Bobby Cannavale

  • Name: Bobby Cannavale
  • Date of Birth: May 03, 1971
  • Place of Birth: Union City, New Jersey, USA
Mini-bio: Growing up in Union City, NJ, Bobby Cannavale participated in the school play
because his mother wanted him off the streets. Today, he is a recognizable New
York-based character actor with roles in ...( read more)the city's best theater, television, and
film productions. Television writer/producer John Wells and the legendary Sidney
Lumet frequently rely on Cannavale's talents; he can usually be found rounding out
their ensemble casts, and is married to Lumet's daughter, Jenny.
Cannavale was born in New Jersey to an Italian father and a Cuban mother. His
parents insisted that he attend St. Michael's Catholic School in Union City where he
took part in almost every after school activity, from the alter boys to the chorus.
When he was eight, Cannavale secured the plum role of "the lisping boy" in his
school's production of +The Music Man and a part in +Guys and Dolls. Ever since
then, he wanted to do nothing but perform.
Cannavale's parents divorced when he was 13 and his mother moved the family to
Puerto Rico. After two years in Latin America, they returned to the United States
and settled in Coconut Creek, FL. Cannavale returned to New Jersey after graduating
high school in the late '80s -- he needed to be closer to New York in order to begin
his acting career. Forgoing acting lessons for actual performance experience,
Cannavale became involved with Manhattan's prestigious Circle Repertory Theater. He
served as a "reader" for several plays and was eventually cast as Mark Linn-Baker's
understudy in Georges Feydeau's French farce +A Flea in Her Ear. Cannavale soon
ended up replacing Baker for two weeks. His first-rate performance secured him a
role in the company's next play, Paul Rudnick's +The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.
Television powerhouse John Wells attended one of the shows and cast Cannavale in his
television series Trinity. Cannavale's character, a tugboat operator, was supposed
to appear in only three episodes of the show, but starred in nine.
Trinity was canceled in 1998, but Wells immediately secured Cannavale for his next
television venture, 1999's Third Watch. As dedicated and lovesick paramedic Robert
"Bobby" Caffey, Cannavale struck a cord with female audiences. The show was renewed
for a second season, but Cannavale felt that Caffey's character was not being
developed. He asked Wells to let him exit the series and to make sure he exited
"big." The producer obliged his friend: Caffey left the show mid-season after being
fatally shot in the chest. The dramatic two-part episode even included a "beyond the
grave" meeting between Caffey and his deceased dead-beat dad. In 2001, Cannavale
joined the cast of his father-in-law, Sidney Lumet's heralded television courtroom
drama, 100 Centre Street. Cannavale's brazen, ambitious prosecutor, J.J. Jellinek,
is a far cry from the softhearted paramedic he portrayed on Third Watch. Debuting on
the show at the beginning of its second season, Jellinek shook up 100 Centre Street
-- immediately romancing a fellow lawyer and shamelessly advancing his career in any
way possible.
Cannavale's television career has not kept him away from theater or film. He
appeared on-stage throughout the '90s, participating in productions such as Lanford
Wilson's +Virgil Is Still the Frog Boy and Noel Coward's +In Two Keys. His movie
credits include Herbe Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport (1996) with Walter Mathau and
Ossie Davis, Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan (1997), and Gloria (1999), John
Irvin's HBO original film When Trumpet's Fade (1998), Phillip Noyce's The Bone
Collector (1999) with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, Spike Lee's 3 A.M.
(2001) with Danny Glover, Alec Baldwin's The Devil and Daniel Webster (2002), and
Daisy Von Scherler Mayer's The Guru (2002). Cast as friendly and outgoing lunch
truck vender Joe in the critically acclaimed 2003 indie hit The Station Agent,
Cannavale provided the perfect contrast to Peter Dinklage's introverted protagonist.
WIth subsequent small screen roles in Kingpin and OZ that same year, the up and
coming actor would become a familiar face to television viewers before once again
returning to the silver screen for supporting roles in Shall We Dance?, Haven, and
Romance and Cigarettes.
A recurring, Emmy-winning role on Will and Grace ensured Cannavale's continued
presence on the small screen right through to the final episode of the series aired
in May of 2006, with a slew of supporting performance in such the features The Night
Listener, Fast Food Nation, Snakes on a Plane, 10 Items or Less, and Dedication that
same year proving that Cannivale was the go-to guy for producers in search of
quality supporting players. With so many supporting roles in so many high-profile
features, it seemed like only a matter of time before Cannavale came into his own as
a leading man. Aubry Anne D'Arminio,
