Franc D'Ambrosio
Encyclopedia
Franc D'Ambrosio is an American singer and actor, best known for his role in the stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber
's The Phantom of the Opera
. He also played the adult Anthony Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part III
.
Affectionately known as Phantom's "The Iron Man of The Mask", Franc D'Ambrosio was awarded the distinction as the "Worlds Longest Running Phantom". This accomplishment was immortalized in a cemented hand ceremony and Franc retained this title for over a decade.
Franc D'Ambrosio grew up in the Bronx, New York, in a family of bakers. After high school he attended the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. He then had the opportunity to study at the famed Vocal Academy of Lucca in Italy. While there, he was personally invited to study with legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti at his home in Pesaro.
Back home, D'Ambrosio made his Broadway debut in the first revival of Sweeney Todd. It was while he was in this production that Francis Ford Coppola discovered D'Ambrosio. Paramount Pictures had been conducting an international talent search (for well over a year) to fill the part of Anthony Corleone - the opera-singing son of Al Pacino & Diane Keaton in The Godfather III. Their search was finally over - D'Ambrosio was cast and he had the honor of singing the Academy Award winning theme song, "Speak Softly Love" ("Brucia la Terra") on the Original Motion Picture soundtrack.
It was immediately following The Godfather III that Franc was cast in the title role of The Phantom of the Opera. He had actually been auditioning for Miss Saigon
but the producers were so impressed with his performance that they immediately offered him the role in Phantom. During his time in San Francisco, Franc and various cast members recorded an album of Christmas music. Franc's performance of "Panis Angelicus" on this CD earned him a Grammy consideration for Best Male Vocalist 1999.
As a result of his Phantom status, D'Ambrosio not only attended the 2004 American premiere of Joel Schumacher's much anticipated musical film production of The Phantom of the Opera
held in New York City, but also served as the red carpet correspondent for Access Hollywood
s coverage of the film.
Upon his return to New York, following his run in Phantom, D'Ambrosio began working with a group developing an Off Broadway production of "Valentino". It was during this process that D'Ambrosio caught the eye of Barry Manilow, who personally selected him to create and star as the male lead "Tony" in the pre-Broadway, national tour of "Copacabana". The show enjoyed a successful year-long tour. D'Ambrosio's performance that earned him a nomination for the National Theatre Award for Best Male Performer in a Musical.
D'Ambrosio's next project was a one man show Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway - conceived by D'Ambrosio and the director Abe Reybold. The show is a celebration of the music that has established Broadway as an American art form. With the success of his 3 year, 150 city, sold out tour with this one man show - D'Ambrosio has joined the ranks of the famed Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman , as one of the handful of Phantom alumni to successfully crossover into a flourishing solo career. The CD "Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway" earned a Grammy Consideration for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album 2005.
Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway was also filmed by Burn Pictures for release on DVD (2005)
He also appeared with Michael Feinstein, Amanda McBroom, Maureen McGovern and others on a new CD titled In Good Company (LML Music) released in spring 2005.
D'Ambrosio has enjoyed numerous television appearances, including Entertainment Tonight
, Access Hollywood
and MTV
's Spotlight. There have also been special television events such as the NBC special Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular. The show was filmed live at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, and aired nationally New Year's Day, 2005. D'Ambrosio's extraordinary rendition of "What Kind of Fool Am I" (from the CD Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway) was played during Brian Boitano
's performance on The Today Show
December 30, 2004, to promote the TV special.
Due to the tremendous audience response to D'Ambrosio's performance there, the producer's invited him to appear the following February on "The 2005 Tribute to Movies on Ice", as Special Musical Guest with Michael Bolton. His performance of "The Music of the Night", from the movie The Phantom of the Opera (as skated to by Brian Boitano), received the evening's only standing ovation. In 2007 D'Ambrosio introduced his new show, Franc D'Ambrosio's Hollywood. It is billed as is one man's humorous, nostalgic look at America's "Dream Factories" and the songs they immortalized. After debuting March 13, 2007, at the world famous Empire Plush Room in San Francisco, the show toured the US.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Lurea Murphy
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. He also played the adult Anthony Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American gangster film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. It completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who tries to legitimize his criminal empire...
