Frank D'Angelo (born April 23, 1959) is a Canadian entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, actor, and television host.
He is also known for his work in the entertainment industry, first as a singer and song writer who has 18 studio albums, then as the host of The Being Frank Show, a weekly self produced late night talk show which aired in Ontario on Hamilton's Super Station CHCH-TV for 13 seasons and was available across Canada on Bell Satellite TV and most cable TV providers.
It started in 1986 by selling apple juice door-to-door,[3] and the company quickly grew to success with the financial backing of Canadian politician Al Palladini.
D'Angelo was criticized for his running of Steelback after reportedly racking up more than $120 million in debt, largely for advertising campaigns featuring himself with sports celebrities, before filing for bankruptcy protection from Steelback's list of more than 400 creditors, including Bernard Sherman's Apotex, Mike Cecere's advertising and marketing firms, the Toronto Argos, the Ottawa 67's, bars, small market teams and sports clubs and a few charities.
[9][10] Canadian Business magazine described the Steelback operation as "a mistake from start to finish" not only due to mismanagement on the marketing front but poor packaging choices and the inconsistent quality of its beers.
[17] On December 18, 2006, D'Angelo declared an interest in buying the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL hockey team with his partner Barry Sherman.
[18] In 2011, D'Angelo sparred with MMA fighter Francis Carmont, and a segment about the fight aired on Being Frank.
[19][20] In March 2012, D'Angelo launched a sports-themed media website called Next Sport Star[21] where he hosts a weekly show with Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Phil Esposito and former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Bill Watters.
[26] D'Angelo is currently the singer for his 24-piece band ,it was named after his former brewery Steelback,[27] which includes Mike Reno from Loverboy.
[28] He has performed the opening anthem and other songs at Toronto Argonauts CFL games which were sponsored by his company Steelback Brewery.
[29] [30] At a July 26, 2007 home loss against the Montreal Alouettes he was booed while performing the national anthem[29][31] and jeered again during his halftime show with The Steelback 2-4,[32] D'Angelo later issued an apology for the performance,[33] which toronto.com described as a "staggeringly atonal" rendition by a "Vegas lounge act" in its list of "Five off-key versions of the Canadian anthem at sporting events".
[39] On February 7, 2014, Frank D'Angelo and his band performed live at his Forget About It Supper Club in Toronto.
[40] In August, 2014 he performed at Taste of the Danforth, a food festival in Greek town in Toronto's east end.
[41] On April 16, 2016 D'Angelo and the Steelback 2-4 performed at the Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls, in support of screenings of his film Sicilian Vampire in the same space.
[42] Frank D'Angelo and the Steelback 2-4's first album, You Gotta Believe to Believe, raised funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Breast Cancer Society and the Hospital for Sick Children[43] and came out in 2007.
In November 2010, D'Angelo purchased airtime on a number of Canadian television stations to launch his The Being Frank Show, which usually broadcast on Friday nights at 11:30pm.
[22] He employs a recurring cast of actors including Tony Nardi, Daniel Baldwin, Jason Blicker, John Ashton, Alyson Court, and Art Hindle.
Past films have included Margot Kidder, James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Martin Landau.
[53][54] After appearing in D'Angelo's Sicilian Vampire, James Caan did not attend its premiere and later claimed he only worked for the "dubiously talented" filmmaker out of a desperate need for cash caused by legal issues related to his divorce.
[52] Caan referred to his appearance in the movie as a humiliation in court, saying he'd rather die broke than be reduced to doing another D'Angelo film.
[69][70] After former Toronto Maple Leafs player Mike Zigomanis was demoted to the club's minor league affiliate, and nude photos he had sent to an ex-girlfriend surfaced online, D'Angelo released Zigomanis as a "brand ambassador" for Cheetah energy drinks citing the morals clause in his contract.
[71][72][73][74] D'Angelo has been cited as a potential suspect in the unsolved murder of his long-time busienss partner Barry Sherman.