A baby-faced character actor, almost invariably cast in teenaged roles, Max Casella is perhaps best known as the wisecracking, sexually frustrated, Runyonesque sidekick to Neil Patrick Harris on the ABC comedy series about a pubescent physician, "Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989-93). The stage-trained actor was raised in the Boston area and made his professional acting debut in a local production of "Cyrano de Bergerac" in 1981. After achieving prominence as a TV player, Casella segued to movies with a supporting turn as the wisecracking Racetrack in the ill-fated musical "Newsies" (1992). He went on to land small roles in "Ed Wood" (1994), "Sgt. Bilko" (1996), "Trial and Error" (1997) and "Analyze This" (1999). Returning to his stage roots in 1997, Casella co-starred in the critically-praised Broadway musical version of Disney's "The Lion King" in the role of the meerkat Timon (voiced in the feature by Nathan Lane). Two years later, he co-starred as Marcellus in the revival of "The Music Man." The actor also enjoyed a prosperous second career as a voice performer in several animated projects, and he revived his television fortunes by appearing in a prominent supporting role as mob driver/enformer Benny Fazio in "The Sopranos" beginning with the 2002 season.
- Also Credited As:
Max Deitch
- Born:
June 6, 1967 in Washington, DC
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Job Titles:
Actor, Box office clerk, Janitor
Family
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Brother: Lorenzo Deitch. born c. 1963; was already living on his own at the time of parents' divorce
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Father: David Deitch. once worked for The Boston Globe; separated from Casella's mother c. 1977; divorced c. 1980
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Mother: Doris Casella. originally from New York City; separated from Casella's father c. 1977; divorced c. 1980; Casella took his mother's surname after his parents' divorce
Education
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Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1985
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American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, New York
Milestones
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1979 Began acting in amateur theatricals in the Boston area after success in sixth grade production of "Pippin" (date approximate)
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1981 First professional role in a Boston production of "Cyrano de Bergerac"
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1985 Moved to New York with his mother after graduating high school; began taking acting lessons
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1989 Essayed the role of Vinnie Delpino on ABC comedy-drama, "Doogie Howser, M.D."
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1992 Film debut, played Racetrack in the feature musical "Newsies"
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1994 Portrayed Paul Marco in the biopic "Ed Wood"
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1996 Co-starred in the screen comedy "Sgt. Bilko"
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1997 Broadway debut, co-starring as Timon in the Broadway musical version of "The Lion King"
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1999 Co-starred as Steve Zahn's buddy in the comedy "Freak Talks About Sex"
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1999 Had featured role in "Analyze This"
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2000 Cast as Marcellus in the Broadway revival of "The Music Man"
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2000 Voiced the lemur sidekick Zini in Disney's "Dinosaur"
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2001 Joined the cast of the HBO drama "The Sopranos," playing Benny Fazio
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Apprenticed at Theater 22, an off-off-Broadway theater
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Played small roles on such TV series as "Kate and Allie" and "The Equalizer"
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Raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts