Tony Sirico

Tony Sirico, the character actor best known as Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri in HBO's 'The Sopranos,' died Friday at age 79, his manager confirmed.

“After all the times I was pinched, I knew every judge in town,” Sirico told The Times in 1990. “I feel good about what I’ve accomplished,” he said in 1990. “I was a tough kid. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. “I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. “It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO has passed away today,” wrote Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti on the lauded series.

"Sopranos' star Tony Sirico passed away Friday, according to his co-star Michael Imperioli.

"I saw them, and right there and then I knew what I wanted to do. "I grew up in Bensonhurst, where there were a lot of Mob-type people. And we had a lot of laughs," Imperioli wrote in his post.

The actor, who appeared in all six seasons of The Sopranos alongside James Gandolfini, died on Friday morning, his family said.

I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano, said Sirico was “tough and strong, yet sweet and a real artist” and that she was “lucky to have known” him. “I will miss him forever. “A stand up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents.” Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti on the show, said he was “heartbroken” and that he was proud to have done “a lot of my best work” with Sirico. “He was a very loyal client of 25 years and he’s an ex-army vet and always gave to charities,” McGowan told PA.

Actor played the much-loved Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri in six seasons of the HBO classic.

I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. "I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. And we had a lot of laughs. "I will miss him forever. "We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. The actor said he was "heartbroken" and that he was proud to have done "a lot of my best work" with Sirico.

Family and co-stars have paid tribute to the actor who was revealed to have passed away on Friday evening. Tony's brother announced the sad news via social ...

He was beloved and will never be forgotten. "I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. Another wrote: "So many blessings to him as he makes his way, and to you and yours." And we had a lot of laughs. He is truly irreplaceable.

The actor, who appeared in all six seasons of The Sopranos alongside James Gandolfini, died on Friday morning.

The show’s creator David Chase instead offered him the role of Paulie Gualtieri, which Sirico accepted with the condition that his character “would not become a rat”. We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. I will miss him forever.” And we had a lot of laughs.

The actor, known for his portrayal of Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri, died at an assisted living facility in Florida on Friday, aged 79.

He was a phenomenal actor and an even better man. You will be missed.” “I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. And we had a lot of laughs. “RIP the great Tony Sirico,” he said, sharing what appeared to be a cartoonised picture of the actor. “He was a great guy, nothing like his character on the Sopranos.” “He was always Uncle Tony to me, and Tony always showed up for me and my family. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, who starred as Tony Soprano, said Sirico was “one of a kind”. “A stand up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known,” he said, sharing a picture of the pair on Instagram. The cast of the Sopranos have led tributes to the “truly irreplaceable” Tony Sirico, who was described as “nothing like his character” in the hit HBO show.

Actor Tony Sirico, known for his role as Paulie Walnuts on "The Sopranos," died at age 79, his manager confirmed to media outlets.

“In our neighborhood, if you weren’t carrying a gun, it was like you were the rabbit during rabbit-hunting season.” Sirico was a natural fit for the part, having grown up in the Italian mob world himself. “I will miss him forever.”

Los Angeles (AP) -- Tony Sirico, who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in “The Sopranos” and brought his tough-guy swagger to films ...

The actor, who appeared in all six seasons of The Sopranos alongside James Gandolfini, died on Friday morning, his family said.

I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano, said Sirico was “tough and strong, yet sweet and a real artist” and that she was “lucky to have known” him. “I will miss him forever. “A stand up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents.” Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti on the show, said he was “heartbroken” and that he was proud to have done “a lot of my best work” with Sirico. “He was a very loyal client of 25 years and he’s an ex-army vet and always gave to charities,” McGowan told PA.

The actor, known for his portrayal of Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri, died at an assisted living facility in Florida on Friday, aged 79.

He was a phenomenal actor and an even better man. You will be missed.” “I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. And we had a lot of laughs. But certainly not a Zen master. “RIP the great Tony Sirico,” he said, sharing what appeared to be a cartoonised picture of the actor. “He was always Uncle Tony to me, and Tony always showed up for me and my family. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, who starred as Tony Soprano, said Sirico was “one of a kind”. “Tony was a jewel,” he said in a statement shared with the PA news agency. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known,” he said, sharing a picture of the pair on Instagram. The cast of the Sopranos have led tributes to the “truly irreplaceable” Tony Sirico, who was described as “nothing like his character” in the hit HBO show.

Actor Tony Sirico, who played the lovable but murderous gangster Paulie Walnuts on the HBO series "The Sopranos" and was frequently cast in Woody Allen ...

... I knew right away this was a role to kill for." Sirico often played Italian-American mobsters, including a small part in "Goodfellas," Martin Scorsese's popular and critical hit from 1990. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

'He was beloved and will never be forgotten,' said co-star Michael Imperioli.

