Max Casella (born Maximilian Deitch; June 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series Doogie Howser, M.D., The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, Cro and the voice of Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series.
Early life
Casella was born in Washington, D.C., the son of David Deitch, a newspaper columnist, and Doris Casella, a social worker. His father is Jewish and his mother is of Italian descent. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where his classmates included Traci Bingham, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Casella has Growth hormone deficiency, which accounted for his ability to play characters much younger than his actual age. His brother also shares the condition. He did not go through puberty until the age of 27 after medical intervention. His physical changes caused him to gain weight and he was dropped by his agents. He then had to completely reinvent himself as an actor.
Career
Casella played Vincent "Vinnie" Delpino in the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. from 1989 to 1993 with Neil Patrick Harris. In 1992, Casella played Racetrack Higgins in Newsies, which was based upon true events in the 1899 newsboys strike...More about Max Casella...
