Paul Picerni(1922-2011)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
As a child Paul Picerni had aspirations to become an attorney until he
acted in an eighth-grade play and later learned that the school
principal liked his performance and called him "a born actor". He next
appeared in little theater productions, then (after World War II Air
Force service) on the stage at Loyola University. Picerni was acting in
a play in Hollywood when he was spotted by
Solly V. Bianco, head of talent at
Warner Brothers; brought to the studio, the young actor was given a
role in Breakthrough (1950). This
WWII actioner turned out to be aptly named, as it led to a Warners
contract for Picerni and a long succession of roles at that studio.
Best-known for his second-banana role on the TV classic
The Untouchables (1959) with
Robert Stack, Picerni is the father of
eight and grandfather of ten.
