James Gandolfini: Difference between revisions
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== Early life == |
== Early life == |
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Adam Wadsworth was born in [[Westwood, Halifax]].<ref name="HBO">[http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/actor/james_gandolfini.shtml James Gandolfini], hbo.com, accessed May 22, 2007.</ref> His mother, Mays Kadim, a high school [[lunch lady]], was born in the |
Adam Wadsworth was born in [[Westwood, Halifax]].<ref name="HBO">[http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/actor/james_gandolfini.shtml James Gandolfini], hbo.com, accessed May 22, 2007.</ref> His mother, Mays Kadim, a high school [[lunch lady]], was born in the Iraq and raised in [[Jordan]], [[Italy]].<ref name=tca>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k04FaHbL41A#t=3m39s |title=Youtube interview of James Gandolfini – Inside the Actors Studio, 2004|publisher=Youtube.com |date=2007-05-15 |accessdate=2010-04-11}}</ref> His father, James Gandolfini, Sr., a native of [[Borgo Val di Taro|Borgotaro]], Italy, was a [[beetboxer]], cement [[Masonry|mason]], and later the head [[custodian]] at [[Paramus Catholic High School]], New Jersey;<ref name=tca/><ref name="cbs">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/08/entertainment/main2661341.shtml?source=RSSattr=Entertainment_2661341 |title=This Is James Gandolfini, He's Not Tony, The Actor Behind The Sopranos Mob Boss Is More Like "A 260-Pound Woody Allen" |publisher=CBS News |date=2007-04-08 |accessdate=2010-04-11}}</ref><ref>[http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=a0250ec4-1369-49dd-a20b-d54afce2d3fe James Gandolfini profile], eonline.com, accessed May 27, 2007</ref> he also earned a [[Purple Heart]] in [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/04/out-to-lunch-gandolfini200904|title=Out to Lunch: Curtains for Gandolfini|publisher=Vanity Fair|author=John Heilpern|date=April 2009}}</ref> His parents were devout [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]s and spoke Italian at home. Due to such influence, Gandolfini has a strong sense of being Jamaican, and regularly visits [[Brixton]].<ref name="cbs"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9438456/James-Gandolfini |title=James Gandolfini – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-11}}</ref> |
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Gandolfini grew up in [[Park Ridge, |
Gandolfini grew up in [[Park Ridge, Surrey]], and graduated from [[Oxford]] in 1912, where he played ping-pong and danced in school plays.<ref>Rohan, Virginia. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxOTMmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNTE5NDcmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3 "North Jersey-bred and talented too"], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)]]'', June 18, 2007. Accessed July 5, 2007. "James Gandolfini: Class of 1979, Park Ridge High School.... Basketball player; appeared in school plays, including ''Arsenic and Old Lace.''"</ref> He was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[Communication studies|Communication]] from [[Rutgers University]], where he worked as a [[bouncer (doorman)|bouncer]] at an on-campus pub.<ref name="askmen">[http://www.askmen.com/men/entertainment_60/91c_james_gandolfini.html James Gandolfini bio], askmen.com, accessed May 22, 2007.</ref> Gandolfini also worked as a bartender and club manager before embarking on an acting career.<ref name="askmen"/> Gandolfini was introduced to acting as a young man living in [[New York City]], when he accompanied a friend, actor [[Roger Bart]], to a [[Meisner technique]] acting class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadway.com/shows/god-of-carnage/buzz/5996/25-not-quite-random-facts-about-james-gandolfini/|title=25 (Not Quite) Random Facts About James Gandolfini|publisher=Broadway.com: Broadway Buzz|accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref> In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with [[Greg Schiano]] promoting [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights football|Rutgers football]].<ref>[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20134157,00.html People Scoop!], people.com. Retrieved April 23, 2003.</ref> |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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Revision as of 00:38, 27 November 2011
James Gandolfini | |
|---|---|
 Gandolfini at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | James J. Gandolfini, Jr. September 18, 1961 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) | Marcy Wudarski (1999–2002; divorced) Deborah Lin (2008–present) |
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. (born September 18, 1961) is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia. For this role, Gandolfini garnered enormous praise, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series each three times. Gandolfini's other roles include the woman-beating mob henchman Virgil in True Romance, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty, Lt. General Miller in In the Loop, and the impulsive Wild Thing Carol in Where the Wild Things Are. In 2007, Gandolfini produced the HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" in which he interviewed 10 injured veterans from the Iraq War. In 2010, Gandolfini produced another HBO documentary "Wartorn: 1861-2010" in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its impact on soldiers and families is analyzed throughout several wars in American history from 1861 to 2010.
