James Gandolfini

Actor

	Happy Birthday September 18, 1961
	Birthplace United States
	Age 51 Years
	Birth Sign Virgo

In the Beginning

James Gandolfini was born on September 18, 1961. He passed away on June 19, 2013. He was born in Westwood, New Jersey. His mother was of Italian ancestry and worked as a lunch lady in a high school. His father, James Joseph Gandolfini Sr., is a native of Borgo Val di Taro, Italy. He worked as a head janitor at the Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, cement mason, and bricklayer. Due to the upbringing of his parents, Gandolfini grew up with a strong sense of his Italian American identity. He was raised as a devout Roman Catholic and even visited Italy on a regular basis. He also had two sisters. Gandolfini started his career on Broadway in the 1992 production of On the Waterfront. He performed for six weeks and managed to get an early film role playing a mob enforcer for a film in 1993 called True Romance.

Career Accomplishments

Gandolfini has won three Emmy's for the “Best Actor in a Drama”. Entertainment Weekly has even listed the actor as the 42^nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time. Gandolfini has also received a number of nominations along with two SAG awards. Gandolfini was also the person responsible for the HBO documentary which focused on Iraq War Veterans and the devotion they had to America. The documentary surveyed the emotional and physical costs of war.

Most Known For

Gandolfini is best known for his performance as Tony Soprano and the famous HBO drama called The Sopranos. He played as a family man and a New Jersey mob boss. Before his death, he also completed two films as well. The first one was called Enough Said, which was a romantic comedy. He even received Best Supporting Actor awards after his death from the Chicago Film Critics Association and Boston Society of Film Critics. Along with several nominations. Gandolfini's final performance for the film was for The Drop which was a crime drama.

Where Is He Now

Unfortunately, Gandolfini died on June 19, 2013, when he was only 51 years old. It happened during a vacation he was taking in Rome, Italy. He had been expecting to travel to Sicily for a couple of days to receive an award at the Taormina Film Fest. His family had spent most of the day sightseeing in the heat. His son, Michael, found him unconscious on the floor of their bathroom at the Boscolo Exedra Hotel. The paramedics were called, but Gandolfini was pronounced dead an hour later after he was found. When an autopsy was done later it was confirmed he had passed away due to a heart attack. The day right after Gandolfini had passed away. The E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen dedicated a performance of “Born to Run” to Gandolfini. His body was returned to the US on June 23, 2013. Michael Kobold, the family spokesman, thanked the American and Italian authors for expediting the reparation process. Four days later Gandolfini's funeral took place at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Morningside Heights, New York. He was cremated later and his ashes were handed over to the family. Image Credit