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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING JOE MANTEGNA ON HIS ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER AND CITY OF CHICAGO HONORORY STREET DEDICATION
WHEREAS, Mr. Joe Mantegna is a successful actor, producer, writer, director, and voice actor; and
WHEREAS, Joe Mantegna was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 13, 1947, and graduated from Morton East High School and Morton Junior College in Cicero, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, after graduation, Mr. Mantegna began his acting and music career, starting a rock band in the 1960's called The Apocryphals that toured throughout the Midwest, later playing with another local group, The Missing Links, who went on to form the band Chicago, his favorite band; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mantegna went on to attend the Goodman School of Drama in the late 1960’s, and made his acting debut in the 1969 stage production of Hair and debuted on Broadway in Working; and
WHEREAS, he later earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for portraying Richard Roma in the first American production of David Mamet's play, Glengarry Glen Ross; and
WHEREAS, among his many memorable film rolls, he is perhaps best known for his roles in box office hits including Three Amigos, Forget Paris, Up Close and Personal and of course his unforgettable role as Joey Zasa in The Godfather Part III; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mantegna wrote Bleacher Bums, a play about the beloved Chicago Cubs, while he was a member of Chicago's Organic Theater Company, and was a member of its original cast; and
WHEREAS, he married the love of his life, Arlene Vrhel, in 1975; the couple has two daughters, Mia and Gia; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mantegna also demonstrates a commitment to his community, participating in the National Memorial Day Concert since 2002, and he and his wife are also proud supporters of the Easter Seals Chicago and their Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Mr. Mantegna received the Saint Pio Award from the Saint Pio Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in “providing relief from suffering to those in need;” and
WHEREAS, he has received many awards, including a Tony Award, three Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Mr. Mantegna received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 at the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival and has led the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch multiple times at Wrigley Field; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mantegna currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Arlene, but they remain Chicagoans at heart, and own a restaurant in Burbank, California called "Taste Chicago," so they would never want for a good beef sandwich or deep dish pizza; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his storied career and his service to the community, the City of Chicago has sought fit to bestow an honorary street sign to Mr. Mantegna by dedicating the southeast corner of North Hudson Avenue and West Armitage Avenue as “Joe Mantegna Way”;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Cook County Board President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby congratulate and honor Mr. Joe Mantegna for his many accomplishments both in his career and in the community as well as his City of
Chicago Honorary Street Dedication; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to Mr. Joe Mantegna in honor of his outstanding achievements.
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