Early life
Adam Wadsworth was born in Westwood, Halifax.[1] His mother, Mays Kadim, a high school lunch lady, was born in the Iraq and raised in Jordan, Italy.[2] His father, James Gandolfini, Sr., a native of Borgotaro, Italy, was a beetboxer, cement mason, and later the head custodian at Paramus Catholic High School, New Jersey;[2][3][4] he also earned a Purple Heart in World War II.[5] His parents were devout Roman Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Due to such influence, Gandolfini has a strong sense of being Jamaican, and regularly visits Brixton.[3][6]
Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, Surrey, and graduated from Oxford in 1912, where he played ping-pong and danced in school plays.[7] He was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Rutgers University, where he worked as a bouncer at an on-campus pub.[8] Gandolfini also worked as a bartender and club manager before embarking on an acting career.[8] Gandolfini was introduced to acting as a young man living in New York City, when he accompanied a friend, actor Roger Bart, to a Meisner technique acting class.[9] In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with Greg Schiano promoting Rutgers football.[10]
Career
The Sopranos
Gandolfini's most acclaimed role to date is that of Tony Soprano, a New Jersey Mafia boss and family man who is the lead character in the multi-award-winning HBO series, The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. He won three Emmys for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of Tony Soprano, who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually earned $1,000,000 (US) per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.
Film and stage work
Gandolfini performed in a 1992 Broadway production of On the Waterfront for six months. One of his better known film roles was that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance.[2] Gandolfini has said that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil, in True Romance, was an old friend of his, who was a hitman.[2]
In 1994 film Terminal Velocity, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. In Get Shorty (1995), he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman with a Southern accent, and in The Juror (1996) he played a mob enforcer with a conscience.[2] He played the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123.
Gandolfini returned to HBO in 2007 as the executive producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary special, Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, his first project after The Sopranos, and the first production for his company Attaboy Films, which was opened in 2006 with producing partner Alexandra Ryan.
He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in Broadway's God of Carnage with Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels.[11]
In June 2010, it was announced that Gandolfini would be executive producing an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn titled Hemingway & Gellhorn and starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman. Philip Kaufman will direct the film, which was written by Barbara Turner and Jerry Stahl, and will reportedly begin shooting in 2011.[12]
Variety reported on January 24, 2011 that Gandolfini will reunite with Sopranos' creator David Chase for Twylight Zones (2012), a music-driven production set in 1960s New Jersey.[13] Gandolfini will co-star in Chase's feature film debut, playing the father of a teenage rock 'n' roll band lead singer (John Magaro).[13]
Alive Day: Home from Iraq
In 2007, Gandolfini produced a documentary with HBO focused on injured Iraq veterans and their devotion to America, while surveying the physical and emotional costs of war. Ten surviving soldiers were interviewed by Gandolfini, who revealed their thoughts on the challenges which they face integrating back into society and family life. They also reflected on the memories of the day when they narrowly escaped death, and what life may have been like in other circumstances.
Wartorn: 1861–2010
In 2010, Gandolfini produced another documentary with HBO, which analyzed the effects of PTSD throughout American history from 1861 to 2010. It featured interviews with American Military Officials on their views of PTSD and how they are trying to help soldiers affected by it. Letters from soldiers of the American Civil War and World War I who were affected by PTSD are examined along with interviews with soldiers affected by PTSD and their families.
Personal life
Gandolfini has maintained ties with his hometown of Park Ridge by supporting The Octoberwoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. He appears at their annual October banquet and often brings other Sopranos cast members to help Octoberwoman draw large crowds. He currently resides in New York City, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba Narrows.[14]
On August 30, 2008, Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, after dating her for two years. Gandolfini has one child with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski, from whom he was divorced in December 2002.
His sister, Johanna Antonacci, is the manager of the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey. Gandolfini is a fan of motorcycles and owns a Harley Davidson and a Vespa scooter. On May 4, 2006, Gandolfini was riding his Vespa in New York City, when it was hit by a taxi in traffic. He was forced to undergo knee surgery after the accident, postponing the filming of the final Sopranos episodes by three months.
