As discussed in the 2005 book Hollywood Italians by Peter E. Bondanella, as well as numerous other sources, Italian-American actors have made a significant impact.
[7] Italian-American actors included Enrico Caruso in the cultural legitimation of American silent cinema, to Rudolph (Rodolfo) Valentino.
The of American film Renaissance (New Hollywood) in the 1970s coincided with Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973) and Coppola's The Godfather (1972), Giuliana Muscio attributes this to Italian Americans becoming better educated and more affluent after World War II.
[7] Muscio connects the prominence of Italian-American director-actors to the Capocomico [it] of traditional Italian theatre.
Such director-actors include: Danny DeVito, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Vincent Gallo, Al Pacino, Stanley Tucci, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Gary Sinise, Anne Bancroft, and Madonna.