On his brother and childhood in Yonkers First published December 17, 2023
Lillo Brancato Jr. (born August 30, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Calogero “C” Anello in Robert De Niro's 1993 directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. He also portrayed Matthew Bevilaqua, a young aspiring mobster, on The Sopranos.
Early life
Brancato was born Saúl Rodríguez in Bogotá, Colombia,[1] on August 30, 1976.[2] Adopted when he was four months old, he was raised by Italian-American parents, Lillo Brancato Sr., a construction worker, and Domenica, an electrolysist,[3] 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.[4]
Although he was born in Colombia, Brancato has said, "I consider myself Italian. I was raised to eat pasta."[5] 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.[6] 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.[4]
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 Calogero 'C' Anello, 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 ($52,700 today) for the role).[4] He further appeared in Renaissance Man (1994), followed by a minor but climactic role as a radio operator in Crimson Tide (1995).
Brancato's last film before being charged in 2005 for first-degree burglary was Saturday Morning, released in 2007. The director, whose brother-in-law is a police officer, edited down all of Brancato's scenes during post-production.[7] Following his release from prison in 2013, Brancato made his return to acting with Back in The Day (2016).[8][9] 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.[10] He recently has shot all his scenes for the Brooklyn Premiere film by Eric Spade Rivas 2024.
Legal troubles
3117-3119 Arnow Place, Bronx, New York 10461, site of the shooting. The house left of the alleyway, number 3117, was Daniel Enchautegui's residence; number 3119, right of the alleyway, was the house Brancato and his accomplice Armento attempted to burgle.
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.[6]
On June 10, 2005, Brancato was arrested in Yonkers, New York by the Yonkers Police Department. Officers originally pulled Brancato over for having a rear brake light out and found he had an expired registration and no other papers for the vehicle. He gave police permission to look in a cigarette box, where they found four bags of heroin. He was charged with a Class A misdemeanor for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.[11]
Bronx apartment robbery
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 police officer 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.[12] 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.[12]
Armento (who was the father of Brancato's girlfriend Stefanie) was found to have fired the fatal shot that killed Enchautegui and subsequently convicted of first-degree murder on October 30, 2008, receiving a sentence of life in prison without parole (Armento died on January 2, 2024, at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in upstate New York).[13]
Brancato was charged with second-degree murder,[14] and his trial began on November 17, 2008.[13] On December 22, 2008, a jury found him not guilty of murder but found him guilty of first-degree attempted burglary.[15] On January 9, 2009, a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.[16]
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.[2] While in prison, Brancato continued his drug use, suffering a heroin overdose on at least one occasion.[6] On December 31, 2013, he was released on parole.[17] In 2018, Brancato said he was eleven years sober and had returned to acting.[18]
^Golianopoulos, Thomas (2017-07-11). "Wasted Talent". The Ringer, SB Nation. Retrieved 2021-09-13. Brancato was born Saul Rodriguez in Bogotá, Colombia, to parents he never met.
