| James Gandolfini  Born: 18-Sep-1961
Birthplace: Westwood, NJ
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Tony Soprano wants his money James Gandolfini is an American actor. He was born and raised in New Jersey, just like his best-known character, the baby-faced mob boss on The Sopranos.
Gandolfini got a degree in communications from Rutgers, and in his early 20s tagged along with a friend to an acting lesson, where he learned he liked acting. He studied at New York's Actors Studio, but supported himself primarily as a bouncer, bartender, and night club manager in Manhattan for ten years, before his first Broadway role, a small part in A Streetcar Named Desire. He got small roles in some films, and first made an impression on audiences as the philosopher hitman in True Romance. He was also featured in a TV remake of Twelve Angry Men, and had a mid-size role in John Travolta's A Civil Action, before auditioning for the lead in The Sopranos.
He liked the script, and told himself "I could kick this [character] right in the ass, but I'll never get cast. They'll hire some fucking pretty boy... you know, one of these Irish-looking guys who are all over TV now." Instead they hired Gandolfini. In March 2003, Gandolfini held out for a huge raise, and production of the show's fifth season was postponed. HBO offered him $11 million for 13 episodes; Gandolfini wanted $27 million. According to media accounts, HBO threatened to sue Gandolfini for breach of contract, and he settled for the $11 million offer.
When he filed for divorce from Marcy Gandolfini in 2002, she reportedly responded in court papers by listing "more than two dozen names of those she believes James did drugs with, including a number of Sopranos buddies". In the settlement, she got both their adjoining condos in New York's West Village, worth upwards of $2 million.
He stole The Mexican from Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, and also appeared in Crimson Tide, Get Shorty, and its sequel Be Cool. Gandolfini also plays a mean trumpet. Father: (janitor)
Mother: (lunchroom attendant)
Sister: Johanna Gandolfini
Wife: Marcy Wudarski (m. Mar-1999, div. Dec-2002)
Son: Michael Gandolfini (b. 1999)
Girlfriend: Lora Somoza ("Assistant to the director," The Mexican)
Mistress: Cynthia DeMoss (according to her)
High School: Park Ridge High School, Park Ridge, NJ (1979)
University: New Brunswick College, NJ
University: BA Communications, Rutgers University (1983)
Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in TV Series (Drama), The Sopranos 2000
Golden Globe Male Actor in TV Drama Series, The Sopranos 1999
unknown detox facility Apr-2000
Driving While Intoxicated Beverly Hills Sep-1997
Italian Ancestry
Risk Factors: Obesity
TELEVISION
The Sopranos Tony Soprano (1999-2007)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
All the King's Men (10-Sep-2006)
Lonely Hearts (30-Apr-2006)
Romance & Cigarettes (6-Sep-2005)
Surviving Christmas (22-Oct-2004)
The Last Castle (19-Oct-2001)
The Man Who Wasn't There (13-May-2001)
The Mexican (2-Mar-2001)
8MM (19-Feb-1999)
A Civil Action (25-Dec-1998)
The Mighty (2-Jun-1998)
Fallen (16-Jan-1998)
Dance with the Devil (31-Oct-1997)
12 Angry Men (17-Aug-1997)
She's So Lovely (15-May-1997)
Night Falls on Manhattan (19-Mar-1997)
The Juror (02-Feb-1996)
Get Shorty (20-Oct-1995)
Crimson Tide (12-May-1995)
Terminal Velocity (09-Sep-1994)
Angie (4-Mar-1994)
Mr. Wonderful (15-Oct-1993)
True Romance (10-Sep-1993)
Money for Nothing (10-Sep-1993)
A Stranger Among Us (17-Jul-1992)
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