For well over 3 decades Max Casella has been delivering breathtaking performances on both the big and the small screen. He has continued to entertain moviegoers and television viewers around the world with the role after role. The talented actor first achieved fame when he starred as Vinnie Delpino in Doogie Howser, M.D., a medical drama series that aired from 1989 to 1993.
His popularity skyrocketed in the early 2000s when he played a recurring role in the successful crime series “The Sopranos”. More recently, he has become known for his portrayal of the character Joe Delicious in the comedy series Vinyl. Casella has also done very well in the credits of feature films. His greatest films include the animated cartoon Dinosaur from 2000 and the Biopic Jackie from 2016.
Max Casella Bio
Max Casella was born on June 6, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York. At his birth, he was given the name Maximilian Deitch, but later he took his mother’s maiden name, “Casella”, as his professional name.
He has Russian Jewish descent on his father’s side and Italian descent on his mother’s side of the family. This actor grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended Cambridge Cattle and Latin school.
As a teenager, Casella made his screen debut in the children’s show Don’t Look Now! (1983), which was produced by WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. The series was canceled after only a few episodes, and Casella did not make another appearance on the big screen until the late 1980s when he reached adulthood.
Movies and TV Shows
After playing minor roles on several television shows, Max Casella got his first lead role as Vinnie Delpino in the medical series Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993) alongside Neil Patrick Harris. The talented actor appeared in all 4 seasons of the highly successful series, and his performance made him very popular with TV viewers. His next major role was in the animated series Cro (1993-94), where he played the title character – Cro. He also starred in another animated series, The Adventures of Hyperman (1994-95), in which he lent his voice to the role of the breeding puppy.
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Also in the 1990s, Casella made his feature film debut in the musical comedy Newsies (1992), in which he appeared alongside Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, and Ann-Margret. He has also starred in other films, including Ed Wood (1994), Trial and Error (1997), Analyze This (1999), and The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000). He sang the character, Zini, in the highly successful animated adventure movie Dinosaur (2000).
As his credits skyrocketed, the talented actor landed the recurring role of soldier Benny Fazio in the highly acclaimed crime series The Sopranos (2001-07) on HBO. He then appeared in the ESPN mini-series The Bronx Is Burning (2007), where he played the role of baseball coach Dick Howser. He also played the lead role in the first season of the crime series Boardwalk Empire (2010), followed by a guest appearance in The Confession (2011). Casella also starred in the main cast of the one-year series Vinyl (2016). Recently he joined the cast of the comedy series The Detour (2017-present), in which he plays the recurring character Joe Delicious. He also had a recurring guest role in the long-running crime series Ray Donovan (2018).
The talented actor has also made some truly impressive film credentials during these years, including Revolutionary Road (2008), Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Killing Them Softly (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Apple Sauce (2015), Jackie (2016) and Late Night (2019).
His Net Worth
The net assets of Max Casella are tied to a conservative estimate of $2 million. This is certainly no surprise considering that he has enjoyed a steady and lucrative career over the years. There is also the possibility that he was involved in other businesses, but it is generally accepted that the main source of his wealth is his acting career.
Other Facts About Max Casella
His Family Life
Max Casella has been married to Leona Casella (née Robbins) for almost 2 decades. The couple entered into marriage on February 7, 2002, and have remained inseparable ever since. They have two children, a daughter named Mia and another daughter named Gioia.
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Max’s Stage Performances
Max Casella also has some remarkable assets in his name. In 1997 he played the role of Timon in the original Broadway production of The Lion King. This brilliant performance earned him the Theatre World Award, and in 1998 he was also nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.
