Danny Nucci Movies
While most recognizable for his portrayal of Leonardo Di Caprio's doomed Italian sidekick in Titanic (1997), actor Danny Nucci had over three dozen film and television credits on his resumé before he even auditioned for the blockbuster.Born in Klagenfurt, Austria, and raised just outside of Venice, Italy, Nucci is the second child of a French Moroccan mother and an Italian father. His family relocated to the States when Nucci was only seven years old. They lived temporarily in Queens, NY, (where Nucci attended P.S. 144 in Forest Hills and P.S. 90 in Kew Gardens) before settling in California's San Fernando Valley. Nucci caught the acting bug as a student at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Van Nuys, CA, when the drama teacher recruited him for a production of West Side Story. Soon afterward, he volunteered to answer phones at a Variety Club charity telethon just for the chance to be on television. In the middle of the broadcast, a stranger approached Nucci and praised his "look," telling the teenager to have his parents call him as soon as possible. The stranger, Bob Villard, has been Nucci's manager ever since.
Forty auditions later, Nucci began his professional acting career at age 14 with a bit part on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Roles on Richard Pryer's kids show Pryor's Place, Family Ties, and in the teen science fiction film The Explorers (1985) quickly followed. Yet, Nucci suffered a temporary emotional set back when he did not make the cast of Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986), after being called back several times. Devastated, he took a five-year hiatus from feature films in order to polish his skills on the small screen. He appeared on Hotel, The Twilight Zone, Growing Pains, Magnum, P.I., and Tour of Duty, and in numerous television films (including a stint as Keanu Reeves' younger brother in 1986's Brotherhood of Justice), as well as garnered three Young Artist Award nominations. Nucci's performance in the 1987 CBS Schoolbreak Special An Enemy Among Us was so powerful that the network showed the telefilm during prime time. He then played Gabriel Ortega on Falcon Crest from 1988 to 1989 -- earning his fourth Young Artist Award nomination for his performance -- before returning to features as Chris Young's sidekick in the teen comedy Book of Love (1991). This led to a small role in Frank Marshall's Alive (1993), the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team that is stranded in the Andes after a plane crash, starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, and Illeana Douglas. Work in several television films, B-movies, and independent features ensued, including A Matter of Justice (1993), Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice (1994), and Blind Justice (1994).
Nucci's big break arrived when casting directors tapped him to play Petty Officer Rivetti in Tony Scott's box-office smash Crimson Tide (1995). He held his own opposite the film's stars, Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, impressing producer Jerry Bruckheimer who immediately cast Nucci as a Navy SEAL in Michael Bay's The Rock with Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris. He then appeared as a doomed deputy in the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Eraser (1996), before proving his comedic talent as a paparazzo stalking Bette Midler and Dennis Farina in That Old Feeling (1997).
After rapping up his role as Fabrizio De Rossi in 1997's Titanic (which instantly became the world's highest-grossing film), Nucci returned to independent features like the thriller Love Walked In (1998) and the comedy Friends & Lovers (1999). He then joined the supporting cast of producer David E. Kelley's only unsuccessful television series, Snoops. After the show's cancellation, television producer Jonathan Axelrod (who is married to Nucci's Alive co-star, Illeana Douglas) tapped Nucci to star in the CBS sitcom Some of My Best Friends. Based on the independent film Kiss Me, Guido (1997), the show featured Nucci as Frank Zito, a big-hearted wannabe actor from Queens who unknowingly moves in with a gay roommate played by Jason Bateman. Though called "pretty darn funny" by the New York Times, the series was ultimately canceled. Yet, Nucci immediately bounced back with the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002), the sequel to Mark Lester's blockbuster adaptation of the Stephen King novel. The four-part series, which stars Marguerite Moreau, Malcolm McDowell, and Dennis Hopper, gained such a following that the network decided to develop it into a regular series.
