Charles Alfred Zito Jr. (born March 1, 1953) is an American actor, stuntman, celebrity bodyguard, and former outlaw biker. Zito was a member of the Hells Angels for 25 years and served as vice president of the New York City charter and president of the New York Nomads chapter. After entering Hollywood as a celebrity bodyguard, Zito was a film stuntman before finding a breakout acting role as mobster Chucky "the Enforcer" Pancamo on the HBO television series Oz (1997–2003), which he played for five seasons. He followed this up with numerous other "tough guy" roles, such as in Sons of Anarchy (2012). Zito has also been a ringside boxing reporter, professional wrestling manager, and radio personality.
Early life Zito was born in the Bronx, New York City, the second of three children of Charles Zito Sr. and Gloria Frangione. His grandparents were Italian immigrants to the United States.Chuck Zito: Inside the life of a New York tough guy We the Italians (May 6, 2015) Zito was raised in the Bronx and New Rochelle.Happy Birthday To New Rochelle's Chuck Zito Carol Reif, The Daily Voice (March 1, 2016) The son of a professional welterweight boxer, Zito was taught at an early age how to fight and defend himself. His father boxed under the ring name Al LaBarba and fought in 228 professional matches.Muscling into the action: Hells Angel, ex-boxer Chuck Zito hopes to be an ex-bodyguard sometime soon Denis Hamill, New York Daily News (December 14, 1997) At the age of seventeen, Zito dropped out of New Rochelle High School and married his high school sweetheart, Kathy. He later received his high school equivalency diploma while imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Petersburg. His involvement with the Hells Angels motorcycle club eventually led to their divorce. Zito became a refrigerator mechanic.Who the heck is... Chuck Zito? New York Daily News (December 5, 2004) He also worked as a bouncer at Café Central on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Boxing and martial arts Zito was an amateur boxer for several years.A Stuntman Is Ready For a Leap to Stardom The New York Times (August 23, 1998) He trained out of the Southside Boys Club in New Rochelle and Cage Recreation in White Plains, and held an amateur boxing record of 36–5.Opening GG Bell Tonight Jack Smith, New York Daily News (January 30, 1973) Zito had his first boxing match aged 12. At 17, he fought his first of four career Golden Gloves bouts when he knocked out Joe Pratt at 1:50 of round two of a preliminary bout in the sub-novice division of the 47th annual New York Golden Gloves, held at the Felt Forum on January 30, 1973.A Refrigeration Expert, of Course New York Daily News (January 31, 1973) Zito then defeated Michael Nesbitt in the tournament's third round at the Audubon Ballroom on February 19, 1973, before losing to Orlando Nieves in the fourth round of the competition at the Felt Forum on February 23, 1973.Vasquez Outlasts White In 118 Open Jack Smith, New York Daily News (February 20, 1973)Taglianetti, Miller Win GG Bouts New York Daily News (February 23, 1973) He returned to the Golden Gloves on February 2, 1978, losing to Gaylord Bryant at the Felt Forum in the open division.Glovers Hit Canarsie Monday Night Jack Smith, New York Daily News (February 4, 1978) Zito was later the boxing coach of Mickey Rourke.“Smashed”: Boxing Changed Mickey Rourke's Face Forever Anna Fletcher, eightieskids.com (April 4, 2022)
Reflecting on his boxing career in 2003, Zito said: "I tried to follow in my father's footsteps... but didn't have the desire and willpower to train 100 percent for the fight game. I didn't take it serious enough... When I found out I was fighting I'd go to the gym like two days before the fight. I never trained. I never got out and did my roadwork. I had so many distractions in my life, growing up at the same time. I think I could have been champion if I stuck with boxing." He further stated in a 2006 interview: "I got married young, at 17, and I had other things on my mind, but I wish I had gone pro, I would have been a good fighter". Zito began studying martial arts at the age of 18 and earned black belts in six different disciplines, including jujutsu. He claims to have broken his nose nine times and his hands eight times.
The combat sports reporter Thomas Gerbasi wrote that Zito "has achieved celebrity status in the fight game" as "a fixture at fights in and around the New York Tri-State area", remarking that "to the fighters, he's one of the guys". He developed friendships with Arturo Gatti, Vinny Pazienza and Mike Tyson. Zito first met Gatti in 1996 and accompanied the boxer to the ring for several high-profile fights.Gatti wife says 'I'm innocent' of boxing champ's murder NJ.com (July 16, 2009) He was seen with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dwayne Johnson at the Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson pre-fight party on June 8, 2002, at the Memphis Pyramid.
