James Gandolfini - IMDb IMDb Actor | Producer | Soundtrack James Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey, to Santa (Penna), a high school lunchlady, and James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a bricklayer and head school janitor. His parents were both of Italian origin. Gandolfini began acting in the New York theater. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange ... See full bio » Born: a list of 40 people created 16 Jul 2011 a list of 36 people created 11 Jun 2015 a list of 21 people created 11 months ago a list of 36 people created 3 months ago a list of 48 people created 1 month ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of James Gandolfini's work have you seen? User Polls Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 52 nominations.

See more awards » Known For 2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn (TV Movie) (executive producer) 2010 Wartorn: 1861-2010 (TV Movie documentary) (executive producer) 2007 Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq (TV Movie documentary) (executive producer) Hide 1999-2007 The Sopranos (TV Series) (performer - 9 episodes) - Made in America (2007) ... (performer: "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)") 2005 Romance & Cigarettes (performer: "A Man without Love", "Prisoner of Love", "Red Headed Woman", "The Girl That I Marry") 2004 Surviving Christmas (performer: "O Christmas Tree") Hide - The Call of the Wild (2016) ...

(in loving memory of) 2013-2014 Special Collector's Edition (TV Series) (in memory of - 2 episodes) 2013 Enough Said (dedicatee - as Jim) 2013 The Cinema Snob (TV Series) (in memory of - 1 episode) - Shock! Shock! Shock! (2013) ... (in memory of) Hide 2010 Guys Choice (TV Movie) Himself 2009 Charlie Rose (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2007 The Making of 'Lonely Hearts' (Video documentary short) Himself 2007 Guys Choice (TV Movie) Himself - Kingpin Award Winner 2007 The Sopranos: A Sitdown (TV Short documentary) Himself (uncredited) 2006 20/20 (TV Series documentary) Himself 2006 Film 2016 (TV Series) Himself 2005-2006 Corazón de...

(TV Series) Himself 2001-2004 HBO First Look (TV Series documentary) Himself 2002 Rank (TV Series documentary) Himself 2002 Sesame Street (TV Series) Himself 2001 The Sopranos: Family Business (TV Movie documentary) Himself Himself - Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Hide 2013 Democracy Now! (TV Series) Himself 2008 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) Himself 2008 The O'Reilly Factor (TV Series) Himself / Patriot (segment "Pinheads & Patriots") 2008 Reinventando Hollywood (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2002 Brilliant But Cancelled (TV Movie documentary) Related Videos Personal Details Other Works: (April 5 to May 29, 2011) He acted in Christopher Hampton's translation of Yasmina Reza's play, "God of Carnage," in a West Coast premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California with Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden in the cast. Matthew Warchus was director.

See more » Publicity Listings: 1 Print Biography | 2 Interviews | 18 Articles | 10 Magazine Cover Photos | See more » Alternate Names: The Sopranos: What happened next to the stars? - Telegraph TV and Radio The Sopranos: What happened next to the stars? Wine importing, pasta sauce and title roles in new shows: Alice Vincent catches up with what the Cosa Nostra TV characters have been up to since the Sopranos' finale in 2007. The Sopranos, series five (L-R) Michael Imperioli, James Gandolfini, Tony Sirico and Steven Van Zandt Photo: Handout By Alice Vincent , Entertainment writer, online 2:15PM BST 20 Jun 2013 Follow James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) The Sopranos star James Gandolfini changed modern television with his Golden Globe-worthy performance as Tony Soprano, the conflicted head of a Mafia family. In the six short years between the show's stunning final scene and his untimely death in June 2013, aged 51, Gandolfini continued to perform.

Notably, in Armando Iannucci's 2009 political comedy, In the Loop, as Lieutenant General George Miller. He also voiced Carol, a troublesome Wild Thing in Spike Jonze's adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book. More recently, Gandolfini featured Oscar-nominated terrorism film Zero Dark Thirty and will appear posthumously in several films and TV projects. Michael Imperioli (Christopher Molisanti) Michael Imperioli wrote early episodes of The Sopranos, but is better known for his Emmy-winning performance of Christopher Moltisanti, Tony's protégé, in the show. The actor has his fingers in many creative pies: he’s the artistic director of an off-Broadway theatre, a member of the Jazz Foundation of America, founder of a Buddhist school in New York and a spokesperson for a Tequila brand. He’s also still acting, making guest appearances in TV shows Girls and The Office as well as films The Lovely Bones and the forthcoming Oldboy remake.

