People You Should Know- Tony Stavola

Entertainment, Film Reviews, People You Should Know, People You Should Know/Pg 2 — By Buddy Sampson on September 20, 2023 at 6:20 pm

Soaring with the Eagles to Success

By Buddy Sampson

Actor Tony Stavola is flying high these days, soaring with the eagles to success. The dynamic actor has been seen in movies such as “D-Railed” with Lance Henrikson and “Hollywould,” with Eric Roberts, playing the part of Detective Lennox, available on Amazon Prime Video. He also has a starring role in the mob comedy “Fuggedoaboutit,” with Tom Guiry, playing the Don, Tony Clams, also on Amazon.

And Hollywood has taken notice.

Last week, Tony Stavola won Best Actor of the Year for the sensational short film, “Leydenville,” at the 2023 Annual Independent Shorts Awards in Los Angeles. “I’m living the dream,” said Tony Stavola. “I literally did not sleep the night after I won. It was hard for me to process- winning Best Actor. There were so many great actors and actresses and a plethora of great short films. I was a mess.”

Also serving as Executive Producer of the film, he starred alongside TV and screen legend Charlene Tilton. “It makes it a lot easier to do your job when you have a great, great, scene partner and an accomplished actress or actor,” he said of how it was to work with the legendary actress. “She was amazing. Her and I became such good friends. She’s not only beautiful outside, but she’s a beautiful person inside. She is just a good egg, just an amazing person.”

Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Tony is a restaurateur, and also owned a distribution company, Savona-Stavola Foods, as well as restaurants like The Cinder Bar and Landmark Americana that are well-known in South New Jersey/Philadelphia. “Growing up in Cherry Hill, it’s a very affluent area, my family didn’t have a lot of money and my dad was smart enough to put us there because everyone there was successful,” he said. “My mother and father taught me so many values, I owe it all to them. They taught me about the value of hard work, and that you have to laugh, and work hard, but play twice as hard. They definitely instilled work ethic.”  Stavola attended the University of Delaware where he played football as a rugged running back before he started his 40-year career in the food industry.

Tony Stavola’s Italian heritage and his size and stature has always generated remarks such as “you would make a great mobster in a movie.” His acting career got started when a friend of his asked him to do a comedic mob commercial for his mortgage company. “It was a comedic mob spot and it aired about 1200 times on a sports channel back east,” he reflected. “It was a lot of fun.” However, things didn’t take off for him, well, at least until some time later.

Ten years later, in a chance meeting in a restaurant in Atlantic City, he met Hollywood producer Suzanne De Laurentiis. “I asked her where she was from, and she said ‘I’m from California and she looked like a movie star or an actor and I asked ‘well why don’t you get me discovered,’” he laughed. “She goes, it might be your lucky day, I’m a Hollywood producer, I’m filming a mob movie, and you would play the perfect mob boss. So, they flew me out to Los Angeles, and I did a scene with Leo Rossi, a pilot called “High Steaks.”

After Suzanne cast him in a pilot, he took acting classes, which resulted in castings in a number of roles, including “Creed 2,” and “Reverso,” among others. However, often, he’s casted in very similar roles.

“Leydenville” presented a huge opportunity for him. “The reason why I did this film is because I always get typecasted for these gangster/mob roles,” he said. “I wanted to show the range of my acting.” “Leydenville” is an introspective film about a used car salesman that is discovering who he is, the meaning of life’s journey and its destiny. The short film packs a huge punch, pointing out that destiny can change your life your life in an instant. “It’s a drama, and I wanted to show a soft side of me, if that is possible,” Tony laughs. “It’s a story of rejection, of my dream to be a writer. But there’s a lot of twists and turns.”

Currently, the actor is filming “23^rd Street,” an Italian crime drama and “Patrolman” which is in post-production. He currently can be seen in “Gravesend,” a series that stars Chazz Palminteri, William DeMeo, Andrew Dice Clay and many more. His scenes, playing Frankie Dormo, are in Season 2, Episodes 6,7,8, featuring performances with actress Fran Drescher, Armond Assante and Leo Rossi. “She’s the best,” he said of Fran Drescher. The mob drama can also can be found on Amazon Prime. Additionally, he was a Producer of “Kingdom Reign,” directed by Joshua Coates. Taking place in the 1980’s, Stavola plays ruthless Columbia drug importer Francis Quintero, who triggers an international drug war with a rival cartel that spills over into the U.S.

Tony Stavola has a mantra he lives by. “It isn’t work if you love your job. You either do it right, or don’t do it at all.”  When he is not acting and putting hard work into his craft, Stavola is a true family man to his wife and four children.

When asked about his favorite actor, Stavola had a candid response “Al Pacino is my favorite,” said Stavola. “I like humble people and he seems like a humble guy.” When asked if he had a time machine, and were able to go in the past or the future, he had a fascinating answer. “I’d choose the past,” he said. “Of course, I’m a little partial, but one of my favorite movies is The Godfather and I would have loved to be in that movie.” He aspires to be a series regular, but with his considerable acting prowess, that prospect is well on the horizon. “A comedy series is my favorite thought,” he laughed. “I know that’s really hard to do.” However, with the actor’s work ethic and drive, the sky is the limit for this charismatic actor.

Tony Stavola is a rising star, airing out his talents in dramatic fashion, showing Hollywood royalty that he can fly with the eagles with his considerable talent. It is for that reason that Tony Stavola is one of the People You Should Know.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550848767599

https://www.instagram.com/tonystavola/

To view “Leydenville”:

https://vimeo.com/795452988/3087264988

Tags: Buddy Sampson, Leydenville, Suzanne De Laurentiis, The, The Scoop LA, Tony Stavola