Jame Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) Dead at 51

Obituaries for folks in the entertainment world that have come to the end of the road.

Jame Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) Dead at 51

Postby radiofan » Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:15 pm

James Gandolfini dead at 51: 'Sopranos' star suffers massive heart attack in Italy
'Everyone is in tears,' a source close to the Emmy Award-winning actor tells the Daily News.

BY DON KAPLAN AND DANIEL BEEKMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013, 7:30 PM

Image

James Gandolfini, the New Jersey-bred actor who delighted audiences as mob boss Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” has died following a massive heart attack in Italy, a source told the Daily News.
“Everyone is in tears,” the source close to the 51-year-old TV tough guy said.

A press-shy celeb who got his start as a character actor and became famous relatively late in his career — thanks to his breakout role on “The Sopranos,” Gandolfini has largely avoided the spotlight since the last season of the beloved show aired in 2007.

The burly Westwood, N.J. native has appeared in several supporting roles since then, playing the director of the CIA in “Zero Dark Thirty” and the gruff blue-collar father of a wannabe rock star in “Not Fade Away” last year.

“I seek out good stories, basically — that’s it,” he told The Star-Ledger last December.

“The older I get, the funnier-looking I get, the more comedies I’m offered. I’m starting to look like a toad, so I’ll probably be getting even more soon.”
Gandolfini’s wife, former model Deborah Lin, gave birth to a baby girl last October. The couple married in Hawaii in 2008.

Gandolfini — who spent part of his early career supporting himself as a bartender and nightclub manager — also has a son with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski.

His first break came in 1992 when he landed a role in a Broadway version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” that starred Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.
Smallish parts in major films followed — Gandolfini played a submarine crew member in “Crimson Tide” in 1995 and a gangland bodyguard in “Get Shorty” the same year.

Fame came for the Italian-American actor after 1999, as “The Sopranos” garnered critical acclaim and cult popularity on its way to becoming a TV classic.
Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his sparkling depiction of protagonist Tony Soprano, a mobster trying to balance the mundane stresses of family life and his unusual occupation: organized crime.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... z2Wi74XofG
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Re: Jame Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) Dead at 51

Postby hagopian » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:08 pm

This man was a true genius. RIP to this giant talent.

This is so sad. Just a Pop again last year.

So young.

"Only the good die young", said a guy from Long Island.
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Re: Jame Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) Dead at 51

Postby Neumann Sennheiser » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:49 pm

I guess, not surprisingly, the first thing that came to my mind was his character Tony Soprano's death "moment" at the blackout at the end of the Sopranos.
A lot has been discussed about that finale'.
I remember, at first, being perplexed, then angry and disappointed and then I thought about it for days following and finally reached an epiphany that it was nothing short of genius on the part of creator David Chase.
In tribute to Mr. Gandolfini I would also say that I can imagine no one else in that role.
He owned it like Orson Welles owned Charles Foster Kane.
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Re: Jame Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) Dead at 51

Postby Neumann Sennheiser » Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:21 am

Raves to HBO for currently running this short and respectful tribute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjWEZ0LzPsI

..and a shameful rant to Comcast/Infinity for commemorating James Gandolfini by offering on-demand movies he appeared in (often briefly) and charging between 3-5 dollars a pop.
Most of these are a dozen years old.
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