| Peter Scanavino | |
| Birth Date: | 29 February 1980 |
| Birth Place: | Denver, Colorado, US |
| Birth Name: | Peter Muller Scanavino |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 2005–present |
| Spouse: | [1] |
| Children: | 3[2] |
Peter Muller Scanavino (born February 29, 1980) is an American actor. He stars as ADA Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in the long-running NBC crime/legal drama series .
Scanavino grew up in Evergreen, Colorado, a community in the foothills of the Denver metropolitan area. He is of partial Italian descent through his paternal grandfather, who emigrated from Turin.[3] Both his parents were in the medical field but encouraged him and his older brother to pursue the arts. He had no inclination towards acting until he participated in a high school production of Hamlet.[4]
Scanavino studied at Boston University and decided to change his major to acting, but did not pass the audition.[5] He dropped out and moved to New York City where he took classes at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.[4]
Since 2005, Scanavino has had dozens of minor roles in theater, films and on television, most notably Deception (2008), The Good Wife, and The Blacklist.[6] [7]
In 2005, Scanavino guest-starred on the NBC crime-drama series in the fifth-season episode "Diamond Dogs" as petty criminal Johnny Feist. He was also a guest on Law & Order as a suspect who was a graphic designer in the 2009 episode "Just A Girl in the World".
In 2010, Scanavino took some time away from acting to pursue his interest in cooking. After graduating with a certificate in Culinary Arts from The French Culinary Institute in New York, he began a brief stint working in the kitchen of Dan Barber's Michelin-starred restaurant Blue Hill in Greenwich Village.[8]
In 2013, Scanavino guest-starred on the long-running NBC crime-drama series in Season 14, Episode 13, "Monster's Legacy", as Johnny Dubcek. The same year, he starred in the independent romantic-comedy film Mutual Friends, directed by Matthew Watts.[9] [10]
In 2014, Scanavino joined SVU in its sixteenth season, this time as Dominick Carisi Jr., nicknamed Sonny, a new SVU detective. Initially in a recurring capacity, Scanavino was promoted to the main cast in the fifth episode of the same season. According to SVU Executive Producer Warren Leight, Carisi "come[s] in and shake[s] things up" and is "a guy who maybe needs a little bit of refining."[11] [12]
Scanavino noted that Carisi is "a total outsider. He's brusque and he doesn't really get the nuances and he's not very experienced so he puts his foot in his mouth a lot of times. But he's learning. He's picking it up. I think he's a good detective, but he's got a lot to learn on how to approach cases."[13] [14]
Scanavino starred in an episode of Netflix's 2020 anthology series Social Distance as the father of his real-life son, Leo Bai-Scanavino.[15]
Scanavino is married to painter Lisha Bai, with whom he has three children.[16] [17] [18]
Scanavino is a fan of the New York Islanders.[19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | On the Shoulder | Gus | ||
| 2006 | Under Surveillance | Cult leader | ||
| 2008 | Deception | Rhiga desk clerk | ||
| 2008 | Leon | |||
| 2010 | Happythankyoumoreplease | Ira | ||
| 2010 | Zenith | Jack | ||
| 2011 | Javelina | Chance | ||
| 2012 | Watching TV with the Red Chinese | Czapinczyk | ||
| 2012 | Frances Ha | Chef | ||
| 2013 | Carter | |||
| 2013 | Mutual Friends | Nate |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Travis | Episode: "No Good Deed" | |
| 2005 | Third Watch | Stephen | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | Robert Hassel | Episode: "Boys Will Be Boys" | ||
| 2005 | Johnny Feist | Episode: "Diamond Dogs" | ||
| 2006 | Gunther Halstead | 2 episodes | ||
| 2009 | Royal Pains | Mr. Blackman | Episode: "Am I Blue?" | |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Jim Anderson | Episode: "Just a Girl in the World" | |
| 2010 | Old Friends | Co-worker | Web series; episode: "Sunday" | |
| 2012 | Scotty Cartolano | Episode: "In Case of Letting Go" | ||
| 2012 | Grant Duverney | Episode: "Gloves Come Off" | ||
| 2013–present | Johnny Dubcek | Episode: "Monster's Legacy" | ||
| Det./ADA Dominick Carisi Jr. | Series regular | |||
| 2013 | Do No Harm | Kyle Corrigan | Episode: "Don't Answer the Phone" | |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Eddie Roque | Episode: "Next Question" | |
| 2013 | Unforgettable | Alex | Episode: "Maps & Legends" | |
| 2014 | Banshee | Breece Connors | Episode: "The Thunder Man" | |
| 2014 | The Blacklist | Christopher Maly/Craig Keen | Episode: "Milton Bobbit (No. 135)" | |
| 2014 | Person of Interest | Adams | Episode: "Deus Ex Machina" | |
| 2014 | Skinny | Episode: "Two Boats and a Helicopter" | ||
| 2015 | Chicago P.D. | Det. Dominick Carisi Jr. | Episode: "The Number of Rats" | |
| 2020 | Social Distance | Greg | Episode: “You Gotta Ding-Dong Fling-Flong the Whole Narrative” | |
| 2021, 2023–2024 | ADA Dominick Carisi Jr. | Episode: "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of", "With Many Names" & "The Last Supper" | ||
| 2022 | Law & Order | ADA Dominick Carisi Jr. | Episode: "Gimme Shelter – Part Three" |