# Max Casella
**Max Casella** (born Maximilian Deitch, 1967) is an American actor best known for playing Vinnie Delpino on the sitcom *Doogie Howser, M.D.*, Benny Fazio on HBO's *The Sopranos*, and Armand Truisi on *Tulsa King*, alongside a long stage career that includes originating the role of Timon in the Broadway musical *The Lion King*.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5093/max-casella) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and place | Maximilian Deitch, born 1967 in Washington, D.C.; raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella) |
| Breakout role | Vinnie Delpino, best friend of the title character, on *Doogie Howser, M.D.* (ABC, 1989–1993)[4](https://www.avclub.com/max-casella-on-boardwalk-empire-doogie-howser-and-hor-1798287565) |
| Broadway debut | Timon in the original cast of *The Lion King*; Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut and a Drama Desk nomination[5](https://www.sonyclassics.com/bluejasmine/bluejasmine_presskit.pdf) |
| HBO roles | Benny Fazio on *The Sopranos* (five seasons), Leo D'Alessio on *Boardwalk Empire*, and series regular Julie Silver on *Vinyl*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) • [6](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/max-casella) |
| Voice work | Daxter in the *Jak and Daxter* video game series[7](https://www.notiziecinema.it/attori/max-casella) |
| Recent television | Armand Truisi on *Tulsa King* (2022–2024, 19 episodes)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5093/max-casella) |
## Early life
Casella's parents were David Deitch, a journalist involved in politics who was a second-generation Jewish immigrant to [The Bronx](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bronx), and Doris Casella, a [Long Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island) social worker and activist whose father was the [Italian fashion](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-fashion) designer John Casella; he was born in Washington, D.C.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) His father's writing for *The Boston Globe*, among other publications, took the family of four to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they lived through his high school years.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) He attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and performed in school plays and local professional theater, encouraged by his drama teacher.[8](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-68438/biographie/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella)
Casella has pituitary dwarfism, a hormonal condition that inhibits growth, and did not go through puberty until age 27, after a medical intervention.[8](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-68438/biographie/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) The condition accounted for his eligibility for many of the roles he landed as a "child actor" while in his twenties; he was already in his early 20s when he was cast as Vinnie Delpino.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) • [4](https://www.avclub.com/max-casella-on-boardwalk-empire-doogie-howser-and-hor-1798287565)
## Television career
After moving to New York to act full time, Casella landed his first television role on an episode of *The Equalizer* (CBS, 1985–1989), followed by an appearance on *Kate & Allie*, while studying and working at a small off-off-Broadway theater.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella) • [4](https://www.avclub.com/max-casella-on-boardwalk-empire-doogie-howser-and-hor-1798287565) The *Doogie Howser, M.D.* role followed, making him a familiar face to American audiences; he has said that before the show he was working as a janitor in an off-Broadway theater and that the part "changed my life overnight".[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella) • [9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/max-casella-recalls-broke-days-140000349.html)
**HBO crime dramas.** In 2001 Casella joined *The Sopranos* in its third season as Benny Fazio, an aggressive mob enforcer, and remained with the series for five seasons through 2007.[10](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) On the first season of *Boardwalk Empire* he played Leo D'Alessio of the rival D'Alessio Brothers gang, and he was a series regular as Julie Silver on *Vinyl*, HBO's 2016 drama about the 1970s New York music industry developed by Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, and [Mick Jagger](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-jagger).[10](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/) • [11](https://time.com/3614493/hbo-martin-scorsese-mick-jagger-series/)
His later television work includes recurring roles on *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel*, *Ray Donovan*, and *The Detour*, guest appearances on *The Night Of*, *Crisis in Six Scenes*, *The Good Fight*, and *[Kaleidoscope](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaleidoscope-american-tv-series)*, and a starring role as Armand Truisi in 19 episodes of *Tulsa King* from 2022 to 2024.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5093/max-casella)
