Max Casella

Is half Italian and half Jewish. Birth name was Max Deitch, but took his mother's maiden name when he became an actor. Went to the same high school as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, and studied drama with the same teacher.  Auditioned for the 1994 biopic Ed Wood, was hired by director Tim Burton and began shooting all in the same day. Played actor Paul Marco in Ed Wood; the real Marco tried to evict him from his on-set trailer because the actors had their character names on the doors, leading Marco to believe Casella had taken his dressing room. In 1997, played Timon in the original Broadway production of The Lion King.  Starred with Richard Thomas in a 2011 production of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens at New York's Public Theater.