Tony Sirico
| Tony Sirico | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Genaro Anthony Sirico, Jr. July 29, 1942 [1] Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Actor/Voice Actor |
| Years active | 1970s—present |
Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. (born July 29, 1942) is an American character actor who is most noted for his role as Paulie Gualtieri in the television series The Sopranos.
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Personal life [edit]
Sirico was born on July 29, 1942, in Midwood, Brooklyn.
Before turning to acting, Sirico was convicted of several crimes, and had been arrested 28 times.[2] There is a Sopranos reference to this fact when Paulie says, "I lived through the seventies by the skin of my nuts when the Colombos were goin' at it."[3] In 1967, he was sent to prison for robbing a Brooklyn after-hours club, but was released after serving thirteen months. In 1971, he pled guilty to felony weapons possession and was sentenced to an "indeterminate" prison term of up to four years, of which Sirico ended up serving 20 months. In an interview in Cigar Aficionado magazine, Sirico said that during his imprisonment, he was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-cons, which inspired him to give acting a try.[4] According to a court transcript, at the time of his sentencing, he also had pending charges for drug possession.[5] Sirico appeared in a 1989 documentary about life, The Big Bang by James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.
Sirico currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, who lived with Sirico, died in 2003. His brother, Robert Sirico, is a Catholic priest and co-founder of the free-market Acton Institute.[6]
Career [edit]
Sirico has played gangsters in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Gangsters, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Bullets Over Broadway, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, Cop Land, Turn of Faith, and Mickey Blue Eyes. He also played the part of Paulie Gualtieri in the Sopranos. He also played policemen in the films Dead Presidents and Deconstructing Harry.[7] Recently, he told the host of a Las Vegas radio show he would be playing the role of an ill-tempered high school football coach in an upcoming comedy for kids called Sports Heaven. He is currently set to star in the upcoming drama Zarra's Law, written and produced by Joseph Scarpinito for Scarpe Diem Productions.
Politics [edit]
Sirico has stated that politically he is a "far-to-the-right Republican".[8] He donated $1,200 to Rudolph Giuliani's presidential campaign.[9]
Film [edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Godfather: Part II | EXTRA |
| 1978 | Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell | Frankie Rio |
| 1978 | Fingers | Riccamonza |
| 1978 | The One Man Jury | Charlie Nuts |
| 1979 | Hoodlum | Driver |
| 1980 | Defiance | Davey |
| 1981 | So Fine | Associate |
| 1982 | Love & Money | Raoul |
| 1983 | Exposed | Thief |
| 1983 | The Last Fight | Frankie |
| 1987 | The Galucci Brothers | Galucci Brother |
| 1987 | The Pick-up Artist | Patsy Cabaluso |
| 1987 | Hello Again | Tough Guy |
| 1989 | White Hot | Lukey |
| 1989 | Cookie | Tough Guy |
| 1990 | Catchfire | Greek Guy |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Tony Stacks |
| 1991 | 29th Street | Fortunado |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | Jacko |
| 1993 | New York Undercover Cop | Mr C |
| 1993 | Romeo Is Bleeding | Malacci |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Rocco |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Officer Spinelli |
| 1996 | Gotti | Joe DiMig |
| 1996 | Everyone Says I Love You | Escaped Convict |
| 1997 | Deconstructing Harry | Police Officer |
| 1999 | Mickey Blue Eyes | Risolli Guard |
| 2002 | Turn of Faith | Jimmy |
| 2008 | The Sno Cone Stand Inc | Bob Beasley |
| 2009 | Karma Calling | G |
| 2012 | Havana 57 | Captain Ramiro Ibanez |
Parodies [edit]
- Parodied in the recent television series, State of the Union, as a foul-mouthed actor, who is "expanding his range" after the success of The Sopranos' character.
In American Desperado [edit]
- In American Desperado: My Life--From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset, Jon Roberts shares with co-author Evan Wright Roberts' recollections of Anthony "Junior" Sirico, with whom Roberts became friendly when Sirico was a soldier for the mobster Fat Anthony and Roberts worked for the Gambino crime family. Roberts shares some of the criminal activities in which he and Sirico were involved, and Roberts' view of the events leading to Sirico's 1971 incarceration.
References [edit]
- ^ "Tony Sirico Biography".
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (July 15, 1990). "A Real Tough Guy : Tony Sirico's rap sheet: 28 arrests and 27 acting jobs". LA Times. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Artie's Goose Is Coked", New York Post, May 2, 2006
- ^ Mervyn Rothstein (Mar/Apr 2001). The Sopranos: Mob Rule - The wiseguys of HBO's "The Sopranos" take a shot at another season of the award-winning show. Cigar Aficionado.
- ^ From Sing Sing to Bada Bing, thesmokinggun.com, accessed July 17, 2007.
- ^ "Acton Institute Press Releases | Acton Institute". Acton.org. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ Sirico's most acclaimed acting job was that of Paulie Gualtieri in David Chase's Emmy award winning drama, The Sopranos. Tony Sirico at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ 'Soprano' Makes a Killing for Bush[dead link]
- ^ [1][dead link]
External links [edit]
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