Nick De Noia

Nicholas John De Noia Jr. (May 14, 1941 – April 7, 1987) was an American choreographer, director, and screenwriter.

Nicholas John De Noia Jr.
Born	May 14, 1941
Died	April 7, 1987(1987-04-07) (aged 45)
Cause of death	Murder
Occupation(s)	Choreographer, director, screenwriter
Spouse	Jennifer O'Neill

He is known for his work as choreographer of the Chippendales dance troupe; and for his 1977–1978 Unicorn Tales, eight television musical short films for young audiences, for which he won two Emmy Awards.

Personal life

De Noia was married to actress Jennifer O'Neill from 1975 to 1976, although he was a closeted homosexual.^[1][2]

Murder

On April 7, 1987, at 3:40 p.m., De Noia was shot in the face with a large caliber pistol while sitting at his 15th-floor office desk at 264 West 40th Street, Manhattan, located near the garment district.^[3] De Noia was 45 years old at the time of his murder.

He was shot by Gilberto Rivera Lopez,^[4] recruited by Ray Colon, an accomplice of Somen ("Steve") Banerjee who originally hired Colon to murder De Noia.

At the time, De Noia no longer worked for Banerjee, and was on a national tour with his associate producer, Candace Mayeron.

De Noia had a licensing arrangement through a company called Chippendales Universal to use the name Chippendales for that tour engagements. Banerjee was dissatisfied with the business arrangement which was memorialized on a cocktail napkin. Banerjee tried unsuccessfully to break the contract in New York courts.

The murder of Nick De Noia was orchestrated by Banerjee along with the burning of a competitor's Red Onion nightclub.

Banerjee pleaded guilty to murder, arson and RICO charges in July 1994.^[5][6] Under a plea bargain, Banerjee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 26 years in prison.^[7]

Banerjee died by suicide in prison while awaiting final sentencing and, as a result, Chippendales was inherited by Banerjee's wife.

Legacy

Actor Murray Bartlett portrays Nick De Noia in the 2022–2023 Hulu miniseries Welcome to Chippendales.