10 Stars You Probably Didn’t Know Were Italian-American
Bradley Cooper's maternal grandparents were born and raised in Italy. His mother, Gloria Campano, is the daughter of a policeman from Naples.
Susan Sarandon is of Italian descent from her mother's side, Leonora Criscione, with ancestors from the regions of Sicily and Tuscany.
Bruce Springsteen's mother, Adele Zirilli, hailed from a family emigrated to the United States from Vico Equense, in the province of Naples.
Kate Walsh's mother, Angela Bocchetto, comes from a family who emigrated to the U.S. from Potenza (Basilicata).
Sean Penn has Italian blood from his mother's side; her family name is Annucci.
Alicia Keys' real name is Alicia Augello-Cook, she is the daughter of an African American steward and of Teresa Augello, who has Sicilian roots.
Matt Le Blanc's mother is of Italian descent, from the province of Frosinone. The 'Friends' star recently paid a visit to Arce, his mother's hometown.
Steven Tyler's real name is Steven Victor Tallarico. His paternal grandfather was from Cotronei in Calabria, and Tyler is honorary citizen of the town.
Ashley Judd's real name is Ashley Tyler Ciminella and her family on her father's side hails from a Sicilian village.
Nicolas Cage's real last name is Coppola, he is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and his ancestors were immigrants from Bernalda, Basilicata.
While the Italian roots of stars like Madonna and Robert de Niro are well known, there are other celebrities whose ancestral connection to Italy is not as renowned; celebrities who, despite their American-sounding last name, have Italian origins, either grandparents, parents or relatives hailing from il bel paese.
