Robert Michael Iler (; born March 2, 1985) is an American former actor. He is best known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

''. His film roles include ''

Tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

'' (2002), and '' Daredevil'' (2003).

Career

Iler appeared in the video for Marilyn Manson's single "

Dope Hat "Dope Hat" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the promotional single from their debut album, ''Portrait of an American Family''. It was first recorded for a demo tape released in 1992, entitled ''The Family Jams''. ...

" (1995). By mid-1997, he was appearing in commercials for

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert a ...

, and attending three or four auditions a week. He had also appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' and in some film parts, but nothing that brought him great recognition. It was then that he won the role of A.J. Soprano, the son of series lead

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano is a fictional character and the antihero protagonist in the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially late ...

, on the HBO drama ''

'',Levin, Gary (March 30, 2007)
"Gandolfini, Iler sit down for father-son chat"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''. which aired from 1999–2007. By May 2001, he had begun

home schooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

for his education. After the conclusion of ''The Sopranos'' in 2007, Iler largely retired from acting, instead moving to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

to pursue a career as a professional

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

player, where he participated in both official and unsanctioned games. In September 2019, Iler moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he started the

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

''Pajama Pants'' alongside ''The Sopranos'' co-star

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter of S ...

and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

comedian

Kassem G Kassem Gharaibeh ( ar, قاسم الغرايبة; born October 10, 1983) is an American Internet personality and host of ''Attack of the Show!'' His YouTube channel Kassem G hosts several hundred videos, most notably the ''California On'', ''Goin ...

.Mohr, Ian (February 29, 2020)
"‘Sopranos’ co-stars reunite for weekly podcast"
''

Page Six The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

''.

Personal life

Iler struggled with substance abuse, particularly after ''The Sopranos'' ended. He has been sober since 2013. In July 2001, Iler was arrested for the robbery of two teenagers in his

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

neighborhood and for possession of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. He pleaded guilty to a single charge of

larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

and received three years'

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

. He was present on October 23, 2005, when the

underground poker Underground poker is poker played in a venue not operating in accordance with local gaming laws. In many jurisdictions, an unlicensed poker game may still be legal if the game is played in a residence, the host does not profit, and/or the buy-in ...

club Ace Point was raided by the police; however, no charges were filed against him.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Court TV's coverage of Robert Iler robbery case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iler, Robert 1985 births Male actors from New York City American male child actors American male film actors American people of Irish descent American male television actors Living people People from the Upper East Side 21st-century American male actors American people convicted of theft