Celebrating the contributions of italian americans to the entertainment industry
Since Italians started immigrating to the United States, they’ve brought great contributions to the entertainment industry. Many of the great bands, shows, and artists we know of today have used these contributions our ancestors brought with them and influenced American society.
Music
Film / TV
and more!
Blog
Walter Lantz – Italian American Animator
Walter Benjamin Lantz was born in 1899 in New Rochelle, New York, to Italian immigrant parents, Francesco Paolo Lantz (formerly Lanza) and Maria Gervasi from Calitri. Lantz's father was given his new surname by an immigration official. At the age of 15, Lantz was...
Adriana Caselotti – The Voice of Snow White
Adriana Caselotti was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Italian American immigrants. Her father, Guido Caselotti, was an immigrant from Udine, and worked as a teacher of music and a vocal coach. Her mother, Maria Orefice, from Naples, was a singer in the Royal Opera...
Pat Cooper – Italian American Comedian
Pasquale Caputo (Pat Cooper) was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1929 to Italian parents Michael Caputo, from Mola di Bari, Italy, and Louise Gargiulo. Cooper started performing stand-up in the 1950s, originally for primarily Italian-American audiences. In 1963, he got his...
Henry Mancini – The Italian American Composer
Enrico Nicola “Henry” Mancini was born on April 16, 1924, in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Both his parents immigrated to America from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Henry’s love of music came from his father who was a flutist and encouraged his son...
Stanley Tucci – Italian American Actor, Director & Writer
Growing up, my family used to play the Big Night soundtrack. I became obsessed with some of the songs, especially “5 Months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days” by Louis Prima. It wasn’t until I was older that I actually watched the movie. The film is not only funny, but touches on...
“A Voice That Loves You: Enrico Caruso’s Part in Giving the World the Gift of Italian Music”
“A voice that loves you,” that is what Rosa Ponselle, the American soprano who made her operatic debut opposite Caruso, said in description of Enrico Caruso. Like many of our favorite stories, Caruso’s story began in Italy, Naples to be exact, in 1873. He was born...
Joseph Barbera – The Italian American Animator
10 Interesting facts about Joseph Barbera: Joseph Barbera was born in Little Italy, New York, to Italian immigrants Vincent Barbera, born in Castelvetrano, and Francesca Calvacca Barbera, born in Sciacca, Italy. He grew up speaking Italian. During high school, Barbera...
Jim Croce – The Italian American Folk Singer
In 2015, my band performed at the San Diego Italian Festival. A few months before the festival, I received an email from Ingrid Croce, the wife of Jim Croce. I was amazed to get an email from her, and I was even more amazed that she wanted us to perform at her...
New Disney and Pixar Movie Will Feature Italian Riviera and the Story of Luca
Ever since Disney’s release of Coco, I’ve wondered if they would release a film about Italians. Well now is the moment we’ve been waiting for! Disney and Pixar are teaming up again to bring us Luca! Expected to hit theaters June 18th, 2021, Luca is the story of an...
Russ Columbo – The Original Italian American Crooner
When I had this idea of making a website dedicated to Italian American's in music and entertainment, I knew I'd find artists I had never heard of before. But, I had no idea I'd find someone so fast. When trying to figure out who I wanted to feature first, I started...