Lorraine Bracco (Dr Jennifer Melfi) Related Articles Sopranos stars reunite for children's mob drama 21 Aug 2012 Lorraine Bracco received a total of six Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her performance as Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist, Dr Jennifer Melfi. Since the show finished, the actress has settled in Long Island with her partner, sportsman Jason Cipolla, who she met on the set. Professionally, Bracco had a foray into the wine-importing business in 2006 for a few years, as well as minor roles in a few films. She now plays the mother of female detective Jane Rizzoli in US TV series Rizzoli & Isles. Dominic Chianese (Junior Soprano) Dominic Chianese played Tony Soprano’s uncle, Corrado “Junior” Soprano throughout the show’s eight year run. Afterwards, the 82-year-old continued his lengthy acting career (his early films were The Godfather Part II and Dog Day Afternoon) by appearing in Adrift in Manhattan and TV series Damages and Boardwalk Empire.

Edie Falco plays Carmela Soprano (AP) Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano) All of Edie Falco’s 11 Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards are for her performance as Tony Soprano’s wife, Carmela. However, Falco has had a prolific acting career post-Sopranos, taking the title role in Nurse Jackie, a dark comedy set in an emergency department of a New York hospital. Falco has also appeared in hit comedy 30 Rock and forthcoming film Gods Behaving Badly alongside Sharon Stone and Christopher Walken. John Ventimiglia (Artie Bucco) After playing Tony Soprano’s old school friend and chef Artie Bucco, John Ventimiglia has continued to act on screen and stage. Like other ex-Sopranos, Ventimiglia appeared in crime dramas and films, including Law & Order and NYPD Blue, and played Mickey Scicoli in The Iceman, about Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski.

However, Ventimiglia has also taken on theatre projects, including a production inspired by Jack Kerouac, which toured Denmark, and film Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, based on the play-within-a-play from Hamlet. Joseph R Gannascoli (Vito Spatafore) After Vito Spatafore’s storyline developed in the final series of The Sopranos, actor Joseph R Gannascoli undertook different career paths. One was catering. Gannascoli had opened a restaurant in Brooklyn before his acting career, and afterwards lent his advice to culinary establishments there. He also blended his Mafia and cooking knowledge in crime novel, A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime and became the face of a line of pasta sauces called “Sauce Boss”. Gannascoli also has an eye for invention: notably designing a five gallon water cooler that is sold across America. Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano) Tony and Carmela’s first born, Meadow Soprano, grows up a lot during the 86 episodes of The Sopranos, and the role has benefitted Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s career.

The 32-year-old appeared in a string of successful American sitcoms and dramas after 2007, notably Entourage, Ugly Betty and Guys with Kids. Her first baby, a son, is due in August. Steve Schirripa (Bobby 'Bacala' Baccalieri) Steve Schirripa has stayed in the TV industry since playing Tony Soprano’s brother-in-law, Bobby Baccalieri. He now hosts three true crime programmes and appears regularly in American sitcom The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Schirripa is also one of the four Sopranos’ stars who are reuniting for Nicky Deuce, a children’s television movie set to air in 2013. Drea de Matteo plays Adriana La Cerva in The Sopranos. Drea de Matteo (Adriana La Cerva) Drea de Matteo won an Emmy for her performance as Adriana La Cerva, ambitious night club owner and Moltisanti's fiancée. De Matteo has since had TV roles in Desperate Housewives and Friends spin-off, Joey, as well as raising three children since The Sopranos finale.

Steven Van Zandt (Silvio Dante) The polymathic Steve Van Zandt had a prolific musical career before he appeared as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. Since, he’s continued to play with the E Street Band at the 2009 Super Bowl and on their current UK tour. He also wrote and produced Norwegian drama Lilyhammer, in which he plays an ex-mafioso. He’s also launched his own Rock And Roll Forever Foundation, which aims to record the history of Rock and Roll from its origin to the present day. James Gandolfini, 'The Sopranos' Star, Dead at 51 James Gandolfini, 'The Sopranos' Star, Dead at 51 Dave Nemetz Pin it Share Terrible news for TV fans: James Gandolfini, who played mobster Tony Soprano on HBO's seminal drama " The Sopranos ," died suddenly today at the age of 51. Gandolfini was traveling in Rome on vacation before a scheduled appearance at Sicily's Taormina Film Festival when he fell ill. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital of an apparent heart attack.

HBO confirmed his death in a statement: "We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was a special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth, and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us." [Related: Celebrities React to James Gandolfini's Death ] Gandolfini won three Emmys, three SAG Awards, and one Golden Globe for his performance as Tony Soprano on the acclaimed HBO drama — a complex, sometimes villainous role that launched the current wave of TV antiheroes. "The Sopranos" remains HBO's highest-rated series ever, with 13.4 million viewers tuning in for the Season 4 premiere in 2002. "Sopranos" creator David Chase lauded Gandolfini in a statement: "He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that.

He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, 'You don't get it. You're like Mozart.' There would be silence at the other end of the phone... He wasn't easy sometimes. But he was my partner; he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain." Edie Falco, who played Tony's long-suffering but ultimately loyal wife Carmela, said she was "shocked and devastated by Jim's passing. He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague. My heart goes out to his family, as those of us in his pretend [family] hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together. The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I've ever known." Another member of his "pretend" family, Michael Imperioli, aka Tony protégé Christopher Moltisanti, was effusive in his praise: "Jimmy treated us all like family with a generosity, loyalty and compassion that is rare in this world.

