz	Recurring cast: season 2
2010	Chuck	Premier Alejandro Goya	Episode: "Chuck Versus the Angel de la Muerte & Coup d'Etat"
	Human Target	Joubert	Episode: "Christopher Chance"
2015	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Nicolas Amaro	Episode: "Padre Sandunguero"
2018–19	The Family Business	Sal Dash	Main cast: season 1
	The Deuce	Mr. Martino	Guest: season 2, recurring cast: season 3
2019	General	Andreas	Episode: "Episode #1.2"
2022	Salvage Marines	Kelkis Morturi	Main cast

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Results	Ref.
2016	Action On Film International Film Festival	Outstanding Cast Performance – Feature	The Red Maple Leaf	Won
2000	Annie Awards	Best Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production	The Road to El Dorado	Nominated	[11]
2018	Garden State Film Festival	Most Valuable Player	—	Won	[12]
1988	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Jack the Ripper	Nominated	[13]
1990		Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Q & A	Nominated
1996		Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Gotti	Nominated
1997			The Odyssey	Nominated
2008	Gopo Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role	California Dreamin'	Nominated	[14]
2017	Ischia Global Film & Music Festival	Ischia Documentary Feature Award	The Man Who Unlocked the Universe	Won
1997	Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	The Odyssey	Nominated	[15]
1989	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Jack the Ripper	Nominated	[16]
1997		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Gotti	Won
1997	Satellite Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	The Odyssey	Nominated	[17]
1996	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Gotti	Nominated	[18]
2007		Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	American Gangster	Nominated	[19]
2007	Westchester Film Festival	Lifetime Achievement Award	—	Won

• In 2010, Assante received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.^[20]

References

1. "Armand Assante, Sr. - Friday, August 25, 2017". www.quigleybros.com.
2. "Cutting Edge Voices Presents an Interview with Kathy Haggerty". Cutting Edge Voices. Archived from the original on May 28, 2006.
3. "Obituaries: Katherine Assante". Cornwall and Cornwall on Hudson. July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012.
4. Broeske, From Pat H. (May 6, 1990). "Assante: Versatile, but Not French" – via LA Times.
5. Parkyn, John (August 8, 1999). "Bloodlines let Assante play many ethnic roles". Orlando Sentinel.
6. "Karen Marie McArn Bride Of Armand Assante, Actor". The New York Times. March 1, 1982.
7. "Armand Assante".
8. Lee, Luaine (August 3, 1996). "Armand Assante: Proud of his journeyman status". The Standard-Times.
9. Ascione, Arianna (October 20, 2022). "Mara Venier compie 72 anni: da Jerry Calà a Nicola Carraro, storia dei suoi grandi amori". Corriere della Sera.
10. William Cooper, "Cigar Preview: Ora Vivo Armand Assante by Victor Vitale," Cigar Coop, July 11, 2013.
11. "28th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
12. "16th Annual Garden State Film Festival" (PDF). Garden State Film Festival. March 25, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
13. "Armand Assante". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
14. "2008 Gopo Awards". Gopo Awards. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
15. "1st Annual TV Awards (1996-97)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
16. "Armand Assante". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
17. "International Press Academy website – 1998 2nd Annual SATELLITE Awards". Archived from the original on February 1, 2008.
18. "The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
19. "The 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
20. "Inductees 2010". Italian Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Armand Assante at IMDb
• Armand Assante at AllMovie