Anthony Crivello


Anthony Crivello is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in the original cast of a number of Broadway shows, including Les Misérables, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Golden Boy, Marie Christine, and The News. In 1993, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Biography

Personal life

Crivello was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Josephine and Vincent J. Crivello. He graduated from Saint Thomas More High School in 1973 and was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1995. In the Milwaukee area, he appeared in productions at Sunset Playhouse directed by Alan Furlan. He married actress Dori Rosenthal on May 14, 2005, and they have two children together.

Behind the scenes

Mr. Crivello is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.
Mr. Crivello is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. His past acting teachers include: Tony Greco, Estelle Parsons, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Bain, Martin Landau as well as Michael Howard, Terry Schreiber and Mary H. Strong. His vocal coach for over thirty years is Anne Perillo/DePaul University. He studied comic improv with Del Close at the famed The Second City in Chicago.
Mr. Crivello is an Honored Member of Marquette University's Century of Scholarship. He was the recipient of Marquette University's College of Speech & Communications distinguished 2003 Communicator of the Year Award. He is listed in Who's Who in America, and is an outstanding member of the Saint Thomas More High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Marquette University Hall of Fame with his likeness on a plaque at Johnston Hall in the Diederich College of Communication on the campus of Marquette University. A caricature of his likeness can be found on the walls of the famed Sardi's Restaurant in New York City. He has the honor of being subject matter for the New York Times caricature artist Al Hirschfeld four times.
In 2008, Mr. Crivello was the host of his own radio show on FOX SPORTS/ 920 AM Las Vegas called Tony Crivello and The Sicilians. Mr. Crivello has also moonlighted as a ring announcer & commentator for ESPN2's Kickboxing Championships, and owns stock with the NFL's Green Bay Packers.
He is currently writing a one-man play The King Of Sicily.

Theater career

In 1978, Crivello originated the role of "Felix 'The Filth Fiend' Linder" in the original cast of John R. Powers' Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? at Chicago's Forum Theater. He was then cast in the 2nd National Touring company of Evita by director Harold Prince in 1980, receiving glowing reviews for his performance as Che. Subsequently, he made his Broadway debut as a replacement for Mandy Patinkin in the original Broadway production of Evita in 1981, taking over the starring role of "Che" for which he also received critical praise.
Shortly thereafter, he appeared Off-Broadway in Wendy Kesselman's's The Juniper Tree as well as The Lincoln Center production of Shakespeare's Measure For Measure directed by Mark Lamos.
He then appeared in the Broadway musical The News as "the Killer". He was an original Broadway cast member of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's Les Misérables for directors Trevor Nunn and John Caird and producer Cameron Mackintosh, first as Grantaire, and ten months later taking over the leading role of Javert. He continued his prominence in leading roles on Broadway as "Valentin" in the Kander and Ebb Terrence McNally musical Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993 directed by Harold Prince, for which he was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award while in try-outs in Toronto. Crivello then won Broadway's 1993 Tony Award as "Best Featured Actor in a Musical." In 1999, he starred opposite Audra McDonald in Michael John LaChiusa's Marie Christine directed by Graciela Daniele at The Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Two years later, he received a Los Angeles Ovation Award nomination, a Garland Award nomination, a Robby Award nomination, and a L.A. Drama Critics Award nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical" for Do I Hear a Waltz? at the Pasadena Playhouse directed by David Lee.
He starred in the Goodman Theater of Chicago production of The House Of Martin Guerre for which he received Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for his portrayal of Martin Guerre. In August 2005, he appeared at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California in a workshop production of Zhivago, a musicalization of the Boris Pasternak novel by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, and directed by Des McAnuff. He starred in the Steve Martin adaptation of The Underpants at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by John Rando, as well as David Ives' adaptation of A Flea in Her Ear for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater directed by Gary Griffin for which he received his second Joseph Jefferson Award nomination. He starred in the John Caird and Paul Gordon musical Jane Eyre, first in 1994 in development in Wichita, KS and then in the 1996 Toronto production for which he received a second Dora Mavor Moore nomination in Canada for his portrayal of Edward Fairfax Rochester.
In 2006, he was cast by director Hal Prince as one of two actors rotating in the title role in the Las Vegas production of The Phantom of the Opera. Subsequently, he was cast as the sole actor playing the Phantom. Closing in September 2012, he appeared in over 2,400 performances.
He starred in the Lincoln Center 75th Anniversary revival of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy at the Belasco Theatre in New York City, produced by Lincoln Center Theater in 2012-2013, with a star studded cast which included Tony Shalhoub, Seth Numrich, and Yvonne Strahovski, and directed by Bartlett Sher. In 2014, he starred in the Kevin Murphy / Laurence O'Keefe cult hit Heathers in New York at New World Stages, and directed by Andy Fickman.
In 2015 and 2016, Crivello starred in producer Hershey Felder's production of Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara directed by Taylor Hackford, and written by Hackford, Vanessa Claire Stewart and Jake Broder. The musical was performed at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago, as well as the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Stewart played the role of Keely Smith to Crivello's 'Las Vegas Lounge Legend' Louis Prima. He received his third Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for his performance in 2015.
In 2017, Crivello portrayed the late Marquette University Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame 1977 NCAA basketball championship coach / NBC broadcaster Al McGuire in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater one man play McGuire, written by HOF broadcaster Dick Enberg. From January to June 2017, the play sold out the 150 seat Stackner Cabaret. Crivello received critical praise for his work in the show, and won 2017 Wisconsin Footlights Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play." A five-minute presentation of McGuire was presented at the 2017 Wisconsin Sports Awards on May 20, 2017, at the University Of Wisconsin Field House. The audience included All-Pro Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, All-Pro Green Bay Packers LT David Bahktieri and noted sports figures including The Green Bay Packers players Jason Spriggs, Kyle Murphy, former Packer players including Mark Tauscher, The Milwaukee Brewers, including Jonathan Villar, The Milwaukee Bucks, including Jabari Parker, UW Head Women's Basketball Coach Jonathan Tsipis, former University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Head Men's Basketball Coach/Butler Head coach Lavall Jordan, Marquette University Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Wojceichowski, UW Head Men's Basketball Coach Greg Gard; executives and broadcasters Bill "Rock" Schroeder, Steve "The Homer" True, Tim Van Vooren from ESPN, FOX Sports Wisconsin, and Major League Baseball; Good Karma Broadcasting founder Milwaukee's ESPN Radio owner Craig Karmazin, top male and female athletes from Wisconsin, Marquette University, UW Green Bay, and UW Milwaukee; Marquette University Athletic Director Bill Scholl; Wisconsin Women's Volleyball HOF 2017 Athlete Of The Year Lauren Carlini, Wisconsin Men's Basketball players including Zack Showalter, Athletic Director/ NCAA HOF Former Head Football Coach Barry Alvarez, among an audience of 1,000.
In 2019, Crivello portrayed "The Old Man" Santiago in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, adapted for the stage by A.E. Hotchner and Tim Hotchner presented at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on the campus of Point Park University, directed by Ronald Allan-Lindblom and produced by RWS Entertainment Group of New York City/Long Island City, receiving critical praise for his work.
In 2019, Crivello made his Hollywod Bowl debut as "The Mysterious Man" in a star studded cast in Stephen Soundheim's "Into The Woods" directed by Robert Longbottom. https://ourculturemag.com/2019/07/30/review-into-the-woods-at-the-hollywood-bowl/, https://laexcites.com/2019/07/27/review-a-star-studded-into-the-woods-hollywood-bowl/, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-07-28/into-the-woods-sutton-foster-skylar-astin-hollywood-bowl-review
He has also performed comic improv Off-Broadway and is a resident company alumni of Chicago City Limits in New York City.