## Stage career
Casella made his Broadway debut as Timon in the original cast of [Julie Taymor](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-taymor)'s Tony Award-winning musical *The Lion King*, receiving a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut and a Drama Desk nomination.[5](https://www.sonyclassics.com/bluejasmine/bluejasmine_presskit.pdf) He returned to Broadway in *Relatively Speaking* (2011), a collection of three one-act comedies directed by [John Turturro](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-turturro), appearing in [Ethan Coen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethan-coen)'s *Talking Cure* and Woody Allen's *Honeymoon Hotel*.[5](https://www.sonyclassics.com/bluejasmine/bluejasmine_presskit.pdf) • [10](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/)
His Shakespeare and classical stage work includes Thersites in *Troilus and Cressida* and Apemantus in *Timon of Athens* at the Public Theater, Nick Bottom in Julie Taymor's acclaimed production of *A Midsummer Night's Dream* at Theatre for a New Audience, a production later filmed for theatrical release, and *Endgame* at BAM opposite his longtime collaborator John Turturro.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) • [10](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/) As a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company he starred alongside [Ellen Burstyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellen-burstyn) in *The Atmosphere of Memory*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/)
## Film and voice work
Casella's film credits from the 1990s include Racetrack Higgins in Disney's musical *Newsies* (1992), which he filmed during breaks from *Doogie Howser*, a crew member in [Tim Burton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-burton)'s *Ed Wood* (1994), and [Harold Ramis](https://www.edgepedia.org/harold-ramis)' *Analyze This* (1999) with [Robert De Niro](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-de-niro).[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) In 2013 he appeared in three prominent releases: as Pappi Corsicato, owner of the Gaslight Café, in the Coen brothers' *Inside Llewyn Davis*, as Eddie in Woody Allen's *Blue Jasmine*, and in Spike Lee's *Oldboy* remake.[10](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/) Later credits include the Academy Award-nominated *Jackie* (2016), Ben Affleck's *Live by Night* (2016), *The Rhythm Section*, Mindy Kaling's *Late Night*, and *Night Comes On*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/)
In voice acting he is known as the voice of Daxter in the *Jak and Daxter* video game series, and his animation credits include *Cro*, *Hey Arnold!*, *Pepper Ann*, and Disney's *Dinosaur*.[7](https://www.notiziecinema.it/attori/max-casella) • [8](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-68438/biographie/)
## Personal life and other work
Casella has two children, Mia and Gioia, with educator and set teacher Leona Casella.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) An illustrator and storyteller, he is writing a television series and other works about being raised by what he describes as raucous iconoclasts while living with pituitary dwarfism.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) He has also collaborated with John Turturro on the documentary *Passione*, a showcase of Italian musicians, and on an adaptation of [Italo Calvino](https://www.edgepedia.org/italo-calvino)'s *Fiabe Italiane*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/)
## References
1. [Max Casella, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5093/max-casella)
2. [Max Casella, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/)
3. [Max Casella, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_casella)
4. [Max Casella on Boardwalk Empire, Doogie Howser, and horror on the Newsies set, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/max-casella-on-boardwalk-empire-doogie-howser-and-hor-1798287565)
5. [Blue Jasmine press kit, Sony Pictures Classics](https://www.sonyclassics.com/bluejasmine/bluejasmine_presskit.pdf)
6. [Max Casella, LA Theatre Works artist profile](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/max-casella)
7. [Max Casella, filmografia, biografia, NotizieCinema](https://www.notiziecinema.it/attori/max-casella)
8. [Max Casella, biographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-68438/biographie/)
9. [Max Casella Recalls 'Broke' Days Before Playing Vinnie on Doogie Howser, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/max-casella-recalls-broke-days-140000349.html)
10. [Q&A: Inside Llewyn Davis and Oldboy's Max Casella, Grantland](https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/qa-inside-llewyn-davis-and-oldboys-max-casella-on-the-coens-spike-lee-woody-allen-and-surviving-the-sopranos-and-child-acting/)
11. [HBO Orders Martin Scorsese-Mick Jagger 1970s Rock Show to Series, Time](https://time.com/3614493/hbo-martin-scorsese-mick-jagger-series/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actors and actresses by country or nationality › American actors and actresses › Surnames A to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license