In 2003, Zito began his career as a broadcaster with a role as a ringside reporter on Monday Night Fights broadcasts on HBO. He was also a correspondent at the Affliction: Day of Reckoning mixed martial arts event on January 24, 2009.Affliction: Day of Reckoning Review John Shubert, Bleacher Report (January 25, 2009) Affliction's Hits and Misses Loretta Hunt, Sherdog (January 26, 2009)
Zito owns a dojo, Chuck Zito's Street Survival School, in Pelham, New York.Charlie Sheen's warlock week: Street-fight sparring with Chuck Zito, plans for top-secret tattoo Nancy Dillon, New York Daily News (April 12, 2011) A Snake, A Warlock and a Goddess: Charlie Sheen Wins in Westchester Dina Sciortino, Patch Media (April 12, 2011)
Hells Angels A motorcycle enthusiast, Zito established the New Rochelle Motorcycle Club in 1974, which later merged with the Bronx-based Ching-a-Ling Nomads. As vice president of the Ching-a-Ling Nomads, Zito was arrested on June 14, 1975, along with club president Pedro Lamboy, on charges of harassment and possession of dangerous weapons relating to the alleged harassment of James Hunter, a tenant of a storefront near the Ching-a-Ling Nomads' clubhouse.Tension surrounds motorcycle club downtown The Standard-Star (June 20, 1975)Bikers in court plead not guilty The Standard-Star (June 26, 1975) On October 7, 1976, an apartment in New Rochelle which had been rented to Zito by landlord Arthur Jacobs was targeted in an arson attack two days after the lease was broken due to a dispute between Jacobs and Zito caused by Zito's membership in the biker club.Main Street Fire Doused The Standard-Star (October 8, 1976) Zito was also charged with assault after allegedly attacking a police officer with a bar stool during a bar brawl on June 12, 1977.Bar fight injures 4, 3 booked on assault The Standard-Star (June 13, 1977)
Zito met Sandy Alexander, a professional boxer who was the president of the New York City chapter of the Hells Angels, while they both trained at the Gramercy Gym on East 14th Street in Manhattan. Zito convinced the membership of the Ching-a-Ling Nomads to become prospective members of the Hells Angels, but only he and one other Ching-a-Ling biker were ultimately recruited by the Angels. Explaining what inspired him to join the club, Zito said: "I used to watch their movies like Hells Angels on Wheels and Hell's Angels '69 as a kid. They were the elite of the elite, the No. 1". His nickname in the Hells Angels was "Charming Chuck".Hell's Angels motorcycle gang expands territory in Illinois Mark Kiesling, The Times of Northwest Indiana (December 13, 1994)
According to prosecutors, one membership requirement of the Hells Angels' New York City chapter was that prospective members must kill or attempt to kill a target selected by the club as part of an initiation process. Zito allegedly earned his membership in the Hells Angels by attempting to murder Robert Giangarra, a Queens pizzeria owner and low-level mobster who had previously shot and injured Hells Angels member Cortland "Chip" Candow in a Manhattan bar.Hell's Angels controlling sophisticated crime empire (Continued from page 1) Mike Gallagher, The Standard-Star (August 23, 1987) According to testimony from John Joseph "Pirate" Miller, a Hells Angel-turned-government witness, Zito and another biker, Philip "Lightfoot" Kramer, used a remote-controlled device from a model airplane to detonate C-4 explosives attached to a vehicle belonging to Giangarra.The Baddest Dude On The Tube The Smoking Gun (November 24, 2000) On May 9, 1979, Giangarra survived without serious injury when a bomb attached to the undercarriage of a Cadillac Eldorado he was sitting in exploded in the driveway of his home in Elmhurst, Queens.Walks away from bomb blast that shatters car New York Daily News (May 10, 1979) Zito, along with Kramer, was voted in as a full member of the New York City Hells Angels on May 10, 1979. The police were unable to locate Giangarra afterwards, and Zito was never charged with the bombing.
On August 2, 1979, police discovered a stolen pistol, ammunition and brass knuckles in a borrowed car being driven by Zito after he was stopped for speeding in Harrison, New York.Not guilty plea The Daily Item (November 14, 1979) He pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was sentenced in White Plains County Court on April 23, 1980, to five years on probation.5 years' probation The Daily Item (April 25, 1980) Zito's other convictions included criminal possession of a controlled substance (Quaaludes), and disorderly conduct. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began monitoring Zito's "meteoric rise" in the Hells Angels and labelled him "a rising star in a dangerous and well-established criminal organization". After attaining the rank of vice president in the New York City charter, Zito assisted in the formation of the Hells Angels New York Nomads chapter in November 1984 and became the Nomads' founding president.Street Justice by Chuck Zito with Joe Layden Kirkus Reviews (August 1, 2002). The Nomads chapter, which is based in the Hudson Valley, was allegedly formed after some members became frustrated with restrictions on narcotics distribution imposed by senior members of the New York City charter.United States of America v. 77 East 3rd Street, New York, New York Google Scholar (September 14, 1994) Zito served as president of the Nomads chapter for ten years.
According to government informants, Zito and another Hells Angels member, Herbert Reynolds "One-Eyed Bert" Kittel, committed an arson on a building in Mount Vernon, New York, where Zito and Kittel each maintained apartments, on February 6, 1985. The blaze was extinguished by the fire department, and authorities found bottles, jars and cans of kerosene in the apartments. On February 12, 1985, a second fire completely destroyed the building. An insurance investigation determined that the second fire was also the result of arson, and no insurance policies were paid out.