Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. (; July 29, 1942 – July 8, 2022)
was an American actor. He was best known for his role as
Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
''. He also made numerous appearances in the films of
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
.
Early life
Sirico was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
[ on July 29, 1942, to a family of Italian descent.] He grew up in the East Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods of Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and attended Midwood High School, but did not graduate. Sirico's brother, Robert Sirico
Robert Alan Sirico (born June 23, 1951) is an American Roman Catholic priest, and the founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a political, religious, and cultural commentator. He is ...
, is a Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest and co-founder of the free-market Acton Institute
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an American research and educational institution, or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (with an office in Rome) whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society c ...
.
Sirico was convicted of several crimes and was arrested 28 times, including for disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery, before taking up acting. On February 27, 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant, and found with a .32 caliber .32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of .
.32 in caliber variations include:
* .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), a pistol cartridge
* .32-40 Ballard, an American rifle cartridge
* .32 H&R Magnum, a rimmed ...
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
Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...
.[
According to a court transcript at the time of his sentencing, Sirico was the owner of a discotheque in ]Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, and also had pending charges for criminal possession of a dangerous drug.[ Sirico stated that he was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-convicts during his imprisonment, which inspired him to give acting a try. He appeared in the 1989 documentary '' The Big Bang'' by James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.][ James, Caryn.]
Reviews/Film; Life, Sex, Death and Chaos
, ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. May 11, 1990. Section C, p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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.[ Michael Gazzo was Sirico's first acting coach.] Sirico played gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...
s in a number of films, and made-for-TV films, including ''Goodfellas
''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' W ...
'', '' Mob Queen'', '' Mighty Aphrodite'', '' Love and Money'', '' Fingers'', '' The One Man Jury'', ''Defiance
Defiance may refer to:
Film, television and theatre
* ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander
* ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent
* ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...
'', '' The Last Fight'', '' Innocent Blood'', '' Bullets over Broadway'', '' The Pick-up Artist'', '' Gotti'', '' Witness to the Mob'', ''The Search for One-eye Jimmy
''The Search for One-eye Jimmy'' is a 1994 comedy film written and directed by Sam Henry Kass.
Synopsis
Set in Brooklyn, New York, the movie is the story of a California film student Les (Holt McCallany) who returns to the town in which he grew ...
'', ''Cop Land
''Cop Land'' is a 1997 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro, with Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, ...
'', ''Turn of Faith'', '' Hello Again'', '' Mickey Blue Eyes'', and '' Wonder Wheel''. He also played policemen in the films ''Dead Presidents
''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate and his experienc ...
'' and ''Deconstructing Harry
''Deconstructing Harry'' is a 1997 American black comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Caroline Aaron, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Richard Benjamin, Eric Bogosian, Billy Crystal, Judy Davis and others. The f ...
''. Sirico was a close friend of Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
, and appeared in seven of his films.[
Sirico's most acclaimed acting job was that of ]Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
in David Chase's Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
award-winning drama, ''The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
''. He originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior
Corrado John "Junior" Soprano Jr., portrayed by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character from the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle June", he is the official boss of the DiMeo crime family for most of t ...
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".
In animation, Sirico provided the voice of "Big Daddy" Fairywinkle in ''The Fairly OddParents
''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him ...
''. On ''Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...
'', he voiced the character of Vinny
Vinny or Vinnie is a masculine given name, usually a shortened version of Vincent, Vincenzo, or Vicente, which may refer to:
Vincents
* Vinnie Anderson (born 1979), New Zealand rugby league footballer
* Vinny Appice (born 1957), American rock d ...
, who for three episodes in late 2013 was the family's pet dog, replacing Brian Griffin
H. Brian Griffinas shown in Brian Griffin's House of Payne is a fictional character from the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. An anthropomorphic white labrador retriever voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is one of the show's mai ...
after his death; Brian would later be brought back via time travel. 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". Sirico would later voice characters on Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...
's other animated series ''American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
''.[
In 2018, he reunited with former ''Sopranos'' actors Federico Castelluccio and ]Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...
in ''Sarah Q''.
Personal life
Sirico had two children, Joanne and Richard. In 1999, he and ''Sopranos'' co-star Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...
met with James Clemenza and his brother Jerry, Colombo crime family soldiers, at a Christmas party in Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
. Clemenza was under FBI surveillance at the time.
In 2008, he released a cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
called Paolo Per Uomo.
Sirico died on the afternoon of July 8, 2022, at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 Unit ...
, three weeks before his 80th birthday. No cause of death was given, but he had been diagnosed with dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
some years before his death. Sirico's funeral mass was held at the Basilica of Regina Pacis
The Basilica of Regina Pacis (Latin language, Latin for Queen of Peace) is a Catholic parish church located in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. The church was built as a Votive offering, v ...
, and he was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirico, Tony
1942 births
2022 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Italian descent
Inmates of Sing Sing
Male actors from New York City
New York (state) Republicans
People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
People from Flatbush, Brooklyn
Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)