In the meantime, Nucci completed filming on Monika Mitchell's Break a Leg (2003) with his girlfriend, actress Paula Marshall, and announced plans to star in a Sylvester Stallone-produced CBS series, tentatively titled Lefty, about a war veteran who becomes a priest in a poor Miami neighborhood. Although appeared to go smoothly with Break a Leg, the fate of Lefty was left hanging after numerous headlines proclaiming sexual abuse by priests left the network worrisome about the protagonist's career. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- 2003
The title of this ABC cop series referred to the patrol-car code used to indicate that said car was "in service." The central character was Rico Amonte (Danny Nucci), a former Brooklyn street punk who after relocating to Los Angeles opted to work on the right side of the law. A deputy trainee with the LAPD robbery-homicide division, Rico was assigned to irascible, South Central-born Senior Deputy John Henry Barnes (Ernie Hudson). It perhaps goes without saying that there was little love lost between the no-nonsense Barnes and the wisecracking Rico, but this odd-couple duo managed to do their job well and get the best results. In the fine tradition of the old series The Rookies, several other trainees were placed under the tender care of Deputy Barnes: would-be Romeo Matt Jablonski (Scott William Winters) and his partner, ghetto-raised Gabriella Lopez (Mercedes Colon); and bookish, politically ambitious Chase Williams (Travis Schuldt) and his partner, tough cookie Anna Li (Christina Vidal). 10-8 premiered on September 28, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Nucci, Ernie Hudson, (more)
This is the first mainstream film to deal with the harrowing true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains in October of 1972 and who were forced to resort to cannibalism to survive more than two months of isolation. (The only other film to tackle the subject, Rene Cardona's Survive! was a seedy little mess that delighted in exploiting the cannibalism aspect.) The events depicted are primarily based on the novel of the same name by Piers Paul Read. The interview-style prologue features an uncredited John Malkovich as one of the survivors, whose spiritual ruminations on the disaster kick off the film's main action. We are briefly introduced to the characters before disaster strikes, in the film's most horrifying set-piece -- the depiction of the crash in grueling detail. The handful of survivors who manage to extricate themselves from the twisted wreckage seem incapable of working through their panic as they hope against all odds that a rescue party will locate them. One of the survivors, Nando (Ethan Hawke), awakens from a coma and makes a remarkable recovery -- enough to demonstrate level-headed leadership after team captain Antonio (Vincent Spano) begins to lose his nerve. As the weeks wear on and rations are depleted, the survivors are forced into a moral dilemma: the only remaining source of food seems to be the bodies of the dead. Those who choose for religious reasons not to consume their former companions must face the realization that they will soon starve or freeze to death. In the end, three men who choose survival above all else find the strength to set out on a treacherous mission to a ridge, where hopefully one of them will make it to civilization. Director Frank Marshall infuses the proceedings with sufficient intensity to keep the story moving, but the film fails to fully explore the often-recounted spiritual aspects of the ordeal as established in the opening monologue. Ironically, the writers' apparent attempts to remain true to Read's account of events -- resulting in some rather odd stretches of dialogue -- impede the drama even more than the Hollywood glamorization of the story's nominal "heroes," who remain rugged and handsome despite months of malnutrition and severe frostbite. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, (more)
When a deal in Kiev goes bad for American mobsters Gino (Danny Nucci) and Settimo (Dan Hedaya), they make their way to Glasgow to seek shelter from the fallout in the home of cousin Bobby (Gerald Lepkowski). A kindly stamp collector who runs a small café, Bobby believes Gino and Settimo to be a pair of PR consultants, although when his grateful guests attempt to repay his hospitality by strong-arming a persistent bill collector, he begins to have his doubts regarding their profession. When the Russian mafia contracts a pair of Liverpool heavies to find the fleeing mobsters, Bobby finds his quiet life falling apart at the seams. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Nucci, Shirley Henderson, (more)
Wildly disparate characters are not much balance for the lack of action and interaction in this film by director and co-writer Krishna Shah. A series of people go to a drive-in movie theater one night where not a lot happens until the final, inexplicable scene. These movie-goers include a local politician looking for drug dealers, a young couple harassed by bikers, two old biddies dealing in illegal substances right under the nose of the politician (not literally), and another couple in distinct disagreement about sex: what is too little for one is too much for the other. Throw in a prostitute, a dwarf, a few overeaters, a tipsy projectionist, some other characters, and a double-feature horror movie on the screen, and the 89 minutes of running time are filled, terminated by a climax that seems to come out of nowhere. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Longstreth, Pat Jack Kirton, (more)
