Max Casella

Max Casella, born Maximilian Deitch on June 6, 1967, in Washington, D.C., is an American actor whose career has spanned theater, film, and television. His father, David Deitch, worked as a newspaper columnist, and his mother, Doris Casella, was a social worker of Italian descent, while his father is Jewish. Casella grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attending Cambridge Rindge and Latin School alongside future notable figures including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Traci Bingham.

Casella has growth hormone deficiency, a condition he shares with his brother, which allowed him to portray characters considerably younger than his actual age. He did not undergo puberty until age 27, following medical intervention. The physical changes that resulted led to weight gain and the loss of his representation, requiring him to rebuild his acting career from the ground up.

His early screen work included the role of Vincent "Vinnie" Delpino on the television series Doogie Howser, M.D., opposite Neil Patrick Harris, a part he held from 1989 to 1993. In 1992, he appeared in Newsies as Racetrack Higgins, a film based on the 1899 newsboys strike against Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Additional film credits from this period include Ed Wood, Analyze This, and a role as Pvt. Dino Paparelli in Sgt. Bilko. He also appeared in WindRunner: A Spirited Journey, which starred Margot Kidder and Russell Means as Jim Thorpe's ghost.

Casella's Broadway career began in 1997 when he originated the role of Timon in The Lion King. The performance earned him a Theatre World Award in 1998 and a Drama Desk Award nomination. He returned to Broadway from 2000 to 2001, taking on the role of Marcellus Washburn in the revival of The Music Man.

Beyond the stage, Casella provided voice work for several animated projects, including the character Tip in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Zini in the CGI film Dinosaur, and the title character in the ABC animated series Cro. He also voiced Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series. In 2007, he portrayed Dick Howser in the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning. His television work continued with recurring roles on prominent HBO series, including Benny Fazio, a part he joined during the third season of The Sopranos, and Leo D'Alessio in the first season of Boardwalk Empire. He also appeared in the series Vinyl. From 2022 to 2024, Casella portrayed Armand Truisi on the Paramount+ series Tulsa King.

In his personal life, Casella married Leona Robbins in 2002. The couple, who lived in New York City and separated in 2018, have two daughters, Mia and Gioia.