Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was in the cast of the HBO television series "The Sopranos" as Jackie Aprile, Sr. Rispoli reunited with "Sopranos" co-star James Gandolfini in the 2009 thriller "The Taking of Pelham 123". Rispoli was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano that ultimately went to Gandolfini. Rispoli, a second-generation Italian American, was raised in Tappan, New York, one of eight children, and attended Tappan Zee High School, where he played football. He majored in theater at State University of New York at Plattsburgh and graduated in 1982. The feature film
The Sopranos pilot episode which was shot in 1997. Chase directed it himself. They finished the pilot and showed it to HBO executives, but the show was put on hold for several months. During this time, Chase considered asking HBO for additional funding to shoot 45 more minutes of footage and release "The Sopranos" as a feature film. In December 1997, HBO decided to produce the series and ordered 12 more episodes for a 13-episode season. The show premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999 with the pilot episode. "The Sopranos" was the second hour-long television drama series produced by HBO, the