Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci is an American actor, filmmaker, and author whose love of food, family, and Italian culture has made him as beloved for his writing and presenting about food as for his distinguished acting career. His books and food-related television work celebrate the connection between cooking, memory, identity, and the people we love. Born in Peekskill, New York in 1960 to Italian-American parents from Calabria, Tucci grew up in a family where food was central to daily life. He studied acting at the State University of New York at Purchase and has had a celebrated career spanning four decades, with roles in films including The Devil Wears Prada, Julie & Julia, The Lovely Bones (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), The Hunger Games series, and Spotlight. Big Night (1996), which he co-directed and starred in, is one of the greatest food films ever made — the story of two Italian brothers running a failing restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. Taste: My Life Through Food (2021) was his memoir — a warm, funny, and deeply personal account of his life told through the meals that have defined it, from his Italian-American childhood to his career in Hollywood to his treatment for cancer. The book was an international bestseller, praised for its warmth, its wit, and its celebration of food as an expression of love. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, his CNN travel and food series, took him across the regions of Italy exploring the country's extraordinary culinary traditions. The show was a critical and popular success. The audiobook edition of Taste, read by Tucci himself, is one of the most charming and enjoyable celebrity audiobook performances — his warmth, humour, and love of food shine through every word. His book and audiobook are essential for food lovers and for anyone who believes that the best stories are told around a table.