The wedding of Dolores Venere and Tony Vallelonga

Dolores Veneri was born in Emerson, Bergen County, New Jersey, to Anthony Venere and Anna Venere. She grew up in New York, Bronx, in the 1940s, alongside her older brother, John, and younger brother, Louis. On June 28th, 1958, Dolores married the now-famous Frank "Tony Lip" Anthony Vallelonga (1930 - 2013) in Mount Vernon, New York. They had two sons, Frank Vallelonga Jr. and Nicholas Vallelonga. Her husband, "Tony Lip," gained fame as an actor, particularly for his portrayal of "Carmine Lupertazzi" in the TV series "The Sopranos" from 2001 to 2007. Originally from an Italian family but an American citizen, he served in the United States Army stationed in Germany during the years of military occupation. Tony Lip made his acting debut in 1970 with the movie "The Godfather" and went on to appear in several successful films such as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" directed by Martin Scorsese, "Year of the Dragon" by Michael Cimino, "Lock Up," "Donnie Brasco," and the television series "Law & Order." The 2018 Academy Award-winning film "Green Book" is based on events from his life. Their son, Nicholas "Nick" Vallelonga, directed the film "Green Book," which tells the true story of a working-class Italian man who becomes the personal driver for a black classical pianist during the 1960s Southern music tour. The film is based on Nick's father, Dolores's husband, Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga. Nick holds his mother in high regard and expressed this sentiment in an article published on heavy.com: Dolores Vallelonga, Nick’s Mother. On February 17th, 1999, Dolores Veneri Vallelonga passed away in New York City, New York. She was laid to rest at the Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, Bergen County, New Jersey. Her headstone is inscribed with "Beloved wife and mother" as shown in the following: The gravesite of Dolores Vallelonga.