At the December monthly meeting of the John D. Calandra Lodge #2600 of the Order of Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), at The Olde Stone Mill in the neighborhood of Crestwood, Yonkers, NY, actor Anthony J. Ribustello was invited by Legislator Tubiolo and spoke as the Lodge's Guest Speaker.

Legislator David Tubiolo (R – Mount Vernon & Yonkers) is the recruitment chair of the Lodge tasked with attracting potential new members, as well as coordinating and scheduling the guest speakers.

Anthony Ribustello was born on Adee Avenue in the Bronx, in the neighborhood of Allerton, and he grew up in the neighborhood of Pelham Bay. He attended Public School 71, Public School 101, St. Benedict’s Elementary School, Cardinal Spellman High School and graduated from Iona College. His paternal family descends from the region of Sicily, while his maternal family descends from the regions of Basilicata and Calabria, Italy.

Ribustello has not only gained recognition for his acting, but he is also the Deputy Chief Clerk for the Republican Party at the Bronx County Board of Elections.

Ribustello was encouraged to start acting at age four, while watching Jerry Lewis host the Labor Day telethon, interviewing some of the members of the Rat Pack. He remembers watching Jerry Lewis and the Rat Pack have so much fun, and that’s when he decided to be an actor and entertainer.

“I’m a New York born and bred actor, hoping to make the world a better place through the art of acting,” said Anthony Ribustello.

Ribustello is perhaps best known for his role as Dante Greco, Tony Soprano's driver on the HBO series, The Sopranos, starring James Gandolfini. Some other exciting roles in which Anthony has acted are as follows: as Fast Freddie in Be Cool (2005) starring John Travolta and Yonkers native, Steven Tyler; as Stanley Kowalski in Bad Apple (2004) with Chris Noth; again as Dante Greco in Bronx Paradise (2010) with Wayne Gurman; as Jilly Rizzo in Magic City (2012) with Jeffrey Dean Morgan; and finally as Tony the Doorman in Uptown Girls (2003) starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning.

“It’s an honor to have watched Anthony act on so many shows growing up, and even a bigger honor to have him speak at Sons of Italy about how he uses the art of acting to make the world a better place” said Legislator Tubiolo.

Other films and series that Anthony has acted in are Law & Order episodes in (2002, 2008, 2009), Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) and in Side Effects (2013) with Channing Tatum and Jude Law.

Anthony Ribustello spoke about his experiences acting for over an hour and shared his insight as an Italian-American actor and activist within the Republican Party. We thank Anthony for his contributions and welcome him back to the Lodge anytime.