In this off-beat western, a gunfighter single-handedly takes on a band of ruthless bandits and prevents them from stealing a cache of government silver from a beleaguered little town. The gunslinger (Armand Assante) is not only remarkable for his quick draw and deadly aim, but also for the fact that a Civil War injury left him nearly blind. He carries with him the little baby he vowed to rear and protect after the war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Elisabeth Shue, (more)
A teenager in the '50s moves to a new neighborhood and has to deal with all the problems that come with it in this lighthearted feature--complete with a rock 'n' roll soundtrack. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Young, Keith Coogan, (more)
A talented character actor with an undeniable presence on the screen but an uncanny track record of losing roles to more marketable "name" actors decides to take matters into his own hands after losing out on one too many roles in director Monika Mitchell's blood-soaked showbiz satire. Max Matteo (John Cassini) knows that he has what it takes to make it as an actor, but it always seems like there's a producer's nephew just waiting in the wings to snatch the role just out from under him. Now, with nothing left to lose but the role that will most certainly be offered to someone else before the cameras start to role, Max decides to take his fate - as well as various blunt objects - in his hands to ensure a long and rewarding career in a business where there's truly no room for the weak. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cassini, Molly Parker, (more)
Young professional Stuart Dempsey (Danny Nucci) begins his move from Chicago to New York City with a strange encounter with a pair of mysterious men on a train. Things don't get much more comfortable once he starts his job as an assistant to the demanding editor of a daily newspaper, Max Kaufman (David Carradine. But things begin to look brighter when he lucks into a sublet of a rent-controlled apartment that apparently includes a beautiful woman, Daphne (Victoria Sanchez). As it happens, the apartment's real owner is an international assassin named Jaguar, who has plans to kill the visiting Russian president. The FBI and CIA -- and Daphne -- think Dempsey is Jaguar, and Dempsey can't get Kaufman to believe the dangerous turns his life is taking in the big city. Meanwhile, Jaguar adds Dempsey to his list of future hits. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Nucci, David Carradine, (more)
- 1986
In this youthful film, to juvenile delinquents must spend a year in a military academy. They immediately begin driving their superior officers crazy. The film is also titled Combat Academy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Culp, Keith Gordon, (more)
Two leaders with different philosophies about battle and leadership wage war with each other in this tense military thriller. Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) is the commanding officer of a nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Alabama. Ramsey is a distinguished veteran near the end of his career, and he leads his men with an iron hand; as he puts it, "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." Ramsey is assigned a new second-in-command, Lt. Cmmdr. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington); Hunter is much younger than Ramsey, Harvard educated, and believes the goal of the military in the nuclear age is to prevent war, not fight it. While at sea, word reaches the Alabama that a splinter group of Russian forces have seized missile silos, and the ship is put on red alert. The Alabama has orders to fire, but as it is receiving a new incoming order the radio malfunctions. It's Ramsey's contention that an order is an order and they are to move forward with the attack, while Hunter feels if there is any question at all about their mission, they should wait until they can receive further instruction, with Hunter going so far as to threaten mutiny against Ramsey if the missile strike is carried out. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne both contributed to the screenplay without credit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, (more)
Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, (more)
Explorers turns out to be much ado about nothing, but it's so sublimely assembled we're willing to overlook the sappy climax. Young sci-fi geek Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) (could he possibly be based on director Joe Dante?) would give anything to travel in space. Thanks to his computer-happy pal Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix), Ben gets his wish, together with best bud Darren Woods (Jason Presson). In the Great Beyond, the boys encounter an extraterrestrial (Robert Picardo), whose knowledge of earth is limited to what he's gleaned from 1960s TV sitcoms (this is unusual?) Lots of outer-space fun ensues before the film's inevitable downward spiral. Moderately successful in theatres, Explorers had a healthy second life on video and cable TV, especially after director Dante rethought the film and rearranged a few scenes for better dramatic (and comic) impact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, (more)
