What is Lillo Brancato Jr.'s Net Worth?
Lillo Brancato Jr. is an Columbian-born, American actor who has a net worth of $10,000. Lillo Brancato Jr. is known for his performances in such films as "A Bronx Tale," "Renaissance Man," "Sticks," and "In the Shadows." He also played the recurring role of Matthew Bevilaqua in the second season of the HBO television series "The Sopranos." In late 2005, Brancato was arrested for the murder of a police officer during a botched burglary; ultimately found guilty only of the attempted burglary, he spent about five years in prison before being released on parole in late 2013.
Early Life and Education
Lillo Brancato Jr. was born on August 30, 1976 in Bogotá, Colombia. When he was four months old, he was adopted by Italian-American parents Lillo and Domenica, who raised him in Yonkers, New York. He has an adoptive brother named Vinny. Brancato was educated at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx.
Film Career
While swimming at Jones Beach in New York in 1992, Brancato was noticed by a talent scout who believed Brancato resembled a young Robert De Niro. This led to Brancato's first major acting role, starring in De Niro's 1993 directorial debut, "A Bronx Tale." He played Calogero 'C' Anello, the teenaged son of De Niro's character Lorenzo. Brancato had his next role in Penny Marshall's 1994 comedy "Renaissance Man," playing Private Donnie Benitez. The year after that, he had a brief but memorable role as a radio operator in Tony Scott's action thriller "Crimson Tide." Brancato went on to star in the 1997 film "Provocateur." Closing out the decade, he appeared in the crime film "The Florentine." Brancato's first film of the new millennium was the dramedy "Blue Moon," starring Ben Gazzara and Rita Moreno. He was subsequently in "Mambo Café" and "Table One." Brancato appeared in three films in 2001: the action comedy "Sticks," the crime film "'R Xmas," and the thriller "In the Shadows." In 2002, he played a mobster in the Eddie Murphy science-fiction comedy "The Adventures of Pluto Nash." A couple years later, Brancato played a strip club owner in the independent drama "Downtown: A Street Tale." That was followed by another independent film, "Slingshot," in 2005.
In 2007, Brancato appeared in the comedy "Saturday Morning," starring Joey Piscopo (son of Joe Piscopo) and George Wendt. The film was his last before being charged in 2005 for murder and burglary. As a result, the director of the film, whose brother-in-law was a police officer, heavily edited down Brancato's scenes in post-production. Brancato eventually returned to acting after being released from prison in 2013. His first significant role back on the big screen was in the 2016 boxing drama "Back in the Day," starring William DeMeo, Michael Madsen, and Alec Baldwin. Brancato went on to appear in such films as "Dead on Arrival," "Revenge of the Dragon," "King of Newark 2," "The Fearless Two," and "5th Borough." In 2021, he had roles in "Whack the Don" and "Made in Mexico."
Getty
Television Career
Brancato first appeared on television in a 1999 episode of the Showtime anthology series "Dead Man's Gun." He landed his biggest television role the next year on the HBO series "The Sopranos," playing young mobster Matthew Bevilaqua during the show's second season. Brancato also played a mobster in an episode of the short-lived CBS series "Falcone." He later appeared in an episode of the police procedural series "NYPD Blue."
Legal Troubles
Shortly after beginning his acting career in the early 1990s, Brancato started using drugs. By his mid-20s, he had become addicted to cocaine and heroin. In June of 2005, Brancato was arrested in Yonkers, New York, originally for having a rear brake light out. However, upon inspection of the vehicle, police found four bags of heroin. Brancato was consequently charged with a seventh-degree Class A misdemeanor for criminal possession of a controlled substance. He got into even greater legal trouble six months later, on December 10, when he was arrested in the Bronx for the murder of police officer Daniel Enchautegui during an attempted burglary. Enchautegui was off-duty at the time, and confronted Brancato and another man when he found them breaking into a vacant house next to his own. The officer was shot and killed in a gunfight that erupted while he was awaiting backup.
After the shooting, it was determined that the shot that killed Enchautegui came from Brancato's accomplice, Steven Armento, who was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. For his part in the incident, Brancato was charged with second-degree murder. In December of 2008, a jury found him not guilty of murder, but still guilty of first-degree attempted burglary. The next month, Brancato was sentenced to 10 years in prison. While behind bars, he continued abusing drugs, and at least once had a heroin overdose. On New Year's Eve in 2013, Brancato was released on parole after having served close to five years of his sentence.
