James Gandolfini
Encyclopedia
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. (born September 18, 1961) is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano
in the HBO
TV series
The Sopranos
, about a troubled crime boss
struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia
. For this role, Gandolfini garnered enormous praise, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series each three times. Gandolfini's other roles include the woman-beating mob henchman Virgil in True Romance
, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty
, Lt. General Miller in In the Loop
, and the impulsive Wild Thing Carol in Where the Wild Things Are
. In 2007, Gandolfini produced the HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" in which he interviewed 10 injured veterans from the Iraq War. In 2010, Gandolfini produced another HBO documentary "Wartorn: 1861-2010" in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
and its impact on soldiers and families is analyzed throughout several wars in American history
from 1861 to 2010.
. His mother, Santa, a high school lunch lady
, was born in the U.S. and raised in Naples
, Italy
. His father, James Gandolfini, Sr., a native of Borgotaro
, Italy, was a bricklayer
, cement mason
, and later the head custodian
at Paramus Catholic High School
, New Jersey; he also earned a Purple Heart
in World War II
. His parents were devout Roman Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Due to such influence, Gandolfini has a strong sense of being Italian, and regularly visits Italy
.
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 was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Communication
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, actor Roger Bart
, to a Meisner technique
acting class. In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with Greg Schiano
promoting Rutgers football
.
Gandolfini's most acclaimed role to date is that of Tony Soprano
, a New Jersey Mafia
boss and family man who is the lead character in the multi-award-winning HBO
series, The Sopranos
, which debuted in 1999. He won three Emmys
for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of Tony Soprano, who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually earned $1,000,000 (US) per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly
recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.
for six months. One of his better known film roles was that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer
, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance
. Gandolfini has said that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil, in True Romance, was an old friend of his, who was a hitman
.
In 1994 film Terminal Velocity
, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. In Get Shorty
(1995), he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman
with a Southern accent
, and in The Juror
(1996) he played a mob enforcer with a conscience. He played the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123.
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
.
In June 2010, it was announced that Gandolfini would be executive producing an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway
and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn
titled Hemingway & Gellhorn
and starring Clive Owen
and Nicole Kidman
. Philip Kaufman
will direct the film, which was written by Barbara Turner
and Jerry Stahl
, and will reportedly begin shooting in 2011.
Variety
reported on January 24, 2011 that Gandolfini will reunite with Sopranos
creator David Chase
for Twylight Zones (2012), a music-driven production set in 1960s
New Jersey
. Gandolfini will co-star in Chase's feature film
debut, playing the father of a teenage rock 'n' roll
band lead singer (John Magaro
).
throughout American history from 1861 to 2010. It featured interviews with American Military Officials on their views of PTSD and how they are trying to help soldiers affected by it. Letters from soldiers of the American Civil War
and World War I
who were affected by PTSD are examined along with interviews with soldiers affected by PTSD and their families.
, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba
Narrows.
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.
Gandolfini purchased a home in the hills of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
in 2009.
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
in the HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, about a troubled crime boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
. For this role, Gandolfini garnered enormous praise, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series each three times. Gandolfini's other roles include the woman-beating mob henchman Virgil in True Romance
True Romance
True Romance is a 1993 American romance crime film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette with an ensemble cast consisting of Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin...
, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty
Get Shorty (film)
Get Shorty is a 1995 crime-comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details....
, Lt. General Miller in In the Loop
In the Loop (film)
In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq...
, and the impulsive Wild Thing Carol in Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
. In 2007, Gandolfini produced the HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" in which he interviewed 10 injured veterans from the Iraq War. In 2010, Gandolfini produced another HBO documentary "Wartorn: 1861-2010" in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
and its impact on soldiers and families is analyzed throughout several wars in American history
Military history of the United States
The military history of the United States spans a period of over two centuries. During the course of those years, the United States evolved from a new nation fighting the British Empire for independence without a professional military , through a monumental American Civil War to the world's sole...
from 1861 to 2010.
Early life
Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New JerseyWestwood, New Jersey
Westwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,908....
. His mother, Santa, a high school lunch lady
Lunch Lady
Lunch lady is an American slang term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria; the equivalent British English term is "dinner lady". In Britain, a dinner lady also patrols the school playgrounds during the lunch breaks to maintain order amongst the children...
, was born in the U.S. and raised in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. His father, James Gandolfini, Sr., a native of Borgotaro
Borgo Val di Taro
Borgo Val di Taro is a town and comune in Emilia, Italy, in the Province of Parma, 63 km from the city of Parma.Borgo Val di Taro is an important centre for cattle husbandry in Emilia and it's one of the zones where Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced....
