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Anthony Cistaro is a classically trained actor best known for his comedic roles on some of the most beloved broadcast television shows. His first major break came with Cheers (1982), where he played Henri, Woody's recurring rival during the show's final three seasons. He later guest-starred on Bob (1992) (Newhart) as Matthew, Tricia's overly confident improv-actor boyfriend. Anthony also appeared on Seinfeld (1989) as Elaine's boyfriend Joel Rifkin ("Same name as the serial killer ...") and portrayed a French gate attendant in the series finale of Friends (1994).
Frequently cast in humorous portrayals of foreign characters, Anthony has appeared as a slick Eurotrash photographer on The Nanny (1993), a gruff Russian chef in Charlie Lawrence (2003), a naive French Canadian hockey player on Alright Already (1997), an arrogant British director in Wild Oats (1994), a rugged Canadian fur trapper on Thanks (1999), and a carefree French waiter in Ugly Betty (2006).
He is also recognized for his role as the supervillain Kenneth Irons on TNT's Witchblade (2001), the highest-rated basic cable series during its run. His work in sci-fi and fantasy includes playing two different demons on Angel (1999) and appearing in the last three episodes of Charmed (1998) as Dumain, the "imaginary friend." In dramatic roles, Anthony often portrays antagonists, such as an international arms dealer on Alias (2001), a club owner selling pirated goods on Numb3rs (2005), and a corrupt anesthesiologist on Nip/Tuck (2003). For Netflix, he had a recurring role in the second season of Sense8 (2015) as the relentless Agent Bendix and played Detective Brown opposite Ashton Sanders in the Netflix Original All Day and a Night (2020).
His notable theatre credits include The King Stag (originally directed by Andrei Serban and Julie Taymor) at London's Barbican Theatre, as well as regional performances in A View from the Bridge at South Coast Repertory, and Six Characters in Search of an Author and Tartuffe at the American Repertory Theatre.
Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area as the eldest of six siblings, Anthony's father was a schoolteacher and counselor, while his mother later worked as an executive assistant. All the children worked professionally as actors during their youth. Anthony's first speaking role was as the son of Dyan Cannon's character in Lady of the House (1978). He was nearly cast as Colonel Kurtz's son in Apocalypse Now (1979), but the scene was never filmed; however, his third-grade photo appears in a dossier reviewed by Martin Sheen's character in the film.
After earning a degree in Film and TV Production from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Anthony trained under the legendary Stella Adler at her West Coast academy for three years alongside contemporaries such as Mark Ruffalo and Benicio Del Toro. Seeking further stage experience, he later joined the American Repertory Theatre Institute at Harvard University during the Robert Brustein era, performing in seventeen productions. Years later, he reunited with fellow ART alumni in the improvisational comedy film Fell, Jumped or Pushed (2016), where he developed the role of Mike, a long-haired, difficult husband.
Anthony is married to author Melissa Cistaro (Pieces of My Mother). After relocating to San Francisco to raise their family, he transitioned into behind-the-camera work as an in-house media producer and director for BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, and later for Ripple, a blockchain-based fintech company. An avid ocean swimmer, Anthony has participated in several distance races, including multiple Alcatraz swims. He speaks French fluently, having earned a second major in the language at LMU and lived in France twice. He holds dual citizenship with the United States and Italy.
