ROCCO PARENTE JR

Rocco Parente Jr is an Italian American born actor best known for his menacing on-screen presence and charisma. Born in the Bronx and raised in Rockland County New York with his two sisters, he had a passion for sports and movies at a very young age. While becoming an all-star in baseball and also competing in and winning the NFL punt, pass, and kick competition three years in a row he was  scouted at an early age. Unfortunately it was a sports injury that brought Rocco closer to his love for acting. While growing up watching old movies and sitcoms with his uncles, he started doing impressions and cartoon voices.That being said, and not being able to pass by a movie set without in being awe inspired him to attend acting and improvisation classes in Manhattan. As a result of some hard work and dedication he was able to transition into a fine character actor. One of his first auditions was with Judy Blye Wilson which landed him his TV debut on One Life to Live playing along side Vincent Pastore and Audrey Landers. Since then he appeared in all of the New York soap operas from 1992-2012. For film and theater he studied with William Alderson and Penny Templeton to name a few. Ironically after working diligently to tone down his thick Bronx accent he landed his first movie role in the feature-film "A Bronx Tale." He was quickly thrown into the fire under Robert DeNiro's direction and Chazz Palminteri's encouragement while loving every minute of it. Rocco has had the privilege of learning first hand from some great actors and directors over the years including Andy Garcia, Bobby Cannavale, and Tim Van Patten.