, Italy, was a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
, cement mason
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
, and later the head custodian
Custodian
The term Custodian may refer to:* Janitor, a person who cleans, maintains, provides security and initiates repairs or makes minor repairs to buildings.* Custodian bank, an organization responsible for safeguarding a firm's or individual's financial assets...
at Paramus Catholic High School
Paramus Catholic High School
Paramus Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Paramus in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school, founded in 1965, is one of several high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark...
, New Jersey; he also earned a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His parents were devout Roman Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Due to such influence, Gandolfini has a strong sense of being Italian, and regularly visits Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census....
, and graduated from Park Ridge High School
Park Ridge High School
Park Ridge High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school with an integrated two-year middle school located in the borough of Park Ridge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Park Ridge Public Schools. The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department...
in 1979, where he played basketball and acted in school plays. He was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Communication
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, where he worked as a bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, when he accompanied a friend, actor Roger Bart
Roger Bart
Roger Bart is an American actor and singer.-Life and career:Bart was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the son of a teacher and a chemical engineer, and grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey. His uncle is journalist Peter Bart. He made his Broadway debut in Big River as Tom Sawyer in 1987...
, to a Meisner technique
Meisner technique
The Meisner technique is an acting technique developed by the American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner.Meisner developed this technique after working with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Group Theatre and as head of the acting program at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse and...
acting class. In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with Greg Schiano
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano is the head coach for the Rutgers University football team. He has held that position since 2001.-Early life and education:...
promoting Rutgers football
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...
.
The Sopranos
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
, a New Jersey Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
boss and family man who is the lead character in the multi-award-winning HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
series, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, which debuted in 1999. He won three Emmys
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of Tony Soprano, who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually earned $1,000,000 (US) per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.
Film and stage work
Gandolfini performed in a 1992 Broadway production of On the WaterfrontOn the Waterfront
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
for six months. One of his better known film roles was that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer
Mob Enforcer
Mob Enforcer is a Mafia related PC game. It was released on the Xbox with multiplayer capabilities under the title Chicago Enforcer.-Description:...
, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance
True Romance
True Romance is a 1993 American romance crime film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette with an ensemble cast consisting of Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin...
. Gandolfini has said that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil, in True Romance, was an old friend of his, who was a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
.
In 1994 film Terminal Velocity
Terminal Velocity (film)
Terminal Velocity is a 1994 action movie starring Charlie Sheen as a daredevil skydiver who becomes mixed up with Russian spies. It was written by David Twohy and directed by Deran Sarafian. Originally, Sheen's role was written for Tom Cruise, although William Baldwin was also considered. The...
, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. In Get Shorty
Get Shorty (film)
Get Shorty is a 1995 crime-comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details....
(1995), he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
with a Southern accent
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
, and in The Juror
The Juror
The Juror is a 1996 American romantic thriller film based on the novel by George Dawes Green, directed by Brian Gibson and starring Demi Moore as Annie Laird, a single mother picked for jury duty for a mafia trial. The film was released on 2 February 1996...
(1996) he played a mob enforcer with a conscience. He played the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123.
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
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
's God of Carnage
God of Carnage
God of Carnage is a play by Yasmina Reza. It is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving...
with Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
, Hope Davis
Hope Davis
Hope Davis is an American actress. She has starred in more than 20 feature films, including About Schmidt, Arlington Road, Flatliners, Mumford, American Splendor, The Lodger and Next Stop Wonderland....
and Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
.
In June 2010, it was announced that Gandolfini would be executive producing an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn
Martha Gellhorn
Martha Gellhorn was an American novelist, travel writer and journalist, considered by The London Daily Telegraph amongst others to be one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century. She reported on virtually every major world conflict that took place during her 60-year career...
titled Hemingway & Gellhorn
Hemingway & Gellhorn
Hemingway & Gellhorn is an upcoming HBO film about the lives of journalist Martha Gellhorn and her husband, writer Ernest Hemingway. It will be directed by Philip Kaufman. The film began shooting in San Francisco in March 2011...
and starring Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
and Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
. Philip Kaufman
Philip Kaufman
Philip Kaufman is an American film director and screenwriter. His movies have adapted novels of widely different types – from Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being to Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun; from Tom Wolfe’s heroic epic The Right Stuff to the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin’s...
will direct the film, which was written by Barbara Turner
Barbara Turner
Barbara Turner is an American screenwriter and former actress.-Life and career:Turner was born in New York. She was married to actor Vic Morrow – with whom she had two daughters, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and Carrie Ann Morrow – from 1957 to 1964, and to Iranian television director Reza Badiyi...
and Jerry Stahl
Jerry Stahl
Jerry Stahl is an American novelist and screenwriter, He is best known for his memoir of addiction Permanent Midnight. A film adaptation followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role....
