'Sopranos' actor Tony Sirico, 'Paulie Walnuts,' dies at 79
Jul 9, 2022
The actor who played mobster Paulie Walnuts on “The Sopranos” and other tough-guy roles in movies has died
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tony Sirico, who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in “The Sopranos” and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including “Goodfellas,” died Friday. He was 79.
Sirico died at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said his manager, Bob McGowen. There was no immediate information on the cause of death.
A statement from Sirico's family confirmed the death of Gennaro Anthony “Tony” Sirico “with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories.”
McGowan, who represented Sirico for more than two decades, recalled him as “loyal and giving,” with a strong philanthropic streak. That included helping ex-soldiers' causes, which hit home for the Army veteran, his manager said.
Sirico was unconcerned about being cast in a string of bad guy roles, McGowan said, most prominently that of Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri in the 1999-2007 run of the acclaimed HBO drama starring James Gandolfini as mob boss Tony Soprano.
“He didn't mind playing a mob guy, but he wouldn't play an informant,” or as Sirico put it, a “snitch,” McGowan said.
Sirico, born July 29, 1942, in New York City, grew up in the Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods where he said "every guy was trying to prove himself. You either had to have a tattoo or a bullet hole.”
“I had both,” he told the Los Angeles Times in a 1990 interview, calling himself ”unstable" during that period of his life. He was arrested repeatedly for criminal offenses, he said, and was in prison twice. In his last stint behind bars, in the 1970s, he saw a performance by a group of ex-convicts and caught the acting bug.
“I watched ’em and I thought, ‘I can do that.’ I knew I wasn’t bad looking. And I knew I had the (guts) to stand up and (bull) people," he told the Times. "You get a lot of practice in prison. I used to stand up in front of these cold-blooded murderers and kidnapers — and make ’em laugh.”
Sirico also was cast outside the gangster mold, playing police officers in the films “Dead Presidents” and “Deconstructing Harry." Among his other credits were Woody Allen films including “Bullets over Broadway” and “Mighty Aphrodite,” and appearances on TV series including “Miami Vice” and voice roles on “Family Guy” and “American Dad!”
Sirico is survived by daughter Joanne Sirico Bello; son Richard Sirico; his brother, Robert Sirico, a priest; and other relatives.
More News
Media industry could be forced to improve safeguards after Walliams allegations
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy could force participation in an industry watchdog to protect whistleblowers, the BBC understands.
Tom Holland Says Starring in ‘The Odyssey’ Has Given Him an ‘Ambition to See What Else is Out There For Me’
Tom Holland has starred in two of this year’s biggest-grossing films – “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” – but he says it’s the latter that will impact the next stage of his career. At a screening of Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic in London on Thursday, Holland was asked what he’d taken away from […]
Netflix Are Releasing A Documentary About Russell Brand Tomorrow, And Everyone Is Thinking The Same Thing
"Then maybe take Brand's stand-up show down lads???" View Entire Post ›
King Charles appears on Sir Elton John's radio show
The latest episode of Rocket Hour will air on the monarch's 78th birthday on Saturday.
‘Ghost Soldier’ Review: Jim Caviezel Is a Superheroic Soldier in an Uninspired, Retrograde Actioner
If “Walk Hard” was the parody that made it harder to take seriously subsequent music biopics, “MacGruber” did the same for a certain subset of action movies. Directed by William Eubank (“Underwater”), “Ghost Soldier” stacks up one-man-army cliches as early as the opening credits and continues as if no one’s ever told the story of […]
Palme d’Or Winner ‘Fjord’ to Open 26th European Film Festival Malaysia, Astro First to Stream Selected Titles
Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” will open the 26th European Film Festival Malaysia (EUFF) on Nov. 26 at TGV Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. This year, for the first time, some of the festival’s films will also go to home audiences through Malaysian media and entertainment group Astro. The festival runs through Dec. 13 under the […]
Animated Vs. Live-Action: The Disney Debate
This might just start an argument... View Entire Post ›
DJ Tim Westwood denies two more sexual offences
His latest pleas of not guilty mean he now denies a total of 17 charges concerning allegations from 1983 to 2016.
BBC Boss Matt Brittin & Industry Leaders Set To Attend Culture Secretary’s Emergency Meeting Next Week Following Brand & Walliams Scandals
EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Matt Brittin is one of a number of industry bosses who will attend an emergency meeting convened by the UK Culture Secretary next week in the wake of the Russell Brand, David Walliams and MAFS scandals. Nandy will tell a meeting of leaders that if their response to the recent allegations […]
Lei Lei’s Hybrid Doc ‘Vertigo Garden,’ About a Botanist’s AI-Replicated Memories, Lands at Asian Shadows Ahead of IDFA Bow (EXCLUSIVE)
Boutique sales company Asian Shadows has acquired “Vertigo Garden,” the new feature from Chinese filmmaker and animation artist Lei Lei, ahead of its world premiere in the Envision Competition at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). This is Lei’s second feature. IDFA has also nominated it for the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award, […]
'I Play Rocky' is an 'anti-money movie,' says its director. Just like the original
Director Peter Farrelly, star Anthony Ippolito and more of the team behind 'I Play Rocky' joined The Envelope for a live taping at AFI Fest.
Masterpieces From Paris Go Town to Town in a Semi-Truck
Culture funding in France heavily favors the country’s capital. So a traveling outpost of the Musée d’Orsay is bringing art to rural communities that have long felt left behind.