Television and film

Crivello started his feature film work co-starring in two films: Crocodile Dundee II opposite Paul Hogan in 1988, and Shakedown opposite Sam Elliott. He then starred in director Janet Greek's MGM film Spellbinder opposite Tim Daly and Kelly Preston. He was featured in director James Ivory's comedy Slaves of New York opposite Bernadette Peters in 1989.
Crivello has also appeared in the Jim Abrahams film comedy Mafia! opposite Sofia Milos and Jason Fuchs, Texas Rangers opposite Alfred Molina, director Martha Coolidge's Material Girls opposite Hilary and Haylie Duff, Independence Day, and Trade opposite Kevin Kline. In 1992, Crivello appeared in the short film The Bet for director Ted Demme. Crivello has also starred in the independent short films Petal Of A Rose, Henry Toy for director Anthony Engelken in 2014, and director Taryn Kosviner's NYShorts Festival's The Mark in 2016.
In 2016, he starred in the Hallmark Television movie Emma's Chance opposite Joey Lawrence, Greer Grammer and Missi Pyle. Director John Gray had him starring in his television movie The Lost Capone opposite Adrian Pasdar, Titus Welliver, Ally Sheedy and Eric Roberts. In 1995 he starred in Dillinger and Capone opposite Martin Sheen and F. Murray Abraham, and Monster Mash: The Movie for directors Joel Cohen and Alex Sokolow. He also appeared in Dominic Dunne's 919 Fifth Avenue. 1996 he followed with Alien Avengers opposite George Wendt. In 2000, he was featured in the Wonderful World Of Disney made-for-television musical Geppetto opposite Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In 1988, Crivello guest starred as Miguel Carrera in Miami Vice directed by Don Johnson.
Crivello has guest starred on the science fiction television series ', Team Knight Rider, and Babylon 5. He also co-starred in director Ron Krauss's SciFi Channel/SONY film Alien Hunter opposite James Spader. He has appeared in numerous sitcoms, including Seinfeld opposite Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Richards directed by Andy Ackerman, Frasier opposite Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce, In-Laws opposite Dennis Farina, Jean Smart, Bonnie Somerville and Elon Gold directed by Steve Zuckerman, and Normal, Ohio opposite John Goodman. Crivello has had roles in a number of police procedurals, including ' and Law & Order.
In 2013, he appeared in the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Crivello appeared as British film director David Lean in director/producer Ryan Murphy's 2017 FOX miniseries Feud opposite Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis.
He starred in the ABC Daytime series One Life to Live as mobster Johnny Dee Hesser from 1990 to 1991. He has also appeared on the daytime series The Bold and The Beautiful and The Guiding Light.

Stage appearances