Working with him was a pleasure and a privilege. I will be forever grateful having had a friend the likes of Jimmy." [Photos: James Gandolfini's 20 Best Roles ] On-screen daughter Jamie-Lynn Sigler said she was "heartbroken... I spent 10 years of my life studying and admiring one of the most brilliant actors, yes, but more importantly one of the greatest men," she said in a statement. "Jim had the ability, unbeknownst to him, to make you feel like everything would be alright if he was around. I treasure my memories with him and feel so honored that I was an up-close witness to his greatness." His "Sopranos" shrink, Lorraine Bracco, was stunned by the news, saying, "We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken." Tony Sirico, who played Tony's right-hand man Paulie Walnuts, mourned the loss of "one of my best friends in life. He helped me with my career and I’m going to miss him.

He’s part of my family.” And Steven Schirripa, who played Tony's brother-in-law Bobby Bacala, added: "Jimmy was a dear friend and like a brother to me. He was a great actor and a great father. I will miss him terribly. I am very sad." In addition to "The Sopranos," Gandolfini appeared in dozens of movies, including memorable supporting turns in "True Romance," "Get Shorty," and last year's "Zero Dark Thirty." He was also an accomplished stage actor, joining Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and scoring a Tony nomination in 2009 for his role in the smash hit drama "God of Carnage." Jeff Daniels, Gandolfini's co-star in the latter production, fondly remembered the late actor. "If Broadway has a version of a guy you want in your foxhole, Jim Gandolfini was mine," Daniels said in a statement. "During our time together in 'God of Carnage,' we played 320 performances together. He didn't miss one.

Sadly, I now miss him like a brother." Read More [Related: Why We Loved Tony Soprano ] His relationship with HBO continued after "The Sopranos" ended in 2007. He produced a pair of probing documentaries for the network, "Alive Day: Home From Iraq" and "Wartorn: 1865-2010," about the challenges soldiers face after returning home from war. And Gandolfini was slated to star as a defense attorney in HBO's upcoming miniseries "Criminal Justice"; the network ordered a seven-episode limited run last month. The actor's life off-screen wasn't nearly as charmed. During his "Sopranos" run, he split from his first wife, Marcy Wudarski. In the midst of their divorce, Wudarski made explosive claims that Gandolfini had multiple mistresses and abused drugs. He eventually confirmed that he logged at least one stint in rehab for his drug habit, but insisted he was sober. He also was involved in a scooter accident in New York, resulting in knee surgery that temporarily postponed shooting on "The Sopranos'" final season.

Gandolfini is survived by his wife, Deborah Lin, their 8-month-old daughter, Liliana, as well as a son, Michael, from his previous marriage. Check out more photos from "The Sopranos" right here: Reblog Flashback: James Gandolfini dead at 51 - NY Daily News James Gandolfini dead at 51: 'Sopranos' star suffers heart attack while in Italy with son; autopsy to be performed Thursday Flashback: James Gandolfini dead at 51 Actor James Gandolfini is dead at 51. He suffered a massive heart attack while on a trip to Italy with his son, Michael. (MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 5:52 PM An autopsy on the body of James Gandolfini, the New Jersey-bred actor whose Mafia-boss character survived six seasons of mob hits and panic attacks on “The Sopranos,” will be performed Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

The man behind Tony Soprano was with his teenage son, Michael, 13, in Italy when he suffered a massive heart attack on Wednesday, a source close to the barrel-chested actor said. He was 51. Gandolfini and his family had spent “a beautiful day out together,” the actor’s assistant, Tom Richardson, told friend Mike Sullivan on Wednesday. New York Daily News published this on June 20, 2013. (New York Daily News) New York Daily News published this on June 20, 2013. (New York Daily News) New York Daily News published this on June 20, 2013. (New York Daily News) “When they got back to the hotel, Jimmy went to use the restroom. And something happened in there. ... His sister said he was alive when they took him out in the ambulance on the way to the hospital,” Richardson said, according to Sullivan, a close pal of “Sopranos” actor Tony Sirico. It was 13-year-old Michael who discovered Gandolfini and called for help, Antonio D'amore, manager of Boscolo Excedra hotel, t old NBC.

James Gandolfini (second from left) with his wife Debbie (right), son Michael and a guest in September 2011 in Hollywood. (Steve Granitz/WireImage) The news floored Gandolfini’s friends, fellow actors and “Sopranos” co-stars, including Steve Schirripa, who was in a box suite at Yankee Stadium when word reached him by phone. The color drained from Schirripa’s face and uncertainty reigned for a half-hour as he and other “Sopranos” cast members, like Lorraine Bracco and Steve Van Zandt called each other, desperate for details. “I had to get up and leave,” said Schirripa, who played Tony’s brother-in-law, Bobby Baccalieri. “It was like being told a brother had died. Jimmy Gandolfini was as great a friend as he was an actor and a human being.” James Gandolfini (center) is best known for his role as Tony in HBO's 'The Sopranos,' acting alongside Tony Sirico (from left), Steven Van Zandt, Michael Imperioli and Vicent Pastore.