, and will reportedly begin shooting in 2011.
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported on January 24, 2011 that Gandolfini will reunite with Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
creator David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
for Twylight Zones (2012), a music-driven production set in 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Gandolfini will co-star in Chase's feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
debut, playing the father of a teenage rock 'n' roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band lead singer (John Magaro
John Magaro
John Robert Magaro is an American film, television and stage actor. He will star alongside James Gandolfini in Twylight Zones —the upcoming feature film debut of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.-Life and career:...
).
Alive Day: Home from Iraq
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.Wartorn: 1861–2010
In 2010, Gandolfini produced another documentary with HBO, which analyzed the effects of PTSDPost-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
throughout American history from 1861 to 2010. It featured interviews with American Military Officials on their views of PTSD and how they are trying to help soldiers affected by it. Letters from soldiers of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who were affected by PTSD are examined along with interviews with soldiers affected by PTSD and their families.
Personal life
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 CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba is Canada's thirteenth largest lake and the world's 33rd largest freshwater lake. It is in central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which is named after the lake...
Narrows.
On August 30, 2008, Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, 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
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
in Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
. Gandolfini is a fan of motorcycles and owns a Harley Davidson and a Vespa
Vespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
. 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.
Gandolfini purchased a home in the hills of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
Tewksbury Township is a Township located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and is located within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 5,993...
in 2009.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Shock! Shock! Shock! | Orderly | |
| 1992 | Tony Baldessari | ||
| 1993 | Italian Movie | Angelo | |
| 1993 | Money for Nothing Money for Nothing (film) Money for Nothing is a 1993 comedy/crime film directed by Ramón Menéndez. It is based on the life of Joey Coyle, an unemployed longshoreman in Philadelphia who, in February 1981, found $1.2 million in the middle of the street after it had fallen out of the back of an armored car. The screenplay,... |
Billy Coyle | |
| 1993 | True Romance True Romance True Romance is a 1993 American romance crime film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette with an ensemble cast consisting of Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin... |
Virgil | |
| 1993 | Mr. Wonderful Mr. Wonderful (film) Mr. Wonderful is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed by Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella.The film stars Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, and features one of the few appearances of Vincent D'Onofrio as a romantic character.-Plot:... |
Mike | |
| 1994 | Angie | Vinnie | |
| 1994 | Terminal Velocity Terminal Velocity (film) Terminal Velocity is a 1994 action movie starring Charlie Sheen as a daredevil skydiver who becomes mixed up with Russian spies. It was written by David Twohy and directed by Deran Sarafian. Originally, Sheen's role was written for Tom Cruise, although William Baldwin was also considered. The... |
Ben Pinkwater | |
| 1995 | Will Caberra | ||
| 1995 | Crimson Tide Crimson Tide (film) The film has uncredited additional writing by Quentin Tarantino, much of it being the pop-culture reference-laden dialogue.The U.S. Navy objected to many of the elements in the script — particularly the aspect of mutiny on board a U.S. naval vessel — and as such, the film was produced... |
Lt. Bobby Dougherty | |
| 1995 | Get Shorty Get Shorty (film) Get Shorty is a 1995 crime-comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details.... |
Bear | |
| 1996 | Eddie | ||
| 1997 | Night Falls on Manhattan Night Falls on Manhattan Night Falls on Manhattan is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, set and filmed on location in New York City. Its screenplay is by Lumet, based on a novel by author Robert Daley entitled: Tainted Evidence... |
Joey Allegretto | |
| 1997 | She's So Lovely She's So Lovely She's So Lovely is a 1997 film directed by Nick Cassavetes, written by the late John Cassavetes. At the time of its release, it received special attention because, eight years after his death, it was the first film to posthumously feature new material from John Cassavetes.The film stars Sean Penn... |
Kiefer | |
| 1997 | Perdita Durango Perdita Durango Perdita Durango, released as Dance with the Devil in the US, is a film directed by Alex de la Iglesia as a cross between the crime and horror genres. The film is based on Barry Gifford's novel 59° and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango... |
