Joining us this week on HOT TOPICS CELEB TV Sunday Service for Actors on Actors is Hollywood Legend Peter Onorati
Join us as we take you on the journey of his 30+ year career as he sits down in conversation with Actor Producer and Host of DTeflon
Peter Daniel Onorati was born on May 16th to first-generation Italian parents Peter and Rose Scorese Onorati in the beautiful hillside industrial hamlet of Boonton N.J. This Blue Collar enclave produced everything from Margarine to Melmac dinnerware.
Peter was the first grandchild in the Scorese clan and the first grandson born to Familiglia Onorati. He spent his early years getting into trouble at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic school up until 5th grade. Notifying Sister Margaret Dolores, an Irish nun, that “St. Patrick was Italian” became the final straw, casting the unsuspecting youth literally down the hill one block into the Public School System at the School St. School, where his “wise-cracking” garnered him regular beatings by the local bullies. The need for both social and physical growth apparent to him, Peter tried hard to become an athlete and joined the under-achieving, class clowns to ingratiate himself to his new colleagues.
In 7th and 8th grade at the John Hill School, additional socialization was necessary for the “Hill Kid” from School St. School. He had to get along with the kids from the “Flats” section of town, so Peter worked hard summers in his father’s construction company to be able to afford two sets of clothing: Sharkskin and Italian knit to wear with the “Greasers” from the Hill and Madras with Levis to wear with the “Collegiate Rah Rah’s” from the “Flats”. At Boonton High School, still vertically challenged, Peter excelled in athletics and citizenship.
He achieved All-County honors in both Football and Wrestling and was elected President of the Student Government. He attended Lycoming College in Williamsport Pa. (home of the Little League World Series) and was a standout on the football field. Peter set about five records at Lycoming (only one of which still stands – they got so much better after he left). He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Upon graduation, Peter signed a Free Agent agreement with the World Football League’s Philadelphia Bell. There he and his good friend from college (now a Federal Appeals Court Judge) made it to the last cut and were sent home.
With his dreams of professional football on hold (forever), Peter took a job at Ford Motor Company Export Division and enrolled at Fairleigh Dickenson University to pursue and obtain his M.B.A. and became an assistant coach of the Football team. Responding to a dare from his girlfriend, a childhood crush who was working for McCall’s magazines, he enrolled in a class in Improvisational comedy. His Master’s Thesis Project on Working Mother Magazine (from McCall’s) led him to a job as the Director of Marketing and Research for four of McCall’s publications.
Peter spent weekends traveling into New York City to perform with the group called Port Authority Theatre Ensemble (Pate). Here he also co-created a standup act called The Kippermans (Hasidic Siamese Twins who played guitar) with Gary Richman. As he continued to perform late nights in New York, Peter had some of his research published in Advertising Age. This led to multiple job offers around NYC.
But Peter wanted to stay at McCall’s; however, his boss decided that she couldn’t afford to raise his salary commensurate with his incoming offers, so she created an environment in which he decided to leave. Peter was now dating an actress, Jeanette Collins, from Pate who said “I think you could be an actor”.
His response was “What so I can starve and have four jobs like you?” After removing the ice pack from his face and considering her suggestion, Peter enrolled in a crash course in commercials given by Bob Collier. Within 2 weeks he was on hold for his first national commercial and within about two years joined the cast for the last season of Kate and Allie. Ms. Collins was so right that she and Peter were married in June of 1988.
In 1987 he joined Actor’s Equity as part of the Public Theatre’s production of Talk Radio. Peter and Jeanette moved to Los Angeles and he commuted back to NYC to finish Kate and Allie. His first child was due to be born in two days in L.A. when Peter had a call-back for Martin Scorsese’s Good Fellas in NYC. He got the job and his first son, Sebastiano, in March of 1989.
COP ROCK, l-r: Larry Joshua, Peter Onorati, Season 1, 1990.
Upon his arrival in Hollywood, Peter was immediately cast in leading roles in critically acclaimed dramas including NYPD Blue, Civil Wars, Under Suspicion, Murder One and the Cult Classic, Cop Rock.
Peter has successfully created leading roles as “Good Guys” and “Bad Guys” (the pay is the same) for T.V. movies on ABC, CBS, USA, SHOWTIME, and HBO. He has made over 40 feature films including, Goodfellas, Postcards From The Edge, Firebirds, Camp Nowhere, Rocket Man, and special events such as Tales From The Crypt, Outer Limits and the HBO World Premiere movies Shelter, Disappearing Acts, and Dancing in September.
Peter recently returned to the stage in the premiere of Sex,Sex,Sex, Sex,Sex & Sex, written by Tony Award-winning author George Furth, and The Iceman Cometh with Al Pacino at the Falcon Theatre.
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO — Episode 21 — Pictured: (l-r) Actor Peter Onorati during an interview with host Jay Leno on June 22, 1992 (Photo by Wendy Perl/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
His most recent T.V. appearances included recurring roles on Boston Legal, 24, Desperate Housewives, Everybody Hates Chris, American Dreams, Walker Texas Ranger and Leap Years for Showtime.
Peter has been in guest star heaven (or hell) appearing recently in In Plain Sight, The Mentalist, Cold Case, Chuck, CSI NY, Ghost Whisperer, Las Vegas, Sex and the City, and many more.
Peter has also created numerous cartoon series characters in Teen Titans, Batman – The Brave and the Bold, and was the voice of Warhawk in The Justice League.
Peter lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jeanette, and sons Sebastiano (Sonny), Francesco (Frank), and Giancarlo (Charlie) and a fervent desire to return to the east coast at least for a little while every year.
Leave a Comment