Chazz Palminteri (born 15 May 1952) is an American actor and writer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for Bullets Over Broadway. He has appeared in several other important films, including A Bronx Tale, Analyze This and The Usual Suspects.
He made his directorial debut with the 2002 television film Women vs. Men. He also directed the 2004 film Noel.
As a playwright, Palminteri authored A Bronx Tale and Faithful, and as a screenwriter, he later adapted both of these stage productions into motion pictures. A Bronx Tale, which Palminteri has claimed to be semi-autobiographical, is particularly relevant to his career; because he had spent the majority of his acting career in small character roles, he sold the play's film rights to Robert DeNiro only on the condition that Palminteri himself be allowed to play the role of Machiavellian mafia boss Sonny, his first notable major role in cinema.
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