Willie 'Woody' Dumas | |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men (1997 film) 12 Angry Men is a 1997 television film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the Reginald Rose teleplay of the same title.-Plot:After the final closing arguments have been presented to the judge, she gives her instructions to the jury. In the United States , the verdict in criminal cases must... |
Juror #6 | |
| 1997 | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Diner Cook #2 | (Uncredited role) |
| 1998 | Fallen Fallen (film) Fallen is a 1998 supernatural thriller film, directed by Gregory Hoblit, and starring Denzel Washington, John Goodman and Donald Sutherland.-Plot:... |
Lou | |
| 1998 | Kenny Kane | ||
| 1998 | Al Love | ||
| 1999 | Vincent | short film also included in Stories of Lost Souls Stories of Lost Souls Stories of Lost Souls is a compilation of eight cinematic stories of lonely souls in unexpected situations starring many of cinema's biggest names including Josh Hartnett, Hugh Jackman, Keira Knightley, Cate Blanchett, James Gandolfini, Paul Bettany, Illeana Douglas and directed by eight different... (2005) |
|
| 1999 | 8mm 8mm (film) 8mm is a 1999 mystery/thriller film, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films.-Plot:... |
Eddie Poole | |
| 2001 | Winston Baldry | ||
| 2001 | Big Dave Brewster | ||
| 2001 | Colonel Winter | ||
| 2004 | Surviving Christmas Surviving Christmas Surviving Christmas is a 2004 comedy film, directed by Mike Mitchell and starring Ben Affleck. Despite being a Christmas movie, DreamWorks SKG released the movie towards the end of October. This was due to it being advanced from December 2003 to avoid clashing with Affleck's other film, Paycheck.... |
Tom Valco | |
| 2006 | Romance & Cigarettes Romance & Cigarettes Romance & Cigarettes is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast, including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken,... |
Nick Murder | |
| 2006 | Lonely Hearts | Det. Charles Hilderbrandt | |
| 2006 | All the King's Men All the King's Men (2006 film) All the King's Men is a 2006 film adaptation of the 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It was directed by Steven Zaillian, who also produced and scripted.... |
Tiny Duffy | |
| 2006 | Club Soda | The Man | short film also included in Stories USA Stories USA Stories USA compiles six cinematic stories about desperate lives in America, starring many of the world's top actors including Josh Hartnett, Steve Carell, James Gandolfini, Scott Caan and directed by seven different directors including Paul Carafotes.... (2007) |
| 2009 | In the Loop In the Loop (film) In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq... |
Lt. Gen. George Miller | |
| 2009 | Mayor | ||
| 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are (film) Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery... |
Carol | Voice role |
| 2010 | Welcome to the Rileys Welcome to the Rileys Welcome to the Rileys is a 2010 American independent drama film directed by Jake Scott, written by Ken Hixon, and starring Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. The film debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.-Plot:... |
Doug Riley | |
| 2010 | Mint Julep Mint Julep (film) Mint Julep is a 2010 romance film written, directed, and produced by Wisconsin filmmakers Ian Teal and Kathy Fehl, starring David Morse, Angelica Torn, and James Gandolfini. It is set in small-town North Carolina and follows the struggling marriage of Deirdre, a diner waitress played by Torn, and... |
Mr. G | |
| 2011 | Down the Shore | Bailey | |
| 2011 | Violet & Daisy Violet & Daisy Violet & Daisy is the first film directed by Geoffrey S. Fletcher. It is about two teenage assassins who accept what they think will be a quick and easy job, until an unexpected target throws them off plan.-Plot:... |
Michael | post-production |
| 2012 | Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (film) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an upcoming 2011 American drama film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer, directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey... |
filming | |
| 2012 | Cogan's Trade Cogan's Trade Cogan's Trade is an upcoming American crime film directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt. The film is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by George V. Higgins. The film is scheduled to be released in early 2012.-Synopsis:... |
filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Gun Gun (TV series) "Gun" was a television anthology series that lasted six episodes in 1997. Each episode involved the same semi-automatic handgun as an important part of the plot. The characters each episode were completely different and appeared unrelated to those who appeared in other episodes... |
Walter Difideli | Episode: "Columbus Day" |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men (1997 film) 12 Angry Men is a 1997 television film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the Reginald Rose teleplay of the same title.-Plot:After the final closing arguments have been presented to the judge, she gives her instructions to the jury. In the United States , the verdict in criminal cases must... |
Juror #6 | Television film |
| 1999–2007 | Tony Soprano Tony Soprano Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely... |
86 episodes | |
| 2011 | Cinema Verite | Television film |