(written from a Production point of view)
Paul Chipello (27 March 1943 – 25 December 2014; age 71) was a musician who appeared as a sideline musician, the piano player Claude, in the I AM ERROR fourth season episode "The Killing Game". He filmed his scenes for the episode on Monday 1 December 1997 on Paramount Stage 16 and is listed as "Piano Player" in the atmosphere section and as "Sideline Musician" in the production section of the call sheet.
Chipello started to take piano lessons at very young age and co-founded the Dixie Cats jazz band at the New Canaan High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University and worked for General Electric and IBM in the 1960s.
After a piano gig for a friend in a local bar in San José, California, Chipello started to work as freelance musician who performed at private parties for people such as Muhammad Ali, Richard Dreyfuss, and Aaron Spelling, corporate events, and as piano player for musical acts such as The Lettermen, Carol Lawrence, Barry Manilow, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Les Brown and Herb Jeffries. He also rehearsed singers, taught piano lessons, and arranged music including several stage plays such as Betty Garrett: Closet Songwriter in 2007, co-starring Lee Meriwether. [1] [2] His work became part of the CD releases "Perspectives" (2000) and "Living in the Moment" (2003) by The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra. [3]