Anthony Cistaro

Anthony Cistaro is a classically trained actor who is best known for his comedic turns on some of the most endearing shows on broadcast television. Cheers (1982) provided him his first big break when he was cast as Henri, Woody's recurring nemesis during the show's final three seasons. He was then invited to guest on Bob (1992) (Newhart) as Matthew, Tricia's overconfident improv-actor boyfriend. Anthony also appeared on Seinfeld (1989) as Elaine's boyfriend Joel Rifkin ("Same name as the serial killer ..."), and as a French gate attendant on the final episode of Friends (1994). Often called upon to deliver a humorous take on foreign characters, Anthony has guested as a slithery Eurotrash photographer (The Nanny (1993)), a surly Russian chef (Charlie Lawrence (2003)), a gullible French Canadian hockey player (Alright Already (1997)), an arrogant British director Wild Oats (1994)), a rough-hewn Canadian fur trapper (Thanks (1999)) and an insouciant French waiter (Ugly Betty (2006)). Anthony is also known for his portrayal as supervillain Kenneth Irons on TNT's Witchblade (2001), the top-rated basic cable series during its run. Additional forays into the Sci-fi and Fantasy realm include two separate demons on Angel (1999), and his role on the final three episodes of Charmed (1998) as Dumain, the "imaginary friend." In dramatic roles, Anthony has tended to play antagonists - including an international arms dealer (Alias (2001)), a club owner peddling pirated material (Numb3rs (2005)) and an anesthesiologist on the make (Nip/Tuck (2003)). For Netflix, Anthony recurred in the second season of Sense8 (2015) as the relentless Agent Bendix - and as Detective Brown (opposite Ashton Sanders) in the Netflix Original All Day and a Night (2020). Notable theatre credits include "The King Stag" (originally staged by Andrei Serban and Julie Taymor) at the Barbican Theatre in London - and regional performances at the South Coast Repertory in "A View from the Bridge" and at the American Repertory Theatre in "Six Characters in Search of An Author" and "Tartuffe". Anthony grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the eldest of six children. His father was a schoolteacher and counselor, and his mother later worked as an executive assistant. As children Anthony and his siblings all worked professionally as actors. Anthony's first speaking role was opposite Dyan Cannon as her son in Lady of the House (1978). A near-miss followed with Anthony being cast as the son of Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) in Apocalypse Now (1979), but that ending was never filmed. What remains is Anthony's third-grade photo, seen in a dossier that Willard (Martin Sheen) reviews as he travels upriver. Upon completing his studies in Film and TV Production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Anthony trained with the legendary Stella Adler at her West Coast academy for three years. Fellow contemporaries included Mark Ruffalo and Benicio Del Toro. After a promising start to his television career, Anthony decided he would benefit from more stage training. He earned a spot at the American Repertory Theatre Institute at Harvard University where he worked and trained during the Robert Brustein years. Anthony performed in seventeen productions during his tenure at the ART. Years later, Anthony reunited with fellow ART alums to film the improvisational comedy feature Fell, Jumped or Pushed (2016), where he developed the role of Mike, the long-haired jerk of a husband. Anthony is married to author Melissa Cistaro (Pieces of My Mother). When they returned to San Francisco to continue raising their family, Anthony also took the opportunity to get behind the camera as an in-house media producer and director for BlackRock (the world's largest money manager) and later for Ripple (a blockchain technology-based fintech). He's an avid ocean swimmer and has participated over the years in several distance races, including multiple Alcatraz swims. Anthony speaks French, having earned a second major in the language at LMU and having lived in France on two separate occasions. He holds dual US and Italian passports.