He performed in a 1992 Broadway production of On the Waterfront for six months. One of his better known film roles is that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance. Gandolfini states in an "Inside the Actors Studio" interview that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil was an old friend of his, whose job was that of a hitman.[9]
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 played 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.
He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in Broadway's God of Carnage with Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels.[10]
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. 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 earned $US1,000,000 per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.
In 2007, Gandolfini produced a documentary with HBO focused on injured Iraq veterans and their devotion to America, while surveying the physical and emotional costs of war. Ten surviving soldiers were interviewed by Gandolfini, who revealed their thoughts on the challenges which they face integrating back into society and family life. They also reflected on the memories of the day when they narrowly escaped death, and what life may have been like in other circumstances.
Gandolfini has maintained 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, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba Narrows.[11]
On August 30, 2008, Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, after dating her for two years. Gandolfini has one child with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski, from whom he was divorced in December 2002.
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 in New York City, 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 by three months.
Filmography
- 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
- Stories of Lost Souls (2006) as Vincent
- All the King's Men (2006) as Tiny Duffy
- Lonely Hearts (2006) as Charles Hildebrandt
- Romance & Cigarettes (2007) as Nick Murder
- Kiddie Ride (2008) as Bailey
- In the Loop (2009) as General Miller[12][13]
- The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) as The Mayor
- Where the Wild Things Are (2009) as Carol (voice)
- Welcome to the Rileys (2010) as Doug Riley
TV series
- The Sopranos (1999–2007) as Tony Soprano
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