Best known as the venomous New York underboss Johnny “Sack” Sacrimoni on the HBO series “The Sopranos” (1999- ), character actor Vincent Curatola’s career took off late in life.

Born Aug. 16, 1953 in Englewood, NJ, Curatola’s interest in performing was sparked in his childhood by entertainers like Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, and Leslie Gore, who happened to be on his paper route. After gaining an education at Jesuit schools in Manhattan, he attended New York University and studied filmmaking while cultivating an interest in acting. After college, Curatola undertook several different careers, including masonry, before his wife Maureen encouraged him to return to school and make his acting dreams come true.

After several years of study (some of which was under actor Michael Moriarty’s tutelage), he landed leading roles in off-Broadway productions, including the menacing Harry Roat in “Wait Until Dark” and Neil Simon’s “Same Time, Next Year,” before making the jump to film and television in the early ‘90s. Among his earliest credits are “Law and Order” (NBC, 1990- ), Robert DeNiro’s short-lived “Tribeca” (Fox, 1993), and the TV-movie “Gotti” (1996), which co-starred several of his future “Sopranos” castmates, including Dominic Chianese, Tony Sirico, and Vincent Pastore. During this period, Curatola also wrote and produced the independent short feature, “Dearly Beloved” (1995), an organized crime-related comedy in which he was also top-billed alongside Sirico and Michael Badalucco.

In 1998, after landing a supporting role in the NBC TV-movie “Exiled” (1998), Curatola auditioned for the role of Johnny Sack, and within three days, got the part. Since making his debut in 1999, Sack was a consistent and sinister thorn in the side of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). As consigliore of the New York mob under aging boss Carmine Lupertazzi (Tony Lip), Sack’s ambition to be the capo was hardly a secret, especially after he corralled Tony into putting out a hit on the don. Tony’s refusal to do so only increased the bad blood between the men and their respective families, as did the murder of Carmine’s right-hand man after the elderly chief passed away. Now the boss of the New York family, Sack’s strength – an impassive façade that disguises a volcanic temper – was also his greatest weakness; he came within inches of having Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) killed for a veiled insult directed at his wife Ginny (Denise Borino). His temper and vanity also allowed him to be distracted by a blood feud between Tony’s cousin Ralph Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) and his lieutenant Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), which prevented him from noticing that one of his own men was leaking information to the FBI. Unfortunately for Johnny, the realization only came when the feds were breaking down his door. Thrown in federal lock-up, Johnny struggled to keep his empire afloat under serious financial duress. Naturally, the core of his venom was directed at Tony Soprano, who avoided arrest on the same day as Johnny, by simple virtue of wearing weather-appropriate gear.

Since joining the cast of “The Sopranos,” Curatola also appeared in several independent features and held a four-episode recurring role on “Third Watch” (NBC, 1999-2005) in 2004. He also contributed a voice to Bill Cosby’s short-lived animated series “Fatherhood (Nick at Nite, 2004), and appeared in the films “Johnny Slade’s Greatest Hits” (2005) – with “Sopranos” castmates Richard Portnow and John Fiore – and “Fun with Dick and Jane” (2005).