James Gandolfini
September 18, 1961, Westwood, NJ -- June 19, 2013, Rome, Italy
I'm a huge James Gandolfini fan, and an even bigger Tony Soprano fan. I admit it: I love shows about bad guys, especially when the storytelling is excellent, the acting amazing, and the scripts laced with humor. From day one, I was hooked on "The Sopranos," and so was Vann. We used to always make sure to keep our Sunday evening free so as not to miss an episode.
Thus when the report came out yesterday that James Gandolfini had died of a heart attack while on vacation in Italy, I was crushed. He was one of the best actors ever. He didn't so much act as he "became" his character. He was method at its finest. He put stones in his shoes or went without sleep for a couple of nights when he had a violent scene coming up. He could do dark humor like no actor ever. He could make you love a character whose evil far outshone his loveability.
And now he's gone. There will be no more memorable rolls (Bear in "Get Shorty" comes to mind). Fortunately he left behind a long list of credits, some minor rolls and some major. But to me, James Gandolfini will remain now and forever Tony Soprano.
Since the series ended with lights out as Tony and his family gather at Holsten's for dinner, there has been much speculation as to what happened. Did Tony join Big Pussy with the fishes or Christopher in the cemetary? Did a hit man come through the door wielding an AK-47 and mow down the whole family (except for Meadow who had finally got her car parallel parked and was running across the street)? Did the swarthy looking man who went to the bathroom come back with a hand gun he had found behind the toilet tank and put a bullet in Tony's forehead? Was there a bomb in the table's onion rings?
Everybody has his opinion as to just what happened in that final scene. But it doesn't matter. James Gandolfini's excellent acting has given us the assurance that Tony Soprano will be around for generations to come.
Thank you, sir. And may you rest in peace.
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On 06/20/2013, Sue said ...
We are also. It is sad to see him leave us so soon. Love the Spranos.
On 06/20/2013, Barbara Anne said ...
Like you put so very well, rest in peace, Tony/James. You'll be missed. Thank you for leaving us The Sopranos and your other film credits so we can continue to visit with you from time to time.
Hugs!
On 06/20/2013, Sue said ...
I agree. He was and always will be Tony Soprano. My husband and I didn't have HBO so we waited for the disk sets to come out and we would watch one episode every Friday night to savor it and make it last. I heard too, that he was a really nice, generous person, too
On 06/23/2013, Flatlander (Linda) said ...
He was a great actor and an even greater person ... RIP
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