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Replace this image with an actor photoBobby Cannavale mini-bio: Growing up in Union City, NJ, Bobby Cannavale participated in the school play because his mother wanted him off the streets. Today, he is a recognizable New York-based character actor with roles in the city's best theater, television, and film productions. Television writer/producer John Wells and the legendary Sidney Lumet frequently rely on Cannavale's talents; he can usually be found rounding out their ensemble casts, and is married to Lumet's daughter, Jenny. Cannavale was born in New Jersey to an Italian father and a Cuban mother. His parents insisted that he attend St. Michael's Catholic School in Union City where he took part in almost every after school activity, from the alter boys to the chorus. When he was eight, Cannavale secured the plum role of "the lisping boy" in his school's production of +The Music Man and a part in +Guys and Dolls. Ever since then, he wanted to do nothing but perform. Cannavale's parents divorced when he was 13 and his mother moved the family to Puerto Rico. After two years in Latin America, they returned to the United States and settled in Coconut Creek, FL. Cannavale returned to New Jersey after graduating high school in the late '80s -- he needed to be closer to New York in order to begin his acting career. Forgoing acting lessons for actual performance experience, Cannavale became involved with Manhattan's prestigious Circle Repertory Theater. He served as a "reader" for several plays and was eventually cast as Mark Linn-Baker's understudy in Georges Feydeau's French farce +A Flea in Her Ear. Cannavale soon ended up replacing Baker for two weeks. His first-rate performance secured him a role in the company's next play, Paul Rudnick's +The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. Television powerhouse John Wells attended one of the shows and cast Cannavale in his television series Trinity. Cannavale's character, a tugboat operator, was supposed to appear in only three episodes of the show, but starred in nine. Trinity was canceled in 1998, but Wells immediately secured Cannavale for his next television venture, 1999's Third Watch. As dedicated and lovesick paramedic Robert "Bobby" Caffey, Cannavale struck a cord with female audiences. The show was renewed for a second season, but Cannavale felt that Caffey's character was not being developed. He asked Wells to let him exit the series and to make sure he exited "big." The producer obliged his friend: Caffey left the show mid-season after being fatally shot in the chest. The dramatic two-part episode even included a "beyond the grave" meeting between Caffey and his deceased dead-beat dad. In 2001, Cannavale joined the cast of his father-in-law, Sidney Lumet's heralded television courtroom drama, 100 Centre Street. Cannavale's brazen, ambitious prosecutor, J.J. Jellinek, is a far cry from the softhearted paramedic he portrayed on Third Watch. Debuting on the show at the beginning of its second season, Jellinek shook up 100 Centre Street -- immediately romancing a fellow lawyer and shamelessly advancing his career in any way possible. Cannavale's television career has not kept him away from theater or film. He appeared on-stage throughout the '90s, participating in productions such as Lanford Wilson's +Virgil Is Still the Frog Boy and Noel Coward's +In Two Keys. His movie credits include Herbe Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport (1996) with Walter Mathau and Ossie Davis, Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan (1997), and Gloria (1999), John Irvin's HBO original film When Trumpet's Fade (1998), Phillip Noyce's The Bone Collector (1999) with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, Spike Lee's 3 A.M. (2001) with Danny Glover, Alec Baldwin's The Devil and Daniel Webster (2002), and Daisy Von Scherler Mayer's The Guru (2002). Cast as friendly and outgoing lunch truck vender Joe in the critically acclaimed 2003 indie hit The Station Agent, Cannavale provided the perfect contrast to Peter Dinklage's introverted protagonist. WIth subsequent small screen roles in Kingpin and OZ that same year, the up and coming actor would become a familiar face to television viewers before once again returning to the silver screen for supporting roles in Shall We Dance?, Haven, and Romance and Cigarettes. A recurring, Emmy-winning role on Will and Grace ensured Cannavale's continued presence on the small screen right through to the final episode of the series aired in May of 2006, with a slew of supporting performance in such the features The Night Listener, Fast Food Nation, Snakes on a Plane, 10 Items or Less, and Dedication that same year proving that Cannivale was the go-to guy for producers in search of quality supporting players. With so many supporting roles in so many high-profile features, it seemed like only a matter of time before Cannavale came into his own as a leading man. Aubry Anne D'Arminio,

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Last update: Aug 13 2008, 6:34 PM EDT by ed (content history | content tools) (help)
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  • carolannhangel
    carolannhangel
    i love Bobby Cannavale in Third Watch & in will & Grace
    posted 510 days ago
  • kathygouin
    kathygouin
    My favorite Bobby-Cannavale-good-guy role: Joe in "The Station Agent"

    My favorite Bobby-Cannavale-rotten-guy role: Chato in "Kingpin" (TV mini-series)

    What does anybocy else think?
    posted 873 days ago
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