A native of the Chicago area, Paul began acting in musicals such as Kiss Me, Kate (Lucentio), The Boy Friend (Bobby) and Under Papa’s Picture (Fabrizio). He then moved to New York City, where he worked as a writer, actor, and singer for 19 years.
He attended the Actor’s Conservatory under the instruction of Eileen Akin and Lily Lodge. During that time he appeared in scores of Off-Off Broadway productions and originated the roles of Hector in Goliath in Love (Wings Theatre) and the ex-convict-turned hustler in Ten Naked Men (New York Playhouse). Paul was also active in educational outreach theatre and was an early member of the AIDS Theatre Project, an award-winning troupe that wrote and performed works dealing with HIV and AIDS education and prevention. He co-authored and performed on Broadway in their celebrated production, Moment to Moment. Other companies he was actively involved with included Ten-to-One Productions, Theatre of the Elephant and his own Ice Theatre. In film, Paul appeared in a number of independent productions including Stephen Frears’ Hero (with Dustin Hoffman) and Jim Fall’s Trick, now a gay film classic.
Paul also studied voice for eight years and worked as a back-up and session singer for many years in New York. Among others, he has performed and/or recorded with Taka Boom, Sharon Redd, Ryo Kawasaki, Camilla Benson, Frank Grimaldi, The City Singers, Fall Out, and was half of the 80s dance duo MadStuff. His 2000 solo release, Positive, raised money for AIDS organizations and garnered a #1 single on the GLBT national charts.
While in Pittsburgh, Paul performed with Gemini Theater (as Sterling in Jeffrey) and VV Theatre (Fran in Gemini and Lew Bagatelle in Night Life) and directed for his own Pushpin Productions (The Reindeer Monologues). In Columbus, Paul founded Evolution Theatre Company in January 2008 and directed ETC’s premiere production, Stone Cold Dead Serious by Adam Rapp.
As a writer, Paul has authored a novel (A Hill Without Reason), film scripts (On High, The State of a Union, Soul Searchers), stage plays (Running From Paramus, hungry/angry/lonely/tired), sit-com pilots and episodes (Hell’s Kitchen, Second Chance) as well as many short stories. Paul has a B.A in Journalism/Communications from the University of St. Francis, an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Theatre at OSU. Like most of the guys from The Sopranos, he is a member of the Guild of Italian-American Actors (GIAA).

Joseph Gentilini is a native to Columbus, born here and lived here his entire life, so far. Joseph always wanted to be in a career that involved helping others. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1970 from the Ohio Dominican College (now University) in social welfare.

He began his career in 1971 as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the State of Ohio, helping persons with severe disabilities to become more independent with the goal of competitive employment if they were able. Going to school at night, he obtained his master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1974 in counseling and guidance. Joseph worked for another four years and then took an educational leave-of-absence for two years to complete his doctoral coursework in community counseling from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Returning to work for the state, he completed his dissertation at night, finally graduating in 1982 with his PhD. Joseph is an Ohio Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, a Licensed Social Worker, and a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Joseph retired from his state employment in 2003. Joseph is a published author having written (both the 1st and 2nd edition) of the critically acclaimed autobiography, Hounded by God, a gay man’s journey to self-acceptance, love and relationship.
Joseph and his husband Leo, they have been together for 39 years marrying in 2011, live in Hillard and have a large, blended family consisting of three children and six grandchildren.