The child who could start fires with her mind is all grown up and still trying to find out the truth about what happened to her in this made-for-TV sequel to the sci-fi fantasy Firestarter. Nearly 20 years ago, Charlene "Charlie" McGee (Marguerite Moreau) was trained by a mysterious government organization who wanted to exploit her special and very dangerous gift, though Charlie learned the government operatives were not to be trusted when they murdered her parents. Charlie ran away from them as a child, but now in her mid-twenties, she's decided she wants to know more about the people who shaped her strange destiny -- just as Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell), the man who shaped Charlie's pyrotechnic gift years before, finally finds her after years of search. To Charlie's horror, she discovers a number of other children with bizarre talents. Charlie is soon on the run from Rainbird again, and her only allies in flight are a former associate of Rainbird turned enemy of the state (Danny Nucci) and fellow test subject (Dennis Hopper). Firestarter: Rekindled originally aired as a two-part miniseries on the Sci-Fi network on March 10 and 11, 2002. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marguerite Moreau, Malcolm McDowell, (more)
- 1993
Based on a true story, this drama centers on a mother and father who decide to have another child in hopes of providing a bone-marrow donor for their leukemia-stricken child. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Priscilla Lopez, Teresa Dispina, (more)
The Christmas holidays are fast approaching when Los Angeles native Ian (George Newbern) gets an unexpected invitation from his father (David Rasche) to join him for a vacation in Park City, Utah. The two don't get along especially well, but Ian goes partly in hopes of patching up the relationship, and partly because his friends figure it would be a nice vacation. In fact, they're so convinced that several of them end up tagging along. Good looking guy Jon (Stephen Baldwin) is determined to seduce good looking gal Carla (an obviously well-cast Claudia Schiffer), despite heavy competition from German ski instructor Hans (Robert Downey Jr.), while David (Danny Nucci) is equally determined to do something about his pesky virginity. Meanwhile, Keaton (Neill Barry) discovers his sister (Suzanne Cryer) is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, and she wants Keaton to resolve his issues with their father before it's too late. But Keaton has other emotional issues to deal with when he finds out his longtime friend Lisa (Alison Eastwood) wants them to move past friendship into a deeper relationship. This romantic comedy-drama was the debut feature from writer/director George Haas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, Danny Nucci, (more)
- 1986
Hoping to earn enough money to purchase a car, Mike (Kirk Cameron) lands a job at World of Burgers, a local fast-food restaurant. Subsquently, Mike is honored as "Employee of the Month", prompting Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) to reward him by putting up the money for his car. With this in mind, how in the world can Mike bring himself to tell his parents that he's just been fired? In her second Growing Pains appearance, Olivia D'Abo plays the careless coworker who brings about Mike's ignominious dismissal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the opening moments of this drama, we see a man brutally murder a woman, and in the story that follows, we look back at the events that led up to this tragedy as the killer awaits trial. Archie Landrum (Frank Whaley) is a brilliant mathematician who is socially inept and doesn't interact well with others. He takes a job as a caretaker at a ranch in New Mexico owned by Katherine Samuel (Blythe Danner). Archie has a good reason for wanting to work for Katherine; her daughter Lucy (Sheryl Lee) is the star of the TV show "Banyon's Band" and has appeared in a series of R-rated sexploitation films; Archie is obsessed with Lucy, and he hopes that working for her mother will bring him closer to her. Sure enough, Lucy comes to New Mexico to pay her mother an extended visit, but familial warmth is less a factor than Lucy's need to dry out from her periodic bouts with alcohol and drug abuse. Archie tries to ingratiate himself with Lucy, hoping that she might develop a romantic or sexual interest in him, but it soon becomes obvious that this is not to be. This does nothing to ease Archie's fascination with her; he begins spying on her and reading her diary, until the inevitable day when his obsession turns violent. Mark Medoff wrote the screenplay, adapted from his own play "The Homage That Follows;" Bruce Davidson appears as the public defender assigned to represent Archie in court. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blythe Danner, Frank Whaley, (more)
- 2005
A typically truculent House (Hugh Laurie) is slapped with a court order instructing him to determine if mobster Joey Arnello (Joseph Lyle Taylor), who is slated to give testimony in Federal Court before entering the Witness Protection Program, is faking a serious illness. Joey's knuckle-busting brother Bill (Danny Nucci) warns House to lay off the case--but not for the (seemingly) obvious reasons. At the same time, Vogler (Chi McBride) puts extra pressure on Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) to fire House, or risk losing a $100 million donation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
