Max Casella

Max Casella popped into the world in D.C., but don’t let that fool you—his roots stretch from the Bronx’s bustling streets (thanks to his journalist dad David Deitch) to Long Island (his mom Doris, a social worker, and daughter of Italian designer John Casella). With David writing for The Boston Globe, the family bounced up to Cambridge, MA, where Max survived high school and probably picked up at least one Red Sox cap. He didn’t waste time in the acting game. As a teenager, Max was juggling roles—literally running from the Newsies set over to play Vinnie Delpino on Doogie Howser, M.D. He’s since checked every box: Broadway (hello, Lion King’s Timon), Shakespeare, Ethan Coen’s plays, indie flicks, video games, and a stack of TV shows that basically scream “cultural touchstone.” Sopranos fans know him as Benny Fazio, but he’s also popped up in Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, Ray Donovan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and a whole lot more. Film credits? Wildly stacked: Jackie, Wonder Wheel, Blue Jasmine, Live By Night, Oldboy, Inside Llewyn Davis, Analyze This, Ed Wood—you get the idea. The man’s worked with everyone from DeNiro to Spike Lee. He even got behind the camera for some indie projects, like John Turturro’s musical doc Passioné. Max has made his mark onstage too, grabbing awards for his Broadway debut and digging into roles across LA, London, and Italy. Offstage, he’s a storyteller and illustrator, writing about growing up with pituitary dwarfism and being raised by a family of lovable rebels. He and his wife Leona are raising their two kids, Mia and Gioia, hopefully with plenty of good stories to tell.