Personal Info
Birth date
1966-11-19 (58 Years)
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Also known as
-Rocco DiSpirito
Biography
Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966) is an American celebrity chef, reality television personality, and cookbook author based in New York City. He is known for his involvement in Union Pacific, a restaurant he opened in 1997 in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan. He departed Union Pacific in 2004. From 2003 to 2004, he starred in the NBC reality television show The Restaurant, which followed the launch and operation of a new Manhattan restaurant called Rocco's on 22nd. The show was canceled, and DiSpirito was successfully sued by the restaurant's financier Jeffrey Chodorow to have the restaurant shut down, and DiSpirito banned from entering the premises. He succeeded Arthur Schwartz as host of Food Talk, an hour-long morning talk show on New York Radio WOR (AM), from October 2004 through December 2005, and then hosted 12 episodes of the TV show Rocco Gets Real on A&E (October 4 through December 27, 2008). He was featured in a Lincoln MKX commercial and the ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity, and was a guest judge on Bravo's Top Chef. He was a contestant on season seven of Dancing with the Stars and was paired with professional ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff. On June 15, 2011, he debuted as host of a weekly reality TV cooking competition, titled Rocco's Dinner Party, on Bravo TV. He hosted the syndicated television program Now Eat This! with Rocco Dispirito, which debuted on September 15, 2012. In 2013, he hosted the Food Network reality show Restaurant Divided, where he went to struggling restaurants where the owners had two differing visions and then picked which concept would save the restaurant. On August 20, 2017, he appeared on celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Guy's Grocery Games - Superstar Tournament Part 1, competing against other celebrity chefs. He has also appeared on other episodes of Guy's Grocery Games as well as Tournament of Champions and Guy's Ranch Kitchen.
Filmography
The View
4.5
Overview:
ABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro discussing the most exciting events of the day. Hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment are all part of The View.Sherri
4.2
Overview:
Sherri Shepherd, actress, comic, and Emmy Award-winning longtime co-host of "The View", appears before a live audience with a daily dose of pop culture, comedy, conversations, and daytime talk staples, including celebrity and human interest interviews.Top Chef
6.6
Overview:
An American reality competition show in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges and are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.Dancing with the Stars
6
Overview:
The competition sees celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts and voted on by viewers. Enjoy sizzling salsas, sambas and spray-tans as they vie for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
6.7
Overview:
Host Guy Fieri takes a cross-country road trip to visit some of America's classic "greasy spoon" restaurants — diners, drive-ins and dives — that have been doing it right for decades.The Ellen DeGeneres Show
5.7
Overview:
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to just Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres.Castle
7.987
Overview:
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.Tamron Hall
5.1
Overview:
Former news host and journalist Tamron Hall discusses all things topical and engages those she interviews in thorough meaningful and entertaining conversations.The Tony Danza Show
6.1
Overview:
The Tony Danza Show was a daytime variety talk show that premiered on September 13, 2004 in syndication and was distributed by Buena Vista Television.The Celebrity Apprentice
5.052
Overview:
The ultimate sixteen-week job interview where eighteen Americans compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include prominent Fortune 500 companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show the boss that they are the best candidate for his companies. In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom where they are judged on their performance in the task. One person is fired and sent home.The Mysteries of Laura
7.1
Overview:
Laura Diamond, a brilliant NYPD homicide detective balances her “Columbo” day job with a crazy family life that includes two unruly twin boys and a soon-to-be ex-husband — also a cop — who just can't seem to sign the divorce papers. Between cleaning up after her boys and cleaning up the streets, she’d be the first to admit she has her “hot mess” moments in this hilariously authentic look at what it really means to be a “working mom” today. Somehow, she makes it all work with the help of her sexy and understanding partner, and things becomes even more complicated when her husband, ironically, becomes her boss at the precinct. For Laura, every day is a high-wire balancing act.Guy's Grocery Games
5.7
Overview:
Guy Fieri sends four talented chefs running through the aisles in a high stakes, high skills, grocery store cooking competition. The chefs are hit by real-world challenges like finding workarounds when all the essential ingredients are suddenly "out-of-stock" or having to create a masterpiece when you can only cook with "5 items or less" or on a $10 budget. In the end, the food does the talking, as the last chef standing has the chance to make some serious dough!Celebrity Name Game
5.3
Overview:
Celebrity Name Game is an American syndicated game show which premiered on September 22, 2014. Based on the board game Identity Crisis (created by Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits), the series was developed by Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Coquette Productions, and was originally pitched as a primetime series for CBS with Craig Ferguson as host. The series was later picked up by FremantleMedia and Debmar-Mercury as a syndicated series for 2014 with Ferguson, who left The Late Late Show on December 19, 2014, remaining as host as well as an executive producer. The series marks Coquette's first foray into game shows. The show was subsequently renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 21, 2015.Miss USA
6
Overview:
The Miss USA Pageant is a beauty contest that has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA.Guy's Ranch Kitchen
7