- R
In this throwback to films noir of the 1940s, Jack Morrisey (Denis Leary) is a pianist and songwriter who has been touring the club circuit with his lady love, Vicky (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). Jack and Vicky have talent, but they haven't gotten the breaks; they're stone broke and at the end of their collective rope when Eddie (Michael Badalucco), a private eye who knows Jack, makes the couple an offer. Fred Moore (Terence Stamp), a very wealthy man who is something of a fan of Jack's music, is attracted to Vicky. Fred's money and property are, for legal reasons, primarily in the name of his wife, who wants a divorce. If Eddie can provide hard evidence that Fred is cheating on his wife, she'll stand to keep most of his money in a divorce, and Eddie will be kicked back a good chunk of change. Eddie, in turn, will be more than happy to share his wealth with Jack and Vicky, if Vicky would be willing to seduce Fred for the purposes of creating blackmail photos. Though she was a major star in Latin America, this was only the second English language film for Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, after her appearance alongside Keanu Reeves in A Walk in the Clouds. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
As repayment for services rendered by his father, young New Jerseyite Frank Siena (Danny Nucci) is put through medical school in the U.S. and Italy by powerful mafia don Nicola Dellarusso (Paul Sorvino). Upon becoming a doctor, Siena dutifully returns the favor by giving body and soul to the organization, covering up murders, tending to the mob wounded without making police reports, and, in general, relinquishing his soul in the name of gratitude. Although Frank's mafia-princess wife enjoys the perks attending his privileged status, Frank ultimately suffers from pangs of conscience fueled by the pointed words of his envious friend Danny Keegan (Jonathan Scarfe). But when Frank goes to Dellarusso and respectively asks to be let off the hook, he is rather forcibly made to realize that no one retires from the mafia and lives to tell about it. Mafia Doctor first aired March 16, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Nucci, Paul Sorvino, (more)
- 1988
Magnum (Tom Selleck) is anxious to get all his friends involved in his latest venture, a tourist business called The Great Hawaiian Adventure Co. Unfortunately, the detective's pals all have other things on their mind. T.C. (Larry Manetti), for example, is pursuing a romance with Magnum's perennial nemesis, "reformed" call girl Cleo (Phyllis Davis). And on a more serious note, T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) is worried about his son Bryant (Shavar Ross), whose ties with a teenage gang have gotten him into trouble with the authorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Novelist Reverge Anselmo makes his directorial debut with this comedy about two inept brothers trying to run the family's ranch. After spending several years in Mexico, P.D. Mitjans (Danny Nucci) returns to the States following the death of his father. He's giving thoughts to the notion of getting the family ranch back on its feet until he sees the mess his brother A.J. (Del Zamora) has made of the place. P.D. decides to give the place a try anyway, and the Mitjans Brothers attempt several schemes to raise cash, all of which prove to be spectacular failures. P.D. still has a reason to stick around, however -- his ex-girlfriend Cat (Dana Delany), who runs the neighborhood watering hole. Unfortunately, Cat has a new boyfriend these days, a cop with a less-than-stable constitution (Paul LeMat). The Outfitters was shown as part of the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Nucci, Del Zamora, (more)
Milcha Sanchez-Scott adapted her own play for this moving and poetic tale of family obsessions directed by Robert M. Young. Edward James Olmos stars as Gallo, the macho head of the Morales family. He has been in prison for the last seven years for murdering a man over a cockfight, but now he is returning home to his family -- his wife Juana (Sonia Braga) and his sister-in-law Chata (Maria Conchita Alonso). Also awaiting his homecoming are his two children -- Hector (Danny Nucci), who is embittered by his father's imprisonment, and Angela (Sarah Lassez), who eagerly looks forward to his return. Gallo, however, has his own agenda upon returning home. Consumed by his passion for cockfighting all his years in prison, he wants to begin to raise a new prize flock of roosters -- and he won't let anyone or anything stand in his way. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Sonia Braga, (more)
In this dramatic thriller, a disgruntled postal worker finds himself convicted of a murder he did not commit. He's initially grateful when a security firm arranges for his release, but he's not so happy when he discovers what they have in store for him. His brain is washed, stripping away all memories of his previous life, and he's reprogrammed to become an assassin who will kill anyone at the firm's command. Can the love of a beautiful woman bring back the life he thought he'd lost forever? Shark in a Bottle stars Danny Nucci, Ben Gazzara, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., and Heip Thi Le. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Danny Nucci, (more)
