In 1988, Chazz Palminteri (The Usual Suspects) wrote a one-man show about a killing he saw in the Bronx when he was nine years old. It became a hit and the most sought after property since Rocky. This is the original one-man show he wrote that made him an in-demand character actor and served as the basis of the acclaimed movie and Broadway musical.

Bronx-born and raised Chazz Palminteri wrote A Bronx Tale in 1988. The powerful one-man stage play depicted his bruising childhood which included witnessing a gangland killing when he was nine years old. Palminteri played 18 characters and brought them all to life in his autobiographical play. His friends, enemies and family came alive on stage. Hollywood Studios went crazy after seeing it and offered him millions of dollars to turn it into a major movie. There was one catch… They wanted to put a star in the role of Sonny and someone else to write the screenplay. With $200 dollars in the bank…Palminteri said No… he would hold out and wait. He wanted to play Sonny and write the screenplay. Then one night Palminteri walked into his dressing room and sitting there was Robert De Niro who just saw the show.  Robert DeNiro gave Palminteri the chance he was waiting for… And as they say in Hollywood the rest is history.