Overview:
Guy Fieri invites some of his heavy-hitter chef friends over for a spontaneous cook-off, where everyone comes up with big flavors and tasty dishes that can be made in anyone's kitchen.Tournament of Champions
6.7
Overview:
Host Guy Fieri gathers the world's greatest chefs for the most-intense culinary competition ever held. Emotions run high in the single-elimination, sudden-death bracket tournament as the competitors face off in head-to-head battles to stay alive. As the pressure mounts, shocking surprises unfold both inside and outside the arena. All the chefs have the talent and skill to walk away with the ultimate championship title in food, but only one will win the Tournament of Champions.Supermarket Stakeout
10
Overview:
Alex Guarnaschelli hosts as chefs square off in a competitive pop-up kitchen outside a grocery store. To make their challenge dishes, the chefs must size up shoppers as they exit the store and negotiate for their grocery bags.The Choice
NYR
Overview:
American dating game show featuring blind auditions between celebrities and three potential dates.Wildcard Kitchen
10
Overview:
Three chefs bring $5,000 each to play three hands of an underground culinary poker game, creating dishes based on the cards they are dealt and betting with their own money. With unpredictable challenges and wildcard elements, chefs must rely on their instincts to impress mystery guest judges through blind taste tests and win cash from their fellow competitors.The Knights of Prosperity
7
Overview:
Eugene Gurkin has dreamt of opening his own bar for years, but his dead-end job as a janitor won't even fund a bottle of booze. In a serendipitous moment, he catches an episode of "E! News" and his passion is ignited. Soon Eugene recruits a group of average joes into his gang, The Knights of Prosperity, for a heist to finance their dreams. The initial target: rock icon Mick Jagger's super-luxe Central Park West apartment.Superchef Grudge Match
4
Overview:
Darnell "Superchef" Ferguson invites superstar chefs to settle their disputes in a one dish, winner-takes-all heavyweight battle. The victors leave with $10,000, a prized knife from the losing chef's knife roll and bragging rights for life!Deliciously Twisted Classics
NYR
Overview:
The all-new series features a panel of celebrity chefs and culinary influencers including Aarti Sequeira, Gina Neely, Leah Cohen, Rocco DiSpirito and more as they sample the most delicious and extravagant spins on familiar dishes.The Ugly Truth
6.504
Overview:
A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.The Restaurant
10
Overview:
The Restaurant is a reality television series that aired on NBC in 2003, with a second season broadcasting in 2004. The series had encore presentations on CNBC and Bravo. Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito opened the Gramercy Park, New York City, restaurant Union Pacific in August, 1997. The NBC series, it was announced, would follow DiSpirito as he launched and operated a new Manhattan restaurant. The first season revolved around the construction and opening of Rocco's on 22nd, scheduled to open in five weeks. Some 7.5 million viewers tuned in for the July 20, 2003 premiere focusing on the search for a location and construction work for the new restaurant. Among the 2000 people who showed up hoping to be hired were various actors, models and show business hopefuls. In addition to Rocco's mother, Nicolina DiSpirito, known for her famous meatballs, the show's on-camera personnel included David Miller, Alex Corrado, Domiziano Arcangeli, Heather Kristin, Natalie Norman, Topher Goodman, Lisa Wurzel, Brian Allen, Gideon Horowitz, Heather Snell, Amanda Congdon, Pete Giovine, Uzay Tumer, Emily Shaw, Lonn Coward, Carrie Keranen, Colleen Fitzgerald, Caroline Matler, Brian Petruzzell, Lola Belle, Susanna Hari, Tony Acinapura, John Charlesworth, Laurent Saillard, Perry Pollaci, Matt DiBarro and Tim Donoho.Rocco's Dinner Party
NYR
Overview:
Rocco's Dinner Party is an US-American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network. Each week, three chefs are challenged to craft the perfect dinner party for celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and his guests. The contestants are judged on their cooking, service, and décor. The winner of each episode wins $20,000.Eat This New York
4.5
Overview:
Eat This New York is the story of two best friends' struggle to open a restaurant in the food capital of the world. As Billy Phelps and John McCormick suffer through financial crisis, the loss of their chef, and a crumbling relationship, the filmmakers turn the camera on New York City's legendary restaurateurs who prove that dreams can come true. Billy and John's gamble to open a restaurant together takes shape on Division Street, a unique block in Brooklyn that separates the Satmar Jewish community of Williamsburg from the Latino neighborhood of the South Side. During the course of a year, they convert a former check-cashing shop located under the elevated train tracks of the J/M/Z subway lines into a retro speakeasy. But before the restaurant is fully built they come close to bankruptcy and almost call it quits on their friendship.Acting
2024Wildcard Kitchen (1, 1 Episode) as Himself, Self
2023Deliciously Twisted Classics (20 Episodes) as Self
2023Superchef Grudge Match (1 Episode) as Self
2022Outchef'd (1, 1 Episode) as self, Self
2022Sherri (3 Episodes) as Self - Guest
2020Tournament of Champions (8, 8 Episode) as Self, Self - Contestant
2019Tamron Hall (1 Episode) as Self - Guest
2019Supermarket Stakeout (1 Episode) as Himself - Guest Judge
2017Guy's Ranch Kitchen (5 Episodes) as Self
2014Celebrity Name Game (2 Episodes) as Self
2014The Mysteries of Laura (1 Episode) as Rocco DiSpirito
2013Guy's Grocery Games (1 Episode) as Self
2012The Choice (1 Episode) as Self
2011Rocco's Dinner Party (10 Episodes) as Unknown
2009The Ugly Truth as Guest Chef
2009Castle (1 Episode) as Rocco DiSpirito
2007Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2 Episodes) as Self
2007The Knights of Prosperity (1 Episode) as Unknown
2006Top Chef (1 Episode) as Himself - Guest Judge
2005Dancing with the Stars (9 Episodes) as Self - Contestant
2004The Tony Danza Show (2 Episodes) as Self
2004Eat This New York as himself
2004The Celebrity Apprentice (1 Episode) as Unknown
2003The Ellen DeGeneres Show (1 Episode) as Self
2003The Restaurant (12 Episodes) as Unknown
1997The View (1 Episode) as Self
1963Miss USA (1 Episode) as Judge