Palminteri is on the short list of go-to actors when casting mobsters, thugs, toughs, and hoods.

Palminteri was born in the Bronx (in case you couldn't tell by his accent) and spent his struggling-actor days as a part-time bouncer. He landed his big break with the semi-autobiographical one man show A Bronx Tale, which later was made into a film directed by Robert De Niro in his directorial debut. He followed up A Bronx Tale with an Oscar-nominated performance in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway and a memorable turn in The Usual Suspects. Although he's known more for his serious roles, like in Mira Nair's The Perez Family, he's proven to also be adept at comedy, which has particularly aided his career as of late. With roles in Analyze This and Down to Earth, not mention a once omnipresent series of Vanilla Coke ads, these days he's landed guest appearances on shows like Modern Family and Rizzoli & Isles. [Image via Getty]