Veteran actor Tony Sirico, famous for his role as Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on the hit HBO series The Sopranos, has died. Per Deadline, the actor’s death was announced on Friday by by his Sopranos co-star Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti in the gangster drama. Sirico was 79 years old and just weeks shy of turning 80.
“It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great Tony Sirico has passed away today,” Imperioli said in the announcement. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good. And we had a lot of laughs. 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."
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He added, “I will miss him forever. He is truly irreplaceable. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. Heartbroken today.”
Sirico was active as an actor for decades, though he is best known for his role in The Sopranos. He appeared in the series from 1999 to 2007 with over 70 episodes. Sirico also lent his voice to the character for the 2006 video game adaptation The Sopranos: Road to Respect. The series is one of the most popular in the history of HBO and a big thanks to that goes to its solid cast, including Sirico.
Tony Sirico Has Had Many Roles in Film and Television
Born in 1942, Tony Sirico had been a bit of a career criminal with nearly 30 arrests in the years before he turned to acting and completely changed his life around. His first notable role in a feature film was playing an extra in 1974’s Crazy Joe. Often playing Italian gangsters, Sirico went on to appear in movies like Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, Innocent Blood, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, Cop Land, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Wonder Wheel. He had also been cast in the upcoming films Respect the Jux and Super Athlete.
On the small screen, Sirico has a memorable voice role playing Vinny Griffin on the animated series Family Guy. The canine character was introduced as the replacement for the family dog, Brian, who was seemingly killed off in a major episode before time travel brought him back. Sirico also played himself in a live-action cameo for the Family Guy episode “Stewie, Chris, & Brian’s Excellent Adventure” where he admonishes Stewie for insulting Italians, followed by another cameo in the episode “The Boys in the Band.” His other television credits include Kojak, Miami Vice, Cosby, The Fairly OddParents, Chuck, Medium, Lilyhammer, Taxi Brooklyn, The Grinder, and American Dad!.
At this time, our condolences go out to Sirico’s loved ones. May his memory live on forever. Rest in peace, Tony Sirico.