In 1971, he was sentenced to four years in prison for extortion, coercion and felony weapons possession. Sirico, born in New York City on 29 July , 1942, grew up in the Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighbourhoods where he said “every guy was trying to prove himself. He was arrested 28 times for offences including disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known.

Actor Tony Sirico, who is best known for playing henchman Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri on HBO's "The Sopranos," has died, according to his manager ...

"Tony Sirico was one of the kindest, fiercely loyal, and heartfelt men that I've ever known," he wrote. He was a phenomenal actor and an even better man." "He was always Uncle Tony to me, and Tony always showed up for me and my family. "I said, 'Give me the bad news.' He said, 'You didn't get Uncle Junior. But I have something in mind. . "I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. And we had a lot of laughs."

The cast of the Sopranos have led tributes to actor Tony Sirico, aka Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri, who has died at the age of 79.

I have a lifetime of memories with Tony— starting with Goodfellas to The Sopranos and way beyond— but my God, did we have fun doing the Bensonhurst Spelling Bee—I’m still laughing. He was a phenomenal actor and an even better man.’ He will be sorely missed by the HBO family.’ ‘Sending love to everyone of you… My Heart goes out to Tony’s family. You will be missed.’ The actor ‘was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known. ‘And we had a lot of laughs. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. And Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, who starred as Tony Soprano, said Sirico was ‘one of a kind.’ He is truly irreplaceable. He went on: ‘I will miss him forever.

Tony Sirico, who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including Goodfellas, ...

And I knew I had the (guts) to stand up and (bull) people," he told the Times. "You get a lot of practice in prison. "I had both," he told the Los Angeles Times in a 1990 interview, calling himself "unstable" during that period of his life. Sirico, born July 29, 1942, in New York City, grew up in the Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods where he said "every guy was trying to prove himself. I used to stand up in front of these cold-blooded murderers and kidnapers — and make 'em laugh." In his last stint behind bars, in the 1970s, he saw a performance by a group of ex-convicts and caught the acting bug. That included helping ex-soldiers' causes, which hit home for the Army veteran, his manager said.

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He touched many with his gift and my heart goes out to his family, his friends, and all of his fans. Sirico is survived by his daughter Joanne, his brother Robert, and a number of grandchildren. “He was a phenomenal actor and an even better man,” wrote Gandolfini of Sirico. “Tony was one of a kind. Sirico was not subtle, but somehow, he was nuanced.” We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. I will miss him forever. His former co-stars have been amongst those making tributes to Sirico. Michael Imperioli, who shared many scenes with Sirico as Christopher Moltisanti, said that “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known.

Sirico played a major role in the HBO drama that started in 1999 and became an influential hit early in the era of prestige television.

... I knew right away this was a role to kill for." Sirico often played Italian-American mobsters, including a small part in "Goodfellas," Martin Scorsese's popular and critical hit from 1990. Sirico also took a comic turn voicing the talking dog Vinny on the animated show "Family Guy."

Tony Sirico, who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including Goodfellas, ...

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A familiar face in Woody Allen movies, the actor became widely know for his portrayal of Paulie Walnuts on the hit HBO series.

“I was this 30-year-old ex-con villain sitting in a class filled with fresh-faced, serious drama students,” Mr. Sirico recalled in the Daily News interview. Mr. Sirico followed that with more than a decade of small television and movie roles, capped by his part as the flashy mobster Tony Stacks in “Goodfellas” (1990). He brought at least one admirable lesson from the mob world to “The Sopranos.” He insisted that his character never be portrayed as a rat, someone who would snitch on his crime family. He was a boxing trainer in “Mighty Aphrodite” (1995), an escaped convict in “Everyone Says I Love You” (1996), a matter-of-fact jailhouse cop in “Deconstructing Harry” (1997) and a gun-toting gangster on Coney Island in “Wonder Wheel” (2017). Once “The Sopranos” hit the air in 1999, it became enormously and widely popular. “When I watched them, I said to myself, ‘I can do that,’” he told The Daily News in 1999. When the “Sopranos” cast appeared in a group shot on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2001, Paulie stood with a baseball bat casually slung over his right shoulder. He worked in construction for a while but soon yielded to temptation. Paulie was the kind of guy who would participate in an intervention for a drug addict, and when it was his turn to speak, punch the guy in the face. There was an air about them that was very intriguing, especially to a kid.” He hated being stuck with an almost $900 restaurant check but could appreciate a tasty ketchup packet on a cold night in the Pine Barrens when there was nothing else to eat. He appeared in several of them, beginning with “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994), in which he played the right-hand man of a powerful gangster turned theater producer.