Topic: Lillo Brancato

Lillo Brancato, Jr. (born August 30, 1976) is an American actor, perhaps best known for his performance as "Calogero Anello" in Robert De Niro's 1993 directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. He also played Mathew Bevilaqua, a young mobster on The Sopranos. In December 2005, Brancato was charged with second-degree murder for his role in a burglary in the Bronx, New York. Authorities say that an off-duty police officer, Daniel Enchautegui, confronted two burglars and was killed in a shootout. Brancato was subsequently acquitted of murder, but he was convicted of first-degree attempted burglary and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Steven Armento was convicted of firing the fatal shot.

Brancato was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Adopted when he was four months old, he was raised by Italian-American parents, Lillo, Sr., (a builder) and Domenica (an electrolysist), in Yonkers, New York. Although he is of Colombian descent, Brancato has said "I consider myself Italian. I was raised to eat pasta". Brancato was discovered while swimming at Jones Beach by a talent scout who noticed Brancato's resemblance to Robert De Niro. Brancato was a fan of De Niro and impressed the scout with an impression of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. This won him the role of De Niro's son in A Bronx Tale.

Brancato appeared in several episodes in the second season of The Sopranos, as Matthew Bevilaqua, a young mobster who was eventually murdered. He played a small part in Crimson Tide (1995) with Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. He starred alongside Gregory Hines, Danny DeVito, and Mark Wahlberg in the 1994 movie Renaissance Man. In 2001, he starred opposite fellow Sopranos cast member Drea de Matteo in Abel Ferrara's 'R Xmas.