He’s the name on everyone’s lips right now, but Stanley Tucci got his start in the entertainment industry long ago.
The 65-year-old actor recently returned to the big screen for the highly-anticipated Devil Wears Prada 2, and is about to hit the small screen with season 2 of his popular food series Tucci in Italy.
While Tucci’s foodie side is a newer one for audiences, he’s been a familiar face in the entertainment industry for over four decades.
Tucci made his film debut in John Huston’s Prizzi Honor in 1985 and since then, he has appeared in more than 100 film and television projects.
He shared how his parents reacted to his dreams of pursing an entertainment career during a recent live taping of the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz.
“They were very supportive. They were,” the Hunger Games star said when asked how his parents felt when he decided to pursue acting as a profession.
“I thought about being an architect, but my math skills are tragic. So that wasn’t gonna happen. I said, ‘This is what I want to do,’ and they were incredibly supportive. But I know my mother still worries.”
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Tucci’s appearances on the small screen kicked off in the ’80s with an ad for Levi’s jeans.
He featured in a 1986 advertisement for the iconic brand, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. With Tucci rocking a full head of brown hair, it’s certainly a different look than we now know the star for.
Watch the video at the top of the page.
The actor got his first awards season nod in 2009, being nominated the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in The Lovely Bones.
Despite receiving so many accolades for the role, it was one his late wife didn’t want him to take on.
Kathryn Spath, whom Tucci was married to from 1995 until her death in 2009, warned him off the project after reading the tragic novel that inspired the film.
He refused to listen to her and was cast as sinister neighbour George Harvey, starring alongside Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan.
“I hadn’t read the book, but my wife read the book and when I got the script, she said, ‘You can’t do that’,” Tucci said.
“I read the script and then later I read the book, but I couldn’t focus on the book in its entirety, it’s just too painful.”
Tucci admitted he struggled to actually finish the book because of the graphic nature of the rape and murder in the story.
Despite his nominations, he didn’t win any awards for the role.
Tucci did, however, win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his portrayal of Walter Winchell in the HBO film Winchell 1998.
TV has been a major element of his career, with Tucci starring in series including legal drama Murder One from 1995-1997, Ryan Murphy’s 2017 limited series Feud: Bette & Joan and 2018 drama Limetown to name a few.
While his career was well underway, it was his role in The Devil Wears Prada in 2006 that really catapulted him to big success.
The film became a cult-favourite hit, and was followed by roles in Julie & Julia in 2009, Easy A in 2010, The Hunger Games series from 2012 to 2015 and, of course, the new Devil Wears Prada sequel.
The original film was a pivotal moment in not only Tucci’s career, but his personal life.
His co-star Emily Blunt introduced him to her sister, Felicity Blunt.
The pair went on to tie the knot in 2012 and welcomed two children, son Matteo and daughter Emilia. Tucci also shares two children with his late wife Kate, twins Isabel and Nicolo and daughter Camilla.
Kate, a social worker, died of breast cancer at age 47 in 2009. The couple had been married for 14 years.
“It is not easy to find somebody who is going to take on three teenagers and a widower,” Tucci said in a 2017 interview with The Guardian.
“That’s a lot. But [Felicity] was willing to take on that challenge. She cares for the kids as if they are her own, and it is a tough role, being a step-parent.”
As their family grew, Tucci’s career didn’t stop – in fact, it began going in an exciting new direction.
Audiences got a taste of the real Tucci in 2021 when he hosted the food and travel docu-series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.
He won two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series.
Tucci has also written numerous books, including a cookbook and memoirs revolving around the role of food in his life.
The second season of Tucci in Italy recently hit streaming platforms, and follows the actor, who is of Italian descent, as he explores the country and cuisine.
Throughout Season 2, a lot of the dishes are described as “poor cuisine” by the people making it, which is something Tucci appreciates the most about this style of food.
“All of Italian cuisine is ‘poor cuisine.’ All of it. There are only five to 10 ingredients in any Italian dish, for the most part,” he told National Geographic.
“If you look at pasta alla norma in Sicily, which has tomato, garlic, onions, basil, eggplant, ricotta salata, and pasta, that’s like seven ingredients, and it’s one of the most delicious things in the world.”
Tucci explained Italians still eat through what is most available seasonally, and the method really is one of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As for his perfect day in Italy, well, it involves skiing, fishing and cooking.
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