Film and television Schirripa got his first taste of show business in his job as entertainment director of the
Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. In the biography page of his website, Schirripa says that he had cameo appearances in comedy specials by
Drew Carey and
Kevin Pollak, among other comedians. That led to a role as an uncredited extra in
Martin Scorsese's
Casino. In the film, he portrayed a customer at the bar in the scene when
Joe Pesci's character angrily stabs a man with a pen. After this, Schirripa decided that he wanted to become an actor. He had several minor roles in films, including
The Runner (1999) and
Joe Dirt (2001). His
breakthrough role was in the second season (2000) of
The Sopranos, playing Tony Soprano's mobster brother-in-law
Bobby Baccalieri. By chance, he was in New York City in June 1999 for a friend's wedding, and around that time he was invited for an audition in New York City, initially for Agent Skip Lipari, and later for the role of Baccalieri. His many television appearances include
Angel, Casino Cinema,
Columbo,
Star Trek: Enterprise,
Hollywood Squares,
Joey,
Law & Order,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
My Wife and Kids,
Ed,
Jeopardy!,
George Lopez,
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and
The King of Queens. In 2008, Schirripa appeared on CBS's primetime game show
Million Dollar Password, and in 2019, Schirripa appeared on the game show
Pyramid alongside
Jamie-Lynn Sigler. He also made an uncredited appearance along with fellow Soprano star
Vincent Pastore on a sixth season episode of
Aqua Teen Hunger Force entitled "She Creature". Schirripa was a frequent guest on the
Don Imus radio program. In February 2007, he began to make appearances for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, on
Spike TV, siding with
Team 3D as their cousin in their ongoing battle against
The Latin American Xchange. On October 30, 2007, he appeared on,
The Podge and Rodge Show. He also did spots as "Steve the Judgmental Bastard" on
The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno, and taped several episodes of
The Gong Show with Dave Attell, as one of the celebrity judges. From 2008 to 2012, Schirripa had a recurring role in the
ABC Family show,
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as Leo Boykewich, Ben's dad. In 2009, he made a cameo appearance alongside fellow
Sopranos actor
Frank Vincent in
Stargate Atlantis episode "
Vegas". He was also in 2009's
My Fake Fiancé with
Melissa Joan Hart and
Joey Lawrence as the Monkey. He has appeared on the
Tonight Show more than 40 times as a guest and as a correspondent. Schirripa hosted NBC's poker game show,
Face the Ace, with the premiere episode airing on August 1, 2009. In the fall of 2010, Schirripa had a guest star role in the digital comedy short film,
Lil DPC, from writer/director
Michael Ratner, which also features rapper
Fat Joe and
Blink 182's
Mark Hoppus. In 2011 and 2012, Schirripa hosted and narrated the television true-crime series
Nothing Personal, which premiered in the US on
Investigation Discovery and in the UK on
History. The series featured an often humorous take on true stories and reenactments of murders-for-hire. In addition to hosting the hour-long programs, Schirripa was one of the program's executive producers. Subsequently, Schirripa hosted ''
Karma's a B*tch'', also for
Investigation Discovery. He has also guest-starred in the American version of
Top Gear. Schirripa played Sonny Rosselli in
A Poet Long Ago, a short film written by Pete Hamill and directed by
Bob Giraldi, which gained entry into a number of film festivals in 2013. In 2014, Schirripa played Joey on the ABC series
Black Box, did voice acting in an episode of
American Dad! entitled "Stan Goes on the Pill", and played Vito in the silver screen adaptation
Jersey Boys, directed by
Clint Eastwood. He will play Father Ed in
Chasing Yesterday, a film by writer/director Joseph Pernice, as well as appear in the film
Houses by writer/director Jenner Furst, alongside
Sopranos co-stars
Michael Imperioli and
John Ventimiglia. From 2015 to the show's conclusion, Schirripa played Det. Anthony Abetemarco, an investigator who works with assistant district attorney Erin Reagan on the CBS series
Blue Bloods. In July 2017, Schirripa appeared in a segment on
John Oliver's satirical news show
Last Week Tonight satirizing
Boris Epshteyn and the right-wing tone of mandatory segments given to member stations by the
Sinclair Broadcast Group. Schirripa co-hosted a podcast with
Michael Imperioli called
Talking Sopranos, which began on April 6, 2020. The two provide inside info as they follow
The Sopranos series episode by episode. By September 2020, the podcast had reached over five million downloads. the book titled
Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos was released on November 2, 2021. He said in interviews in 2025 that he would be appearing in some episodes of
Dexter: Resurrection.
Books Schirripa's acting roles often portrayed "
goombas", slang for stereotypical Italian-American tough guys and often denoting connections to the
Mafia. He carried that persona over into real life but with a comedic twist, especially in appearances on talk and game shows. He expanded on that persona when he wrote a series of books starting with ''A Goomba's Guide to Life
() in 2002. He followed up with The Goomba's Book of Love,
co-authored with Charles Fleming in 2003 (). The series continued with The Goomba Diet: Large and Loving It
() in 2006, and in 2013 Big Daddy's Rules: Raising Daughters Is Tougher Than I Look'' (), co-authored by Philip Lerman. Schirripa and Fleming also collaborated on two books about Nicky Deuce, a suburban teenager who is sent to visit his grandparents in Brooklyn.
Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family was followed by
Nicky Deuce: Home for the Holidays, which was the basis for the 2013
Nickelodeon film
Nicky Deuce starring
Noah Munck.
Nicky Deuce also featured supporting roles filled by
James Gandolfini,
Michael Imperioli,
Tony Sirico, and
Vincent Curatola of
The Sopranos fame. In April of 2026, Schirripa and Lerman co-authored and released a children's picture book
WillieBoy Eats the World () with illustration by Kirk Parrish.
Theatre On April 3, 2014, Schirripa gave a theatrical performance in a special production of
Guys and Dolls alongside
Nathan Lane,
Patrick Wilson, and
Megan Mullally at
Carnegie Hall.
Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties In 2014, Schirripa launched a line of organic vegan pasta sauces under the business name of Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties Group. Schirripa appeared on the
Eric Andre Show to promote the sauce. Steve appears at the annual Soupy Fest in Westerly, RI. == Personal life ==