Tony Sirico was an actor best known for his starring role on “The Sopranos” as “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri.
- Died: July 8, 2022 (Who else died on July 8?)
- Details of death: Died at an assisted living home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the age of 79.
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Acting career
Sirico didn’t initially seem destined for a life as an actor – instead, he was a criminal, arrested many times on charges including assault, robbery, and felony weapons possession. It was when he was serving twenty months of a four-year sentence at New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility that he was inspired to act after watching a performance by a troupe of visiting actors – themselves all ex-convicts. After being released from prison in the early 1970s, Sirico began acting, with early roles including an uncredited performance in “The Godfather Part II.” He had small roles in “Goodfellas” and “Romeo Is Bleeding,” and he was cast in a number of Woody Allen films, including “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” and “Wonder Wheel.” Sirico’s most prominent role came when he auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior on “The Sopranos but was cast instead as Paulie Walnuts, a close associate of Tony Soprano. Sirico’s other TV appearances included “Miami Vice” and “Medium” as well as voice roles on “The Fairly OddParents,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad.”
Notable quote
“When I look in the mirror in the morning, I don’t know if I’m lookin’ at Tony or Paulie. We got cross-pollinated, so I take what happens to Paulie personally. …Paulie’s my Siamese twin.” –from a 2002 interview for the New York Daily News
Tributes to Tony Sirico
Full obituary: The New York Times
