Introduction
David Aaron Proval (born May 20, 1942) is an American actor, well known for his roles as Tony DeVienazo in the Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets (1973) and as Richie Aprile on the HBO television series The Sopranos (1999–2007).
Biography
Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Jewish heritage, the son of Clara Katz, an actress from Bucharest, Romania. He has appeared in such feature films as The Shawshank Redemption, The Phantom, Mob Queen, Four Rooms, UHF, Innocent Blood, The Siege, Bookies, Balls of Fury, had cameos in The Brady Bunch Movie and Smokin' Aces, and has had recurring roles in television shows such as Picket Fences, Boomtown and Everybody Loves Raymond. He appeared in the 14th episode of The West Wing - "Take This Sabbath Day" - as Toby Ziegler's rabbi. In 1977, his voice was heard in the cult animated film WIZARDS, as the robot assassin Necron 99. In 2004, he played both adult twin brothers James and Edward Talley in the Hallmark Channel original movie Murder Without Conviction. Sopranos creator David Chase has stated Proval was his original choice for the role of Tony Soprano.