(ANTHONY NESTE/AP) “The phone hasn’t stopped. I spoke to a lot of the guys from ‘The Sopranos.’ We were crying,” Schirripa added. “People joke about us being a family. But we are a family.” Soon enough, Twitter and Facebook exploded with rumors and contradictory information about Gandolfini’s death, including claims that it was a hoax. James Gandolfini (right) with 'The Sopranos' creator David Chase. (JILL CONNELLY/AP) But managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders confirmed the death in a statement: “It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today.” “Our hearts are shattered, and we will miss him deeply.” James Gandolfini and his wife Deborah Lin were married in Hawaii in 2008. (Richard Corkery/New York Daily News) The stunning news came almost exactly six years after the gut-wrenching and inconclusive series finale of “The Sopranos.” Gandolfini was a frequent visitor to Italy, where his parents both grew up. His family owns land near Milan.

The 46-year-old actor married Deborah Lin, 40, during a 20-minute church ceremony at the Central Union Church in Honolulu. (Starsurf/Splash News) It was initially unclear whether the actor had been suffering from health problems before his sudden death. He was in Italy partly to attend the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. Gandolfini had been working on a new TV series, “Criminal Justice,” and speculation had always swirled about a “Sopranos” movie. Gandolfini poses with wife Deborah Lin and son Michael outside the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010. (Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images) Film and TV bigs, and other notables, flooded social media with an extraordinary deluge of condolences and praise. “RIP James Gandolfini!” the prolific Jersey screenwriter Kevin Smith wrote on Twitter. “Your iconic portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano gave soul to a monster and fostered perverse pride in the Garden State!” James Gandolfini with son Michael during Celebrities Attend Toronto Raptors vs. New Jersey Nets Game in May 2012.

(James Devaney/ WireImage) Gandolfini became famous relatively late in his career thanks to his breakout role on “The Sopranos,” and the press-shy celeb had largely avoided the spotlight following the hit HBO show’s final season, in 2007. The burly native of Westwood, in Bergen County, N.J., had appeared in several supporting roles since then, playing the director of the CIA in “Zero Dark Thirty” and the gruff blue-collar father of a rock star wanna-be in “Not Fade Away.” James Gandolfini was spotted in West Hollywood with his wife and their baby daughter in October 2012. (Roscoe/Splash News) Gandolfini hit Broadway in 2009 with the comedy “God of Carnage.” “I seek out good stories, basically — that’s it,” he told The Star-Ledger of Newark in December. “The older I get, the funnier-looking I get, the more comedies I’m offered.

I’m starting to look like a toad, so I’ll probably be getting even more soon.” James Gandolfini sipping a coffee in the first season of the HBO smash hit 'The Sopranos.' (HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection) Gandolfini’s second wife, former model Deborah Lin, gave birth to a baby girl in October. The couple married in 2008. Gandolfini — a Rutgers University grad who spent part of his early career supporting himself as a nightclub manager — had his son Michael with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski. The late James Gandolfini (right), as Tony Soprano, and Lorraine Bracco, as Dr. Jennifer Melfi, appear in this scene from the fourth season of 'The Sopranos.' (AP) His big break came in 1992 when he landed a role in a Broadway version of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange. Fame arrived in 1999, as “The Sopranos” garnered critical acclaim and cult popularity on its way to becoming a TV classic.

James Gandolfini (from left) played a tough-guy mob boss on 'The Sopranos' with costars Steven Van Zandt and Tony Sirico. (Craig Blankenhorn/AP) Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his sparkling depiction of Tony Soprano, an emotionally tortured mobster who tries to balance the pressures of being a mob boss with the stresses of family life. The depressed head of the DiMeo crime family ends up in therapy — a no-no for wiseguys — and tells his shrink the story of his life while cooperating with and competing against mobsters from both sides of the Hudson River. The Soprano family from the wildly popular HBO drama series 'The Sopranos.' The series ran from 1999 through 2007 and starred Edie Falco (from left), James Gandolfini, Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. (Craig Blankenhorn/HBO) Gandolfini’s nuanced portrayal of a modern Godfather earned him Emmys in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

The actor whose character mentored Gandolfini’s on “The Sopranos” was crushed. Actress Edie Falco (left) and actor James Gandolfini attend the premiere of 'Boardwalk Empire' at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 2010. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) “I loved him,” said Dominic Chianese, who played Corrado (Junior) Soprano. “I cried because he was just a sweetheart.” In 2003, after his bruising contract dispute with HBO held up production of the show, the stubborn but generous actor paid his co-stars back for the delay, handing them five-figure sums from his new deal. A look at James Gandolfini's acting career. (New York Daily News; Photo by Anthony Neste/HBO via AP) The same year, Gandolfini joked about “The Sopranos” losing an Emmy to buttoned-up rival “The West Wing.” “We’re thieves and crooks. They show me in my underwear far too much,” he quipped. For his roles, he drew on his own humble upbringing, raised by a high school custodian father and a lunch lady mother who emigrated from Italy.

