Who Would’ve Guessed? The Actor Who Performed Paulie on ‘The Sopranos’ Was an Army Vet

Army veteran Tony Sirico managed to build up greater than 80 performing credit, however he’ll at all times be remembered for his defining function as thin-skinned mob enforcer Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on “The Sopranos.”

Sirico died on July 8, 2022, at age 79 at an assisted dwelling facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was reportedly affected by dementia in his remaining years.

Born in New York Metropolis in 1942, Sirico grew up in Brooklyn and was arrested for a string of petty crimes earlier than an arrest for extortion, coercion and felony weapons possession, which landed him in Sing Sing Jail, the place he served for 20 months.

Blondie guitarist Chris Stein grew up close to Sirico and posted on Twitter: “Tony Jr Sirico grew up in my Brooklyn neighborhood. He was an area legend even again then. He hung round Artie’s Pool Corridor on Ave J. He ripped off my squad and me for 50 bucks for weed. True story. RIP.”

By some means, Sirico managed to qualify for Army service within the early Sixties earlier than returning to his life on the streets. After he acquired his break with “The Sopranos,” Sirico was an everyday on USO Excursions. Based on his supervisor Bob McGowen, Sirico was “loyal and beneficiant” and donated to causes that supported veterans.

You’ll be able to see Sirico in minor roles in mob motion pictures like “Goodfellas,” “Mickey Blue Eyes,” “Romeo Is Bleeding” and “Cop Land.” He made visitor appearances on the Netflix sequence “Lilyhammer” (starring fellow “Sopranos” actor Steve Van Zandt) and “Household Man.” He even had small roles in a number of Woody Allen motion pictures, together with “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Everybody Says I Love You,” “Deconstructing Harry,” “Celeb,” “Cafe Society” and “Marvel Wheel.”

In the long run, although, Sirico will at all times be Paulie Walnuts, the useless, insecure, petty, foul-mouthