James J. Gandolfini, Jr. (born September 18, 1961) is a Golden Globe, three-time Emmy and five-time Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American actor known for multifaceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. He is best known for his highly acclaimed role as Tony Soprano in the hit HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and his career in the Mafia. Gandolfini's other notable roles include a pornographer Eddie Poole in 8mm, woman-beating mob enforcer Virgil in the Quentin Tarantino-written thriller True Romance, a gay hitman in The Mexican, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty, and a martinet military prison commander in The Last Castle. He also played James Goss in Yemar on the Disney Channel.

Early life

Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey, the son of Joan, a school nutritionist, and James Gandolfini, Sr., a building maintenance chief at Paramus Catholic High School. His parents, Italian immigrants and devout Catholics, spent part of their childhoods in Italy and often spoke Italian. Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey and graduated from Park Ridge High School in 1979, where he played basketball and acted in school plays. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, from Rutgers University, where he worked as a bouncer at an on-campus pub. Gandolfini also worked as a bartender and club manager before embarking on an acting career. Gandolfini was introduced to acting as a young man living in New York City when he accompanied a friend to an acting class.

Career

After acting on Broadway, Gandolfini established a film career. One of his better known film roles is that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance. In 1994 film Terminal Velocity, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. He also appeared in The Juror as a mob enforcer with a conscience. In Get Shorty he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman with a Southern accent. He plays the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. James Gandolfini returned to HBO in 2007 as the Executive Producer of the Emmy nominated documentary special Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, his first project after “The Sopranos” – and the first production for his company Attaboy Films which was opened in 2006 with producing partner Alexandra Ryan.

The Sopranos

Gandolfini's most acclaimed role to date is that of Tony Soprano, the Mafia boss and family man in the multi-award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. To date, he has won three Emmys for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of New Jersey Mafia boss Tony Soprano, an aging baby boomer who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually garnered $1,000,000 per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.

Personal life

He considers himself a pacifist and has maintained reservations about continuing his portrayal of the violent mob boss. His sister Johanna Antonacci is the manager of the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey. Gandolfini is a fan of motorcycles and owns a Harley Davidson and a Vespa scooter. On May 4, 2006, Gandolfini was riding his Vespa when it was hit by a taxi, in traffic. He was forced to undergo knee surgery after the accident, postponing the filming of the final Sopranos episodes.

He keeps ties with his hometown of Park Ridge by supporting The Octoberwoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. He appears at their annual October banquet and often brings other Sopranos cast members to help Octoberwoman draw large crowds. He currently resides in New York City. He also bought a lot on the Lake Manitoba Narrows, presumably to build a cottage. Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, on August 30, 2008, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. They had been dating for about two years. This is Gandolfini's second marriage, having divorced Marcy Wudarski in December 2002. They had one child together.

Filmography

• The Average Joe Fishing (1987)
• Tornado Lane (1990)
• A Stranger Among Us (1992) as Tony Baldesseri
• True Romance (1993) as Virgil
• Money for Nothing (1993) as Billy Coyle
• Mr. Wonderful (1993) as Mike
• Italian Movie (1993) as Angelo
• Angie (1994) as Vinnie
• Terminal Velocity (1994) as Ben Pinkwater
• New World (1995) as Will Caberra
• Crimson Tide (1995) as Lt. Bobby Dougherty
• Get Shorty (1995) as Bear
• The Juror (1996) as Eddie
• Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) as Joey Allegretto
• She's So Lovely (1997) as Kiefer
• 12 Angry Men (1997) TV movie as Juror #6
• Perdita Durango (1997) as Willy 'Woody' Dumas
• Fallen (1998) as Det. Lou
• The Mighty (1998) as Kenneth "Killer" Kane
• A Civil Action (1998) as Al Love
• 8mm (1999) as Eddie Poole
• A Whole New Day (1999) as Vincent
• The Mexican (2001) as Winston Baldry
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) as Big Dave Brewster
• The Last Castle (2001) as Col. Winter
• Surviving Christmas (2004) as Tom Valco
• All the King's Men (2006) as Tiny Duffy
• Lonely Hearts (2007) as Charles Hildebrandt
• Romance & Cigarettes (2007) as Nick Murder
• Kiddie Ride (2008) as Bailey
• Where the Wild Things Are (2009) as (Wild Thing) (voice)
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) as The Mayor
• In the Loop (2009) as US Army General

Awards

{{succession box | before = Hugh Laurie
for House| title = Screen Actors Guild Award - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
for The Sopranos | years = 2007|

References

External links