Lillo Brancato

Brancato was born Saúl Rodríguez in Bogotá, Colombia, on August 30, 1976. Adopted when he was four months old, he was raised by Italian-American parents, Lillo Brancato Sr., a construction worker, and Domenica, an electrolysist, in Yonkers, New York. Brancato studied at Mount Saint Michael Academy. His adoptive brother, Vinny, briefly worked as a fashion model and now works as a Yonkers civil servant. Brancato was discovered in 1992, while swimming at New York's 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 (1993). ==Career==

Brancato acted in three films in the mid-1990s, before joining the cast of The Sopranos. In A Bronx Tale (1993), he played the main character named Calogero, a teenager torn between his father and a mob boss who befriended him as a child (according to New York Magazine, Brancato earned $25,000 ($ today) for the role). Following his release from prison in 2013, Brancato made his return to acting with Back in The Day (2016). He has since had supporting roles in films including Dead on Arrival (2017), a remake of D.O.A. (1950), Vamp Bikers Dos and Vamp Bikers Tres by Eric Spade Rivas 2015-2017 and the 5th Borough (2020). Brancato can be heard narrating the music video for the Chris Brown and Young Thug song "City Girls", released on December 4, 2020. ==Legal troubles==

Brancato started using drugs and alcohol shortly after beginning his acting career in 1992. He was addicted to cocaine and heroin by his mid-20s. Bronx apartment robbery and murder of Police Officer Daniel Enchautegui Six months later, on December 10, 2005, Brancato was arrested by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in the Bronx for the murder of 28-year-old policeman Daniel Enchautegui, who was at home and off-duty at the time of his death. Enchautegui had served with the NYPD for three years and was assigned to the 40th Precinct in the Bronx. Enchautegui confronted Brancato (then 29) and his accomplice, Steven Armento (48), outside a vacant house located at 3119 Arnow Place, next to his own, after hearing glass break. While Enchautegui waited for backup, a gunfight erupted and Enchautegui was shot. He was later taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he died. Brancato was charged with second-degree murder, and his trial began on November 17, 2008. On January 9, 2009, a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Brancato was incarcerated on Rikers Island and as state inmate #09A0227 in the Oneida Correctional Facility in Rome, New York, and was subsequently transferred to the Hudson Correctional Facility. In 2018, Brancato said he was 11 years sober and had returned to acting. ==Filmography==

Film Television Music video Documentary ==References==