She pushed her son to attend Rutgers over his objections. “I basically went to college because I was the first male Italian born in America,” Gandolfini said on “Inside the Actors Studio” in 2004. “It was important to my mother. . . . The first night they had a five-keg party there and I said, ‘What was I fighting about?’ ” After Rutgers, he landed a gig at the Manhattan club Private Eyes, where an eclectic clientele provided the actor with plenty of acting material. “The club was straight two nights a week, gay two nights a week and kind of everything else two nights a week, so I spent a few years just watching people . . . and saw a lot of interesting things,” he said in the interview.

With Bill Hutchinson James Gandolfini Played Tony Soprano as Mob Boss With Everyman Problems - ABC News ABC News James Gandolfini Played Tony Soprano as Mob Boss With Everyman Problems By Terry Moran WATCH James Gandolfini, Known for Playing Tony Soprano, Dead at 51 0 Shares James Gandolfini Dies at 51 For 86 episodes over six seasons on HBO, Gandolfini seared America's eyeballs with his portrayal of a New Jersey mob boss plagued by self-doubt and petty problems, yet capable of staggering and ruthless violence. With news of his death in Italy, the world lost not only an immensely talented actor, but also a cultural icon. But success was a long time coming for Gandolfini. He began his career playing cold-hearted mob enforcers in films like "True Romance" and "Terminal Velocity." PHOTOS: James Gandolfini Through the Years He kept getting cast as rough characters -- and kept excelling in the roles.

"Admirers of film acting can see him in 'Get Shorty,' 'In the Loop,' 'Welcome to the Rileys,' 'Killing Them Softly,' 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Not Fade Away' and find an actor who could blend tough and tender like a master," Peter Travers, host of ABC News' "Popcorn," wrote in a blog for Rolling Stone. "He didn't talk much about acting. He just did it." As his career developed, so did his portrayal of some of society's roughest characters. In the 1996 film, "The Juror," he played a hit man with a conscience. By the time the world met Tony Soprano in 1999, Gandolfini had become a seasoned master at bringing to life the gray areas between crime and civility, evil and humanity. But at first, he didn't even think he was right for the role. "I got the script and I read it and I was laughing out loud," he told "Inside the Actors Studio." "I said, 'There is no way I will be able to do this.' I really thought they would pick someone different than I ...

you know suave, good looking, Mafioso-type guy ... you know, just somebody a little bit more leading-man type, basically. "At one of the auditions, halfway through or in the middle of it, I said, 'No I'm not doing this right, I didn't prepare for this right, I'm not doing this right and I don't want to do this anymore. I want to come back and do it for you again,'" he added. "And they said, 'Oh OK,' and they let me leave and redo it and come back. People want to see you, they want something from you. ... Don't try to please them, do it for yourself." So he did it his own way, and many critics saw that as a secret of his success as Tony Soprano. He wasn't just a homicidal mafioso, a brutal tough guy. He was, in a sense, every guy. He had problems. He was a family man in a sometimes troubled family. Tony Soprano's journey of self-discovery, combined with his vicious mobster machinations, made the show so relentlessly watchable, so enormously influential.

Six 'Sopranos' Moments to Remember It brought Gandolfini tremendous praise, three Emmies, and worldwide fame, and, some say, changed TV. "He was part of the redefining of the TV anti-hero, making sort of a monstrous figure very human by being such an unconventional leading man," TV Guide senior TV critic Matt Roush told ABC News Radio. "James Gandolfini was probably nobody's first choice of being a major TV star," Roush added. "He's a character actor getting the role of a lifetime and becoming sort of an unexpected sex symbol. I think TV Guide back in 2005 had him 28 on the list of 50 sexiest stars of all time just because I would think just the authenticity of what he brought to the role of Tony Soprano." Gandolfini's down-to-earth authenticity and decency came across in person, according to New York magazine TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz . "I know that's not supposed to matter when you're talking about the legacy of an actor who died too young," he said, "but when you've been up close to a guy like that and you can sense the decency in him ...

it makes an impression." Seitz interviewed Gandolfini for New Jersey's Star-Ledger newspaper just as "The Sopranos" was going on the air -- but not before the actor called him on his home phone and said he didn't think he was worthy of adulation. "I get on the phone and he said, 'Matt, I've been thinking about this and I just don't think I want to do this interview,'" Seitz recalled. "I said, 'Why?' and he said, 'I just don't think I'm that interesting and I don't know why people would be interested in me.'" Once the interview began, Seitz said, "He didn't want to talk about anything." So Seitz turned the conversation to acting, and Gandolfini opened up with thoughts about actors he said inspired him, including, perhaps, a surprise. "He went on and on about Mickey Rourke," Seitz said. "He didn't want to be like Mickey Rourke. He actually wanted to be Mickey Rourke. ...