.
Affectionately known as Phantom's "The Iron Man of The Mask", Franc D'Ambrosio was awarded the distinction as the "Worlds Longest Running Phantom". This accomplishment was immortalized in a cemented hand ceremony and Franc retained this title for over a decade.
Franc D'Ambrosio grew up in the Bronx, New York, in a family of bakers. After high school he attended the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. He then had the opportunity to study at the famed Vocal Academy of Lucca in Italy. While there, he was personally invited to study with legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti at his home in Pesaro.
Back home, D'Ambrosio made his Broadway debut in the first revival of Sweeney Todd. It was while he was in this production that Francis Ford Coppola discovered D'Ambrosio. Paramount Pictures had been conducting an international talent search (for well over a year) to fill the part of Anthony Corleone - the opera-singing son of Al Pacino & Diane Keaton in The Godfather III. Their search was finally over - D'Ambrosio was cast and he had the honor of singing the Academy Award winning theme song, "Speak Softly Love" ("Brucia la Terra") on the Original Motion Picture soundtrack.
It was immediately following The Godfather III that Franc was cast in the title role of The Phantom of the Opera. He had actually been auditioning for Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
but the producers were so impressed with his performance that they immediately offered him the role in Phantom. During his time in San Francisco, Franc and various cast members recorded an album of Christmas music. Franc's performance of "Panis Angelicus" on this CD earned him a Grammy consideration for Best Male Vocalist 1999.
As a result of his Phantom status, D'Ambrosio not only attended the 2004 American premiere of Joel Schumacher's much anticipated musical film production of The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux....
held in New York City, but also served as the red carpet correspondent for Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
s coverage of the film.
Upon his return to New York, following his run in Phantom, D'Ambrosio began working with a group developing an Off Broadway production of "Valentino". It was during this process that D'Ambrosio caught the eye of Barry Manilow, who personally selected him to create and star as the male lead "Tony" in the pre-Broadway, national tour of "Copacabana". The show enjoyed a successful year-long tour. D'Ambrosio's performance that earned him a nomination for the National Theatre Award for Best Male Performer in a Musical.
D'Ambrosio's next project was a one man show Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway - conceived by D'Ambrosio and the director Abe Reybold. The show is a celebration of the music that has established Broadway as an American art form. With the success of his 3 year, 150 city, sold out tour with this one man show - D'Ambrosio has joined the ranks of the famed Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman , as one of the handful of Phantom alumni to successfully crossover into a flourishing solo career. The CD "Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway" earned a Grammy Consideration for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album 2005.
Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway was also filmed by Burn Pictures for release on DVD (2005)
He also appeared with Michael Feinstein, Amanda McBroom, Maureen McGovern and others on a new CD titled In Good Company (LML Music) released in spring 2005.
D'Ambrosio has enjoyed numerous television appearances, including Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Spotlight. There have also been special television events such as the NBC special Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular. The show was filmed live at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, and aired nationally New Year's Day, 2005. D'Ambrosio's extraordinary rendition of "What Kind of Fool Am I" (from the CD Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway) was played during Brian Boitano
Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
's performance on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
December 30, 2004, to promote the TV special.
Due to the tremendous audience response to D'Ambrosio's performance there, the producer's invited him to appear the following February on "The 2005 Tribute to Movies on Ice", as Special Musical Guest with Michael Bolton. His performance of "The Music of the Night", from the movie The Phantom of the Opera (as skated to by Brian Boitano), received the evening's only standing ovation. In 2007 D'Ambrosio introduced his new show, Franc D'Ambrosio's Hollywood. It is billed as is one man's humorous, nostalgic look at America's "Dream Factories" and the songs they immortalized. After debuting March 13, 2007, at the world famous Empire Plush Room in San Francisco, the show toured the US.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Lurea Murphy