David Proval previously starred in many films but was distinctly known as Richie Aprile on the mob drama The Sopranos. In the The Sopranos, he played the older brother of acting DiMeo Crime Family boss Jackie Aprile, Sr. He was considered as a capo in the family prior to being sent to prison for ten years. After the death of Jackie, Richie came back to a different mob family with Tony Soprano in charge. Although Richie and Tony had gotten along in the past, tension between the two developed throughout season two. Richie tries to seek approval from other bosses such as Uncle Junior and Ally Boy but his efforts to take over, as boss of the family did not succeed. Richie met his end when he and his fiancée Janice, Tony’s sister, entered into an argument, which led Janice to shoot him twice.

Following 13 episodes of The Sopranos, Proval was cast on the mystery series Murder Without Conviction as James Talley. He was also included in movies like The Circle, Angels with Angles, Hollywood Dreams, Smokin’ Aces and Frankie the Squirrel.

Proval has two films slated for release this year. The first is Irene in Time, in which he plays the character Norm Forentino. Next, he stars as Joe Adamo in the film Balls of Fury, an action-comedy film about a former professional ping-pong player turned FBI secret agent. Scheduled to hit the theaters on August 31, 2007, the cast also includes Christopher Walken, Masi Oka, Terry Crews,
Dan Fogler, James Hong and George Lopez among others. In addition, Proval also has two films lined up for 2008. He will be starring in the crime-thriller Stiletto as Mohammad and in the drama Mikey & Dolores as Mikey.

-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist

_{(Photo Courtesy of USA Today)}