Local man gets into the act on ‘Law & Order’

A Bay Ridge resident continues to build an impressive acting resume.

Raffaello “Ralph” Perfetto, who is also known as a Democratic leader in the 64th District, has more than 48 credits to his name, according to IMDb.

He recently landed on “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” playing Vince Mandalori, the crime boss of the Italian Guardo family. He auditioned for the part in a Greenpoint studio.

“They were casting for SAG/Aftra members to audition for the ‘Boss of an Italian Crime Family,’ and they specified that they wanted all applicants to be clean-shaven for the audition,” said Perfetto, who was one of 20 applicants at his scheduled time. “They matched different men in different still photos until they narrowed it down to four of us.”

The casting crew then asked each to create a brief scenario. Although the others’ choices were described as solid, Perfetto had a strategy to nail the role.

“When it was my turn, I said to the fellow who was selected as my underboss, ‘Don’t talk in the club because the feds may have us bugged, and when you talk on the street, cover your mouth because they can be watching you from a distance and recording you, then have professional lip-readers know what you’re saying,’” he said.

The lead interviewer laughed and thought Perfetto sounded authentic. 

The crew then took close to 50 still shots of Perfetto in his coat, fedora and suit. They also went outside and videotaped him “taking a report from an underboss on a job.”

“During the day that I was chosen to be the boss, the director gave me the impression that my name, or photo, or short video will be used, but my role would not be a big one,” he said

Perfetto’s episode aired April 9. He said it was a good opportunity and he hopes the show calls him back to film more scenes.

“It could be special if they gave me a big scene because the Dick Wolf franchise brings real-life situations to the screen, and they all have a good viewership,” he said.

Perfetto has also appeared in “The Irishman,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and ‘The Good Wife.”