Vincent Pastore wants to be the first Celebrity Apprentice
Vincent Pastore often plays the role of a mobster on television and in movies, but he will be facing equally tough competition on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Vincent Pastore was born in the Bronx on July 14, 1946. He did a short stint in the United States Navy from 1964 until 1967. He attended Pace University, where he briefly studied drama, but he didn’t get into acting until later in life. He ran nightclubs in New Rochelle, New York before becoming friends with Matt and Kevin Dillon. The two young actors encouraged Pastore to give acting a try. In 1988, he made one of his first appearances as a taxi drive on “America’s Most Wanted.”
Being of Italian descent, Pastore is often cast in gangster or mobster roles. In 1990, he made a cameo appearance in Goodfellas where he can be seen rolling a coat rack through the kitchen. He was the friend of the man that dances with Gail in Carlito’s Way.
He became better known as an actor when he appeared in 1995’s The Jerky Boys as Tony Scarboni, a gangster. Between 1992 and 1996, he made four appearances on “Law & Order,” but it was his role in HBO’s mob hit, “The Sopranos,” that catapulted him to fame. On “The Sopranos,” Pastore played the role of Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero. Once a close friend of Tony Soprano, the Big Pussy turned on him and began wearing wires for the FBI. When Tony found this out, he took Big Pussy out on a boat and shot him dead. However, Pastore made more appearances on the show after his death, as Tony and pals were haunted by the murder of his good friend. Pastore joined fellow Soprano castmates Tony Sirico and Dominic Chianese in the HBO Movie Gotti, about real life mob boss John Gotti.
Today, Pastore hosts The Wiseguy Show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show is a three-hour celebration of Italian-American culture and airs on channel 104 on Wednesdays from 6 pm until 9 pm.
Pastore, like many of the others appearing on this seasons’ “Celebrity Apprentice,” is no stranger to reality television. Overweight, he joined the fourth season of “Celebrity Fit Club” and lost 29 pounds. He also briefly appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2007, but had to withdraw after one week due to the physically demanding training. He was replaced by “Cheers” star John Ratzenberger.
Pastore ran into a bit of trouble in 2005, when he was arrested for assaulting fiancée Lisa Regina. As part of his plea deal, he performed community service at Veterans Hospitals.
Vincent has many upcoming roles in movies including College Road Trip, which stars Martin Lawrence and Raven Symone.
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