Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of Italian American actors


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was keep. John254 03:05, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

List of Italian American actors

 * – (View AfD) (View log)

To start off, "Italian American actors are notable, therefore we should keep this list" is too simplistic a rationale, especially when considering the bigger picture. Italian Americans as actors can be notable, for many different reasons, ranging from the fact that a huge staple of American culture is the so-called "mafia movie" and frequently (though not always) Italian Americans are cast in those roles to the fact that Italian-Americans are often seen as "sex symbols" in American media. However, lists such as this destroy the notion of why it is notable to be an Italian American actor, because it lumps together EVERYONE who could peripherally be considered "Italian American" and an actor. 90% of the people on this list are in no way notable because they are Italian American actors. Perhaps James Gandolfini of The Sopranos fame could be considered an Italian American actor but why should Dan Castellaneta who voices Homer Simpson. For anyone who is worthy of being considered an Italian American actor there exists the Culture section of Italian Americans. In fact, Italian American Culture would make a good article too. However, lists like this end up being "non-notable cross-categorizations" for over half of their entries. Bulldog123 22:31, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Keep as an obviously notable cross-categorization (where, say, Italian-American civil engineers would not be). Actors' ethnicity often plays into the roles they get and they are often called out for representing the community properly or improperly. Referenced and somewhat categorized (although decades are a fairly sloppy approach, most careers span more than one), so meets WP:LIST. --Dhartung | Talk 00:25, 20 October 2007 (UTC)
 * If it is so obvious, why not mention what makes it so notable for all listees? Do they all play Italian characters? Is there a specific Italian-American brand of acting? I honestly want to know what makes it so unflinchingly notable. Bulldog123 03:52, 22 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Keep Artists of all sorts are the people for whom these categories make the most sense. And Bulldog is looking for a List of Actors who Play Italian-American roles, but that would be a separate list. Might be a good idea, too. DGG (talk) 05:00, 20 October 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm actually not looking for List of actors who play Italian-American roles, which would be a performer by performance listing, and is generally avoided (and deleted as categories). I'm looking for any legitimate relationship between having parents or grandparents who were born in Italy and being an American actor. I see none except what I mentioned, and that applies to no more than 25% of listees. Bulldog123 03:50, 22 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Keep This categorization is notable enough for there to be a Guild of Italian American Actors which publishes an Italian American Players Directory. Problems with people adding non-notable people or "he's 1/16th Italian and he was an extra in a film" can be addressed by editing, rather than deleting the whole list. DHowell 21:32, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Ok, but my example still holds. Dan Castellaneta supposedly isn't 1/16th Italian, and so why is his Italian Americanness related to his acting? Bulldog123 23:59, 23 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Keep - Notable categorization, and editor proposing deletion is well known for his/her profusion of WP:POINT nominations without merit. Badagnani 00:41, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
 * This coming from someone who suggested banning an admin for closing an AfD to the opposite of his liking. Bulldog123 01:03, 24 October 2007 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.