Tony, Tony, Tony your life style is steering you in the wrong direction!
Sirico was born in
New York City, New York on July 29, 1942, to a family of Italian descent.
[1] He grew up in the
Brooklyn borough, in the
East Flatbush and
Bensonhurst neighborhoods.
[2] Sirico's brother,
Robert Sirico, is a
Catholic priest and co-founder of the free-market
Acton Institute.
[3]
Sirico was convicted of several crimes and was arrested 28 times, including for disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery, before taking up acting.
[2][4] On February 27, 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant, and found with a
.32 caliber revolver on his person. In 1971, he was indicted for extortion, coercion, and
felony weapons possession, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison, of which he served 20 months at
Sing Sing.
[5][6][7]
According to a court transcript at the time of his sentencing, Sirico was the owner of a discotheque in
Manhattan, and also had pending charges for criminal possession of a dangerous drug.
[5] Sirico stated that he was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-convicts during his imprisonment, which inspired him to give acting a try.
[8] He appeared in the 1989 documentary
The Big Bang by
James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.
[9]
www.tmz.com