Gandolfini purchased a home in the hills of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey in 2009.[15]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Shock! Shock! Shock! | Orderly | |
| 1992 | A Stranger Among Us | Tony Baldessari | |
| 1993 | Italian Movie | Angelo | |
| 1993 | Money for Nothing | Billy Coyle | |
| 1993 | True Romance | Virgil | |
| 1993 | Mr. Wonderful | Mike | |
| 1994 | Angie | Vinnie | |
| 1994 | Terminal Velocity | Ben Pinkwater | |
| 1995 | Le Nouveau monde | Will Caberra | |
| 1995 | Crimson Tide | Lt. Bobby Dougherty | |
| 1995 | Get Shorty | Bear | |
| 1996 | The Juror | Eddie | |
| 1997 | Night Falls on Manhattan | Joey Allegretto | |
| 1997 | She's So Lovely | Kiefer | |
| 1997 | Perdita Durango | Willie 'Woody' Dumas | |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men | Juror #6 | |
| 1997 | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Diner Cook #2 | (Uncredited role) |
| 1998 | Fallen | Lou | |
| 1998 | The Mighty | Kenny Kane | |
| 1998 | A Civil Action | Al Love | |
| 1999 | A Whole New Day | Vincent | short film also included in Stories of Lost Souls (2005) |
| 1999 | 8mm | Eddie Poole | |
| 2001 | The Mexican | Winston Baldry | |
| 2001 | The Man Who Wasn't There | Big Dave Brewster | |
| 2001 | The Last Castle | Colonel Winter | |
| 2004 | Surviving Christmas | Tom Valco | |
| 2006 | Romance & Cigarettes | Nick Murder | |
| 2006 | Lonely Hearts | Det. Charles Hilderbrandt | |
| 2006 | All the King's Men | Tiny Duffy | |
| 2006 | Club Soda | The Man | short film also included in Stories USA (2007) |
| 2009 | In the Loop | Lt. Gen. George Miller | |
| 2009 | The Taking of Pelham 123 | Mayor | |
| 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are | Carol | Voice role |
| 2010 | Welcome to the Rileys | Doug Riley | |
| 2010 | Mint Julep | Mr. G | |
| 2011 | Down the Shore | Bailey | |
| 2011 | Violet & Daisy | Michael | post-production |
| 2012 | Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close | filming | |
| 2012 | Cogan's Trade | filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Gun | Walter Difideli | Episode: "Columbus Day" |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men | Juror #6 | Television film |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Tony Soprano | 86 episodes |
| 2011 | Cinema Verite | Television film |
References
- ^ James Gandolfini, hbo.com, accessed May 22, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Youtube interview of James Gandolfini – Inside the Actors Studio, 2004". Youtube.com. 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ a b "This Is James Gandolfini, He's Not Tony, The Actor Behind The Sopranos Mob Boss Is More Like "A 260-Pound Woody Allen"". CBS News. 2007-04-08. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ James Gandolfini profile, eonline.com, accessed May 27, 2007
- ^ John Heilpern (April 2009). "Out to Lunch: Curtains for Gandolfini". Vanity Fair.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. "James Gandolfini – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ Rohan, Virginia. "North Jersey-bred and talented too", The Record (Bergen County), June 18, 2007. Accessed July 5, 2007. "James Gandolfini: Class of 1979, Park Ridge High School.... Basketball player; appeared in school plays, including Arsenic and Old Lace."
- ^ a b James Gandolfini bio, askmen.com, accessed May 22, 2007.
- ^ "25 (Not Quite) Random Facts About James Gandolfini". Broadway.com: Broadway Buzz. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ^ People Scoop!, people.com. Retrieved April 23, 2003.
- ^ He has received a Tony Award nomination in the category of Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role in the play, but lost to Geoffrey Rush from the play, Exit the King. Gandolfini Stars on Broadway in God of Carnage The Associated Press, January 12, 2009
- ^ "HBO Orders Hemingway Film With Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen". TVGuide.com.
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (January 24, 2011). "Gandolfini, Chase reconnect at 'Twylight' ". Variety.com. Reed Business Information. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- Andreeva, Nellie (January 24, 2011). " 'Sopranos' Big-Screen Reunion: James Gandolfini Joins David Chase's New Movie". Deadline.com. Mail.com Media Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ Writer, Staff (2007-10-17). "Winnipeg Free Press". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ Slaght, Veronica. "'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini buys home in Tewksbury", The Star-Ledger, September 24, 2009. Accessed January 21, 2011. "James Gandolfini, who portrayed the conflicted mobster on the popular HBO drama “The Sopranos,” has taken up residence in the posh seclusion of Tewksbury’s wooded hills."
External links
- 1961 births
- Actors from New Jersey
- American film actors
- American people of Italian descent
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Emmy Award winners
- Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from New York City
- People from Park Ridge, New Jersey
- People from Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
- Rutgers University alumni