Tony Sirico
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image GenaroTemplate:Refn Anthony Sirico Jr. (Script error: No such module "IPAc-en". Script error: No such module "Respell".; July 24, 1942 – July 8, 2022)Template:Refn was an American actor. Often cast as a mobster, he portrayed Paulie Gualtieri in The Sopranos and Vinny Griffin in Family Guy.
Born in Brooklyn to an Italian-American family, Sirico had a tumultuous early life marked by multiple arrests and periods of imprisonment for crimes including robbery, assault, and extortion. His interest in acting was sparked during a prison sentence, following a visit by an acting troupe of ex-convicts. Sirico's acting career began with minor roles in films such as Crazy Joe and eventually led to significant roles in movies including Goodfellas and Mighty Aphrodite, as well as appearances in six other Woody Allen films.
Aside from his film career, Sirico made notable contributions to television and animation, voicing characters in The Fairly OddParents and Family Guy. His role in The Sopranos earned him acclaim. Sirico's life off-screen was marked by his service in the United States Army, and his philanthropic efforts, including USO visits to Southwest Asia. He died in 2022, aged 79.
Early life
Sirico was born in Brooklyn, New York City,[1] on July 24, 1942,Template:Refn to a family of Italian descent.[2] He grew up in the East Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods of Brooklyn,[3] and attended Midwood High School, but did not graduate.[4] Sirico's brother, Robert Sirico, is a Catholic priest and co-founder of the free-market Acton Institute.[5] As a teenager, Sirico was shot in a dispute over a girl.[6] He subsequently served in the United States Army.[6]
Sirico was convicted of several crimes and was arrested 28 times, including for disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery, before taking up acting.[3][7] In 1967, he served time in prison for the first time as an adult.[6] On February 27, 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant, and found with a .32 caliber revolver on his person. In 1971, he was indicted for extortion, coercion, and felony weapons possession, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison, of which he served 20 months at Sing Sing.[8][9][10]
According to a court transcript at the time of his sentencing, Sirico also had pending charges for criminal possession of a dangerous drug.[8] Sirico stated that his prison was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-convicts, which inspired him to give acting a try.[11] He appeared in the 1989 documentary The Big Bang by James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.[12]
Career
Sirico's first confirmed role in film was as an extra in the 1974 film Crazy Joe, securing the role with the help of Richard Castellano.[10] Michael Gazzo was Sirico's first acting coach.[13] Sirico played gangsters in a number of films, and made-for-TV films, including Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Bullets over Broadway, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, Witness to the Mob, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, Cop Land, Turn of Faith, Hello Again, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Wonder Wheel. He also played policemen in the films Dead Presidents and Deconstructing Harry. Sirico was a close friend of Woody Allen, and appeared in seven of his films.[4]
Sirico's most acclaimed acting job was that of Paulie Gualtieri in David Chase's Emmy award-winning drama The Sopranos. He originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior with Frank Vincent, but Dominic Chianese landed the role. David Chase instead offered him the role of Paulie Gualtieri; Sirico agreed under the condition that his character "would not become a rat".[10]
In animation, Sirico provided the voice of "Big Daddy" Fairywinkle in The Fairly OddParents.[14] On Family Guy, he voiced the character of Vinny, who for three episodes in late 2013 was the family's pet dog, replacing Brian Griffin after his death; Brian would later be brought back via time travel.[15] Sirico also made a live-action cameo in the episode "Stewie, Chris, & Brian's Excellent Adventure", where he threatens Stewie, who had insulted Italians, calling them "ridiculous people". Vinny would return in a cameo appearance at the end of the Season 15 premiere, "The Boys in the Band".[16] Sirico would later voice characters on Seth MacFarlane's other animated series American Dad!.[17]
In 2018, he reunited with former Sopranos actors Federico Castelluccio and Vincent Pastore in Sarah Q.[18]
Personal life
Sirico had two children, Joanne and Richard.[19] In 2008, he released a cologne called Paolo Per Uomo.[20]
Death
Sirico died on the afternoon of July 8, 2022, at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the age of 79. No cause of death was given, but he had been diagnosed with dementia some years before his death.[21] Sirico's funeral mass was held at the Basilica of Regina Pacis, and he was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.[22][23]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Crazy Joe | Extra | [24] |
| The Godfather Part II | Rosato Brothers Hood | Uncredited[1] | |
| 1978 | Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell | Frankie Rio | [1] |
| Fingers | Riccamonza | [3][25] | |
| The One Man Jury | Charlie "Nuts" | [26] | |
| 1980 | Defiance | Davey | [27] |
| 1981 | So Fine | Associate | [28] |
| 1982 | Love and Money | Raoul | [29] |
| 1983 | Exposed | Thief | [30] |
| The Last Fight | Frankie | [3] | |
| 1987 | The Galucci Brothers | Galucci Brother | [31] |
| The Pick-up Artist | Patsy Cabaluso | [3] | |
| Hello Again | Tough Guy | [27] | |
| 1989 | White Hot | Luke | [32] |
| Cookie | Carmine's Wiseguy | [3] | |
| The Big Bang | Himself | Documentary[12] | |
| 1990 | Catchfire | Greek Guy | [33][30] |
| Goodfellas | Tony "Stacks" | [24] | |
| 1991 | 29th Street | Fortunado | [13] |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | Jacko | [34] |
| 1993 | New York Cop | Mr. C | [35] |
| Romeo Is Bleeding | Malacci | [36] | |
| 1994 | Men Lie | Porno Witness | [37] |
| Bullets Over Broadway | Rocco | [24] | |
| The Search for One-eye Jimmy | "Snake" | [38] | |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Officer Spinelli | [39] |
| Mighty Aphrodite | Boxing Trainer | [13] | |
| Dearly Beloved | Mr. Bedutz | Short film[40] | |
| 1996 | Everyone Says I Love You | Escaped Convict | [13] |
| 1997 | Deconstructing Harry | Police Officer | [39] |
| Cop Land | Salvatore "Toy" Torillo | [13] | |
| The Deli | Tony | [13] | |
| The Good Life | Junior | Never released[41] | |
| 1998 | Mob Queen | Joey "The Heart" Aorta | [13] |
| Celebrity | Lou DeMarco | [13] | |
| 1999 | Mickey Blue Eyes | Risolli Guard | [42] |
| 2000 | It Had to Be You | Ricky Valentino | [13] |
| 2001 | Smokin' Stogies | Tony "Batts" | [43] |
| 2002 | Turn of Faith | Jimmy | [43][44] |
| 2008 | The Sno Cone Stand Inc | Bob Beasley | [45] |
| 2009 | Karma Calling | Lord Ganesh | [43][46] |
| 2010 | Skate | Skate | Short film[47] |
| 2014 | Zarra's Law | Tony Zarra | [39] |
| Friends and Romans | Bobby Musso | [1] | |
| Family on Board | Rocco | Short film[47] | |
| 2015 | Touched | Anthony | [48] |
| 2016 | Café Society | Vito | [27] |
| 2017 | Wonder Wheel | Angelo | [43] |
| 2018 | Sarah Q | Mr. Danny | [27] |
| 2022 | Respect the Jux | Bobby | Posthumous release[27][1] |
| TBD | Super Athlete | Coach Lou | Completed, posthumous release[27] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Kojak | Greek God | Episode: "Case Without a File"[43] |
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Poker Player | Episode: "Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)"[49] |
| 1989 | Miami Vice | Frank Romano | Episode: "Fruit of the Poison Tree"[35] |
| Perfect Witness | Marco | Television film[28] | |
| 1992 | In the Shadow of a Killer | Tony Andretti | Television film[28] |
| 1996 | Cosby | Teddy | Episode: "Happily Ever Hilton"[50] |
| Gotti | Joe Dimiglia | Television film[13] | |
| 1998 | Witness to the Mob | Thomas Gambino | Television film[28] |
| Vig | Locasso | Television film[43] | |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri | 74 episodes[26] |
| 2005 | The Fairly OddParents | Big Daddy Fairywinkle | Voice[50] Episodes: "Talking Trash" and "Big Wanda" |
| 2007 | Elmo's Christmas Countdown | Famous Bert | TV special[51] |
| 2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Mobster | TV special[35] |
| 2010 | Chuck | Matty | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Fake Name"[52] |
| Medium | Big Daddy | Episode: "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day"[52] | |
| 2012 | Jersey Shore Shark Attack | Captain Salie | Television film[39] |
| 2013–2014 | Lilyhammer | Tony Tagliano | Episodes: "2.8: Ghosts" and "3.8: Loose Ends"[1] |
| 2013 | Nicky Deuce | Charlie Cement | Television film[27] |
| 2013–2016 | Family Guy | Vinny/Himself | Voice[1][27] Episodes: "Life of Brian", "Into Harmony's Way", "Christmas Guy", "The Boys in the Band", and "Stewie, Chris & Brian's Excellent Adventure" (live action) |
| 2014 | Taxi Brooklyn | Tony | Episode: "Revenge"[52] |
| 2016 | The Grinder | Sebastian | Episode: "Grinder v Grinder"[52] |
| 2017–2019 | American Dad! | Enzo Perotti / Mobster | Voice[52] 2 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Slang Editorial" | Cappadonna |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Sopranos: Road to Respect | Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri | Voice[53] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Screen Actors Guild Award[54] | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Sopranos | Won |
| 2001 | Nominated | |||
| 2002 | Nominated | |||
| 2003 | Nominated | |||
| 2005 | Nominated | |||
| 2007 | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Won[55] |
Notes
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References
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- ↑ "'Our Lady of Fatima' Celebrating a century of her message", Holy Family Radio. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Artie's Goose Is Coked", New York Post, May 2, 2006
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "'Sopranos' actor has real life mob history", UPI, March 20, 2006.
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b James, Caryn. "Reviews/Film; Life, Sex, Death and Chaos", The New York Times. May 11, 1990. Section C, p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Hamill, Denis. "From Hoodfella to Couldfella in Sopranos, Tony Sirico Hits the High Note of His Checkered Career", New York Daily News. February 7, 1999. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Family Guy's Shocking Death: Boss Reveals Why They Decided to Kill Off (Spoiler)!
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- ↑ a b c Hamill, Denis. "The Man Inside Paulie Walnuts: After life as a young hood, 'Sopranos' star enjoys his role as a make-believe gangster", New York Daily News. January 16, 2000. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ Garbicz, Adam (2013). Kino wehikuł magiczny – Podróż piąta: Przewodnik osiągnięć filmu fabularnego. Podróż piąta: 1974–1981 Wersja uzupełniona i skorygowana. Planet RGB Limited. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Canby, Vincent. "Unpredictable 'Love and Money'", The New York Times. February 12, 1982. Section C, Page 8. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ a b Gallagher, John A. (1989). Film Directors on Directing. ABC-CLIO. p. 255. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Maltin, Leonard (2012). Leonard Maltin's 2013 Movie Guide: The Modern Era. Penguin Books. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (2011). Horror Films of the 1990s. McFarland & Company. p. 238. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (2000). Comprehensive Pictorial and Statistical Record of the 1994 Movie Season. Hal Leonard Corporation. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ Leydon, Joe. "Men Lie", Variety. May 3, 1994. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ Wilmington, Michael. "Premise gouges humor from promising 'One-Eye Jimmy'", Chicago Tribune. July 12, 1996. Section 7, p. N.
- ↑ a b c d Hamill, Denis. "No more mob for Tony Sirico; he plays cop in new flick", New York Daily News. June 12, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ Reid, Beverly M. "'Sopranos' cast flourishes with late blooming actors", NJ.com. September 5, 2002. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Booker, M. Keith; Daraiseh, Isra (2017). Tony Soprano's America: Gangsters, Guns, and Money. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 85. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
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External links
- Tony Sirico at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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- Pages with script errors
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- 1942 births
- 2022 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American people of Italian descent
- Inmates of Sing Sing
- People with dementia
- Male actors from Brooklyn
- New York (state) Republicans
- People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
- People from Flatbush, Brooklyn
- Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)
- 20th-century United States Army personnel
- United States Army soldiers