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Chianese, Dominic, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

INTERVIEWER: Mark Naison, Oneka LaBennett

INTERVIEWEE: Dominic Chianese

SUMMARY BY: Patrick O’Donnell

Dominic Chianese is a Bronx native and a well-known actor and singer. He was born 2/24/1931 in the Bronx. His paternal grandfather was from Naples, Italy, and his mother’s side was from near Sorrento. He was raised in the Arthur Avenue neighborhood, and attended public school. Most of his classmates were Italian, although there were some Jewish and Hispanic children as well. Despite the fact that Chianese had German, Irish, Italian, and French-Canadian friends while growing up, the Italian and African-American communities were quite separate: he …