Before Gandolfini had three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe resting on his mantel, he was a regular Italian American kid growing up with his working-class family in a modest Westwood, New Jersey home.
His father served as the building maintenance chief at a Catholic school, and his mother worked as a lunch lady in a high school. He was a “happy, cute little boy,” as described by childhood chum Pam Donlan, who would later become a highly respected actor in Hollywood.
In 1979, the young man, who stood just over 6 ft., was a senior at Park Ridge High School in New Jersey, where he was one of the popular kids.
Excelling in both academics and extra-curricular activities, the Get Shorty star developed his skills as an actor while in high school, where he studied theatre.
It was in these years the Where the Wild Things Are star met John TravoContinue reading…