He talked about Mickey Rourke the way a 9-year-old boy talks about Superman." After "The Sopranos" ended its original run in 2007, Gandolfini looked to branch out, playing, for example, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2012's retelling of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, "Zero Dark Thirty." But the mob roles beckoned. He played alongside Brad Pitt in last year's "Killing Them Softly," telling ABC News' Cynthia McFadden he had to be talked into playing another tough guy. "I didn't want to do another mob guy for a long time," he said. "I've done it for 10 years. I had no more tricks. I couldn't pull anything out of the hat for this kind of thing." In a statement, HBO said: "We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect." Now, he is gone -- leaving behind a wife and two children, including an 8-month-old girl.

But, like all iconic roles, Tony Soprano lives on -- and, through him, the man who brought him to life. 25 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Sopranos' | Mental Floss 25 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Sopranos' Getty Images Like us on Facebook The Sopranos made household names of James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, and the rest of Jersey's fictional meatball-eating, Bing-frequenting tough guys. On June 10, 2007, the show set a new standard for jaw-dropping finales with its infamous cut-to-black (more on that later). And even in today's "Golden Age of Television," it's still heralded as one of the best TV shows ever made. But not even six seasons and 86 episodes on the air—plus another seven years of critical comparisons and acclaim—could unveil all of the show's secrets. (Read at your own risk—spoilers abound!) 1. THE SOPRANOS STARTED AS A MOVIE PITCH.

Before Sopranos creator David Chase developed the story of Tony Soprano and his family for television, he pitched it as a movie about a mobster who enters therapy to discuss problems he has with his mother. According to Chase , his manager Lloyd Braun made him consider TV for the first time by telling him, "I want you to know that we believe that you have inside you a great television series." 2. LIVIA SOPRANO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE IN SEASON 1. While Chase abandoned his movie idea, the tension between Tony and his mother, Livia, provided the central conflict for the show's first season—and that's where it was supposed to end. Chase originally intended for Tony to succeed in suffocating his mother with a pillow after she tries to have him killed in season 1. However, Nancy Marchand, who played Livia, was sick with cancer during her time on the show. She asked Chase, "David, just keep me working." He graciously obliged. 3. NANCY MARCHAND DIED BEFORE FILMING WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER FINAL SCENES. Just as she wished, Chase kept Marchand working until the very end.

She passed away from lung cancer and emphysema on June 18, 2000, one day before her 72nd birthday. Livia's final moments on screen were cobbled together from old footage, recordings of her usual choruses, and special effects (Marchand's head was CGI'ed onto a body double). At the time, critics panned the scene , deeming it awkward and convoluted. 4. THE SHOW'S CREATIVE TEAM BOASTS SOME POWERFUL ALUMNI. Sopranos writers and producers included Matthew Weiner, who went on to create Mad Men, Terence Winter, the mastermind behind Boardwalk Empire, and Ilene Landress, who now serves as executive producer on Girls. 5. DAVID CHASE ONLY DIRECTED TWO EPISODES... ...the pilot and the finale. Tim Van Patten, who has directing credits on Game of Thrones, The Wire, and Boardwalk Empire, directed the most (20).

Allen Coulter directed 12 episodes, including two of the series' best: "College" and "The Test Dream." Steve Buscemi directed four episodes, including the incredible "Pine Barrens." Only one episode was directed by a woman: Lorraine Senna took the helm of season 1 episode "Down Neck." 6. THE SOPRANOS SHARES 28 CAST MEMBERS WITH THE 1990 MOBSTER FLICK GOODFELLAS. According to IMDb , six regular cast members appeared in Goodfellas (Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Vincent Pastore, Frank Vincent, and Joseph R. Gannascoli). Ten recurring Sopranos characters and 11 one-time guest stars also appeared in the 1990 film. 7. RAY LIOTTA WAS APPROACHED FOR A ROLE. In a 2001 Today Show interview, Liotta says he was offered a part—without saying which one—but turned it down to focus on his film career. In 2003, Liotta corroborated his story for the university newspaper the GW Hatchet .

"Having done Goodfellas, I mean, that's pretty much the ultimate in Mafia everyday life. And that show is pretty much structured around Tony Soprano. There was no way I was gonna shine," he said. "It just didn't seem like the right thing to do. I love him [James Gandolfini] as an actor. I think he's great. But my ego's as big as anybody's." 8. STEVEN VAN ZANDT WAS DAVID CHASE'S FIRST PICK FOR TONY. Before he auditioned James Gandolfini, Chase wanted Steven Van Zandt, guitar player of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, to play Tony. He told Vanity Fair in 2012, "I used to listen to music a lot on headphones and look at [Springsteen's] LP, and Steven Van Zandt's face always grabbed me. He had this similarity to Al Pacino in The Godfather. Then we were casting the pilot, and my wife, Denise, and I were watching TV. Steven came on VH1, when they were inducting the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Steven gave the speech.

He was very, very funny and magnetic. I said to my wife, 'That guy has got to be in the show!'" The producers didn't want to gamble on a first-time actor for the show's lead, so Chase offered to write a part for Van Zandt. The character Silvio Dante, who Van Zandt came to play, was in fact inspired by a short story about a retired hitman written by Van Zandt himself. 9. TONY WASN'T ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE SUCH A TOUGH GUY. Chase didn't view Tony as such a ruthless character; this came straight from James Gandolfini. In a 2007 conversation with Tom Fontana (creator of Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, and St. Elsewhere) for Written By magazine, Chase says, "Jim showed me early on how much of a prick that guy would have to be. The first day we shot, there was a scene where Christopher said he was going to sell his story to Hollywood. In the script, it said something like, 'Tony slaps him.' But when we shot it, all of a sudden Jim was out of his seat.

He picked Michael Imperioli up by the neck, by the collar, had him almost off the ground and said, 'What?! Are you crazy?' And I thought, Of course, that man's a motherf***er. That guy is surviving the mob. He's really a dangerous person. He's not a fun guy." 10. LORRAINE BRACCO WAS FIRST ASKED TO PLAY CARMELA. After portraying a similar role in Goodfellas, the Sopranos producers originally envisioned Lorraine Bracco as Tony's wife, Carmela Soprano. It was Bracco who asked to play Tony's therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, which she thought would be more of a challenge. Bracco later said of playing Melfi, "I was not ready for how f***ing difficult Dr. Melfi was to play. I am an explosive girl. I am loud. I am full of life and full of all kinds of bull****, and I have to sit on every emotion, every word, everything, to play this character." Bracco went on to garner four Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for her performance.

The wonderful Edie Falco, of course, was cast as Carmela. 11. DR. MELFI WAS MODELED ON DAVID CHASE'S REAL-LIFE THERAPIST. In a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone , Chase revealed that Lorraine Kaufman, his therapist during the time he conceptualized The Sopranos, provided the inspiration for Dr. Melfi. "She had the same way of cutting through your bull****," he said. Not only did Chase tell Dr. Kaufman of her influence, Kaufman became involved in the characters' psychological development. "After three or four seasons, she wrote me a breakdown of the Soprano family," Chase said. "This is not a bible, but every once in a while we get it out. Strangely enough, these fictional characters have, in fact, behaved in the way she predicted they might, even though we might have forgotten she ever wrote it." 12. MICHAEL IMPERIOLI THOUGHT HE BLEW HIS AUDITION.

It's almost impossible to imagine The Sopranos without Michael Imperioli as Tony's nephew/cousin Christopher Moltisanti, but as Imperioli tells it, he almost didn't land the gig. "They brought me in, and I met with David. I thought he hated my audition, because David's a poker-faced guy," Imperioli told Vanity Fair in 2012. "He kept giving me notes and giving me direction, and I walked out of there, and I was like, 'I blew that one.'" 13. IN THE PILOT, DREA DE MATTEO PLAYS AN UNNAMED HOSTESS. Chris-ta-fuh's better half almost didn't make the cut, either. Drea de Matteo was brought in to read for the role of Adriana La Cerva during the initial round of casting, but, according to de Matteo, Chase "didn't think she was Italian enough." So, in the pilot, de Matteo appears in one scene as an unnamed hostess. It wasn't until after the series was picked up that de Matteo became the Adriana we all know and love. 14.

MUCH OF PAULIE'S STORYLINE CAME STRAIGHT FROM TONY SIRICO'S LIFE. Before Tony Sirico was Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri, he was a criminal. Seriously. According to the Los Angeles Times , his rap sheet was longer than his acting credits: 28 arrests to 27 acting jobs. And as both Sirico and Chase tell it, the similarities between Sirico and his character didn't end there. Paulie's neat-freak tendencies and unusual living arrangements were transferred directly from Sirico's real life to the screen. "I lived with Ma for 16 years before she passed. David knew that going in. That became one of my story lines," he told Vanity Fair . 15. TONY IS ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH 5 OR 6 MILLION DOLLARS. David Chase and the Sopranos producers worked with a technical consultant, New York assistant district attorney Dan Castleman, to fully understand the way the real mob made their money. According to Castleman, Tony Soprano's estimated net worth was 5 to 6 million dollars—but this number often fluctuated due to Tony's gambling habits. 16.

STEVEN SCHIRRIPA WORE A FAT SUIT TO PLAY BOBBY BACCALIERI. When Schirripa got his first script, and saw all the fat jokes Tony directed at Bobby, he thought he had been miscast—he was barely larger than Gandolfini! But a couple days before filming began, he was fitted for his fat suit, which he wore for the first few seasons. "And then I guess, in season 4, David thought I was fat enough on my own, so he let me get rid of it," Schirripa told Vanity Fair. 17. SCENES AT THE BADA-BING WERE FILMED AT A REAL NEW JERSEY STRIP CLUB. The Sopranos was filmed on location in New Jersey and New York and on sound stages at Silvercup Studios in Queens. The Bing, however, was no studio creation. Those scenes were shot at Satin Dolls, a "gentleman's club" on State Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey. 18. EXTERIOR SHOTS OF THE SOPRANOS' HOME WERE SHOT AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN NORTH CALDWELL, N.J.

The Soprano family resides at (the fictional) 633 Stag Trail Road in (the real) North Caldwell, New Jersey. 19. THE SOPRANOS WAS SO REALISTIC, THE REAL MOB THOUGHT THERE WAS A CONNECTED GUY ON THE INSIDE. FBI agents told The Sopranos' creative team that on Monday mornings all anyone could talk about was The Sopranos. And on the wire taps they'd collected from the weekend, that's all the real-life mobsters could talk about as well. Terence Winter told Vanity Fair, "We would hear back that real wiseguys used to think that we had somebody on the inside. They couldn't believe how accurate the show was." 20. TO SETTLE DISPUTES OVER ACTOR SALARIES, JAMES GANDOLFINI GAVE EACH ACTOR $33,333 OF HIS OWN MONEY. After season 4, production on The Sopranos was delayed due to a pay dispute with HBO. According to Edie Falco, the cast staged a sort of "Occupy Vesuvio" sit-in that shut down the set.

To help quell tensions, James Gandolfini split his bonus among all the regular cast members, giving them each $33,333. 21. DAVID CHASE WOULD SHOOT MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF THE SAME SCENE SO THAT NOT EVEN THE ACTORS WOULD KNOW HOW THINGS TURNED OUT. Were you shocked to see Sil whack Adriana in season 5? So was Drea de Matteo. De Matteo told Vanity Fair that David Chase had the cast and crew film two different versions of the dramatic episode: one in which Adriana suspects something fishy and drives away after her final phone call with Tony, and one where—well, you know what happens. According to de Matteo, this practice of filming multiple versions of the same scene to keep the cast and crew guessing (along with interviewers and fans) was a common occurrence. 22. THE SOPRANOS' THEME SONG IS "WOKE UP THIS MORNING" BY ALABAMA 3. Originally, David Chase wanted to use a different song during the opening credits of each episode, but the other producers convinced him otherwise.

For the theme, Chase chose a remixed version of "Woke Up This Morning" from Exile on Coldharbour Lane, the 1997 debut album by English band Alabama 3. Oblivious to the fact that his song would one day become synonymous with Jersey mobsters, Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg wrote the song after hearing about the 1996 murder trial of Sara Thornton, who stabbed her alcoholic husband to death after suffering years of domestic abuse at his hands. 23. DURING THE FIRST 3 SEASONS, THE WORLD TRADE CAN BE SEEN IN TONY'S REARVIEW MIRROR DURING THE OPENING CREDITS. YouTube As Tony exits the Lincoln Tunnel on his drive from New York to his Jersey 'burb, the twin towers can be seen in his rearview mirror (in a bit of Hollywood magic, since the World Trade Center isn't actually visible from the Lincoln Tunnel's exit). This shot was removed beginning with the first episode following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. 24. THE SOPRANOS WAS THE FIRST CABLE TELEVISION SERIES TO WIN THE EMMY FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES.

In 2004, after being nominated for the award five times, The Sopranos won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. It would continue to be nominated every year it was eligible, winning again for its final season in 2007. Matthew Weiner, who shared the Emmy with David Chase and the other executive producers, would go on to win the award the next four years for Mad Men, until Homeland broke his winning streak in 2012. 25. MICHAEL IMPERIOLI IS CONVINCED TONY SOPRANO DIES IN THE FINALE. The famous cut-to-black—and impeccably truncated version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"—in The Sopranos finale is heralded as one of the most shocking, and controversial, cliff-hangers of all time. Does Tony get shot? Does he get arrested? Or does the whole family finish their sundaes and go home? No one but David Chase can say for sure. But Michael Imperioli (Christopher) is firmly in the "Ohmigod, they killed Tony!" camp.

"I think he's dead, is what I think," Imperioli told Vanity Fair in 2012. "David was trying to put us in the place of the last things you see before you die. You remember some little details and something catches your eye and that's it. You don't know the aftermath because you're gone." And with that, the show was gone, too. All photos courtesy of Getty Images unless otherwise noted.

Question: Who played Tony Soprano on TV?
Answer: James Gandolfini