This high school heartthrob’s evolution into TV legend is truly inspiring
Speaking of the lovable but brutal Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini told Vogue: “I am playing an Italian lunatic from New Jersey, and that’s basically what I am.”
After a hugely successful six-season run, the series ended in 2007, leaving fans wondering if the blacked-out screen in the end meant the antihero is alive, or dead.
Tragedy in Rome
But, along with the legendary actor, the elder Soprano died on June 19, 2013, after a heart attack claimed the life of the beloved 51-year-old star.
The Jersey-born man was travelling with his family in Italy and was in the hotel with his then 13-year-old son Michael when he had a heart attack and died.
Gandolfini left behind his wife Deborah Lin, who he married in 2008, daughter Liliane (born 2012), and Michael, who he shares with first wife, Marcy Wudarski.
In September 2021, Michael spoke with the New York Times about capturing the complexity of the character his father so effortlessly played.
“I was always like, ‘I want to make my dad proud. I want to make my dad proud.’” The then 22-year-old actor continued, “I truly wasn’t aware of the legacy of him…My dad was just my dad.”Continue reading…
