James Gandolfini, best known for his role as an anxiety-ridden mob boss on
HBO's "The Sopranos," died in Italy, possibly of a heart
attack, an HBO spokeswoman and the actor's managers said Wednesday.
He was 51.
Gandolfini
was on holiday in Rome, said Mara Mikialian, HBO's vice president for
program publicity.
The
actor was scheduled to make an appearance at the TaorminaFilm Fest in
Sicily this week, according to the festival.
Gandolfini
won three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the
angst-ridden mob boss who visited a therapist and took Prozac while
knocking off people. "The Sopranos" aired from 1999 to
2007.
"Jimmy
was the spiritual core of our Sopranos family, and I am stunned at
this devastating loss," said Chris Albrecht, the former
president of HBO who gave the green light to "The Sopranos."
"He was a great talent, but an even better man. My thoughts are
with his family."
Gandolfini
was born September 18, 1961, in Westwood, New Jersey, according to
Biography.com.
He
graduated from Rutgers University and, as the story goes, he worked
as a bartender and a bouncer in New York City until he went with a
friend to an acting class.
He
got his start on Broadway, with a role in the 1992 revival of "AStreetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin.
Gandolfini's
big screen debut came in the role of a heavy in the bloody "True
Romance" in 1993. His breakthrough came on the small screen in
1999 with the role of Tony Soprano.
"He
was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his
performances knows that," David Chase, who developed "The
Sopranos," said in a statement. "...A great deal of that
genius resided in those sad eyes."
Gandolfini,
who was notoriously press shy, had a reputation in the tabloids for
being sometimes difficult.
"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," Chase
said.
While
Gandolfini was known for sometimes ruthless, often imposing
characters, those who worked with him described an actor who put his
heart into a role.
"He
was just so good at the emotion. A very passionate man and a very,
very tender man," Matthew Warchus, who directed Gandolfiniin the
2009 Broadway play "God of Carnage," told CNN. "I
really loved him and admired him a great deal."
Gandolfini's
acting credits included roles in "The Last Castle" with
Robert Redford, "The Mexican" with Brad Pitt and Julia
Roberts and "Surviving Christmas" with Ben Affleck.
In
recent years, he had starred in several movies, including the
Oscar-nominated "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Taking of
Pelham 1 2 3" and "Killing Them Softly."
Gandolfini
showed a softer side, too, voicing Carol, a wild thing, in the 2009
movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic "Where the Wild
Things Are."
He
also took to the stage to do a reading of Sendak's "In The NightKitchen" to mark the author's 80th birthday.
News
of the actor's death spread quickly, drawing shock and sadness from
those who had worked with him.
"James
Gandolfini was a kind, funny, wonderful guy. I'm so lucky to have
worked with him. Sending love to his family. Such a sad, sad day,"
Olivia Wilde, who starred with the actor in "The Incredible Burt
Wonderstone," said in a post on Twitter.
Actor
Steve Carrell, who also appeared in the movie, simply said on
Twitter: "James Gandolfini. What a great loss."
New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie described himself as a "huge fan"
of Gandolfini.
"It's
an awful shock. James Gandolfini was a fine actor, a Rutgers alum and
a true Jersey guy," he said.
Gandolfini
is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their 9-month-old daughter,
Liliana. He is also survived by a son, Michael, from another
marriage.
Source:
cnn
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