David Proval

The son of the actress Clara Katz, David Proval made his onscreen debut opposite Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro in the 1973 growing-up-gangster classic "Mean Streets." Although he continued to portray an array of thugs and prisoners in such serious-minded movies as "Shakedown" (1988) and "The Shawshank Redemption," Proval proved to be a capable comic performer as well, serving as Eddie Murphy's acting coach on the set of "48 Hrs." and featuring in such comedies as "UHF," "Four Rooms," "Balls of Fury," and "The Brady Bunch Movie." With an expressive range that encompasses everything from sympathetic sweetness to hard-driving and even volatile behavior, the actor embraced his darkest tendencies as the ruthless Mafia capo Richie Aprile on the critically acclaimed series "The Sopranos."

The actor's long but pointed resume helped him garner the meaty part after he narrowly lost the show's lead role to James Gandolfini. Following appearances on such TV shows as "Knight Rider" and "Picket Fences," Proval ribbed his old-school Italian persona with a recurring role as an overprotective father on the hit sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond."