“That Guy” Actor of the Week: David Proval
It’s funny because I first caught this guy in the movie Vice Versa which is an odd place to find a guy for the first time who’s really a mafia movie type of guy. Still though. I like him, and I always have. Mr. David Proval has been around a long time. He’s almost 70 now which really ages me. I can’t believe how old some of these people are getting.
Then again, Vice Versa is over 20 years old now. Wow. In any event, Proval has 92 credits to his name and you might recognize him from The Shawshank Redemption or Mean Streets (if you’re old enough).
Nowadays Proval has done some spoof movies and has smaller parts on Television. He doesn’t make a huge impact in the films he’s been in but he’s a very solid “good to be there” kind of a guy. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello to David. Job well done sir.
Here’s a clip of Proval
This seems kind of sad.
Don’t forget his scene-stealing (really, season-stealing) arc as Richie Aprile in season 2 of The Sopranos.
Even with all those other credits to his name, this is still the role that defines Proval’s career.
Pardon…
“…this is still the role that defines Proval’s career” should have either begun or ended with “For me.”
i would agree with matt… i most certainly recognize him as richie aprile, but i didn’t even realize he was in shawshank and i’ve seen that movie several times. the clip at the bottom of the page suggests his real personality is quite similar to richie’s. he has that same sense of quiet rage.
I will always know this guy as the bumbling gangster leader in UHF…. Getting stapled in the face by Weird Al had to be the pinnacle of his career.
Good pick! I’ve always thought of him as being the poor man’s Al Pacino–or the less successful version of a Hollywood sibling pair.