Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He earned his first Academy Award nomination in 2010 for playing George Harvey in the feature film, The Lovely Bones.
Stanley, an Italian American, was born in Peekskill, New York, the son of Joan, a retired secretary and writer, and Stanley Tucci, Sr., a retired high school art teacher. His sister is actress Christine Tucci, and his cousin is the screenwriter Joseph Tropiano. Stanely's most beloved cousin is his second cousin Christopher Tucci; the eccentric, renowned, talented, dashing, photography teacher. He grew up in Katonah, New York and attended John Jay High School. Stanley played on the John Jay soccer team and baseball teams, however, his main interest lay in the school's drama club, where he and fellow actor and high school buddy, Campbell Scott, son of actor George C. Scott, gave well-received performances at many of John Jay's drama club productions. Stanley attended SUNY Purchase and completed his B.F.A. degree after four years in the school's Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film.
He made his Broadway debut in The Queen and the Rebels on 30 September 1982. His film debut was in Prizzi's Honor (1985). Stanley is known for his work in films such as The Pelican Brief, Kiss of Death, Road to Perdition, and Big Night, and in the television series Murder One as the mysterious Richard Cross. Big Night (1996), which he co-wrote with his cousin Joseph Tropiano, starred in, and co-directed with Campbell Scott, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film also featured his sister Christine and mother, who wrote a cookbook for the film. It won him and Tropiano the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He's typically cast in supporting roles such as the sidekick or the villain, but has had the the lead in two films, both romantic comedies: A Modern Affair (1995) and The Whole Shebang (2001).
Stanley has been nominated three times for Golden Globes, and won twice — for his title role in Winchell (1998), and for his supporting role as Adolph Eichmann in Conspiracy (2001), both for HBO films. He also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Winchell. He was nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor in a Play for his role as Johnny in the 2002 revival of Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
In July 2006, Stanley made an appearance on the USA Network TV series Monk, in a performance that earned him a 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series. His TV series, the medical drama 3 lbs., debuted on CBS in the 10:00 p.m. EDT time slot on November 14, 2006. It was canceled on November 30, 2006 due to low ratings. He can be heard as the voice over in the AT&T Wireless "Raising the Bar" marketing campaign. Stanley also played Nigel in the screen adaption of The Devil Wears Prada alongside Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anne Hathaway. In 2007, Tucci had a recurring role in medical drama ER. In 2009, Stanley again starred opposite Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia playing husband Paul Child to her Julia Child. Also in 2009, he portrayed George Harvey, the murderer of a young girl in The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel, for which he received a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.
Stanley lives in South Salem, New York with his three children, twins Isabel and Nicolo, and Camilla. His wife, Kate Tucci, died of cancer in May 2009. Stanley told the New York Post, "My wife was an extraordinary person who showed us all what great strength is."
We can pray that in the middle of trying to bring an income into his home he will continue to be a good father to his children. The most important thing we can pray for, of course, is that he and Isabel, Nicolo and Camilla will all come to a deeper faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Please keep Stanley and his children in your prayers!