- Getty Images
- James Gandolfini on December 10, 2012 in Hollywood, California.
James Gandolfini, the star of “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 51 years old.
Gandolfini was best known for his role as Tony Soprano, a boss in an organized crime family in New Jersey. “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999 on HBO and ran until 2007. The show helped usher in a new age of respect for HBO, cable programming and long-form television. Driving it all was Gandolfini’s larger-than-life portrayal of Tony, a philandering, murderous mobster who was strangely charismatic and sympathetic, despite his enormous flaws.
Gandolfini’s managers said he passed away while on holiday in Rome, Italy.
HBO sent out this statement: “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. 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.”
Born in Westwood, N.J., in 1961, Gandolfini’s early professional roots were in New York theater. He made his Broadway debut in the 1992 revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire” with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin, following that up with a role in the 1993 movie “True Romance” with Christian Slater and Brad Pitt.
Tony Soprano was a career-making role but it cast a long shadow, and after “The Sopranos” ended, the actor s0ught to stretch himself professionally. In discussing his role as a Mafia hit man in another film, “Killing Them Softly,” the actor told the Journal in 2012 that “I did some pretty disgusting stuff during ‘The Sopranos’ and I was hesitant to step back into those shoes.”
Gandolfini also appeared in such big screen movies as “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” “The Last Castle,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
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