Rocco Parente

Rocco Parente Jr is third generation Italian American 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. He made the switch from athlete to actor and started watching old movies and sitcoms with his family doing impressions monologues and cartoon voices.That inspired him to attend acting and improvisation classes in New York and as a result 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, theater and comedy he studied with William Alderson ,Penny Templeton and Richard Kline 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. Rocco has had the privilege of working with some great actors and directors over the years including Andy Garcia ,Bobby Cannavale, Michael Madson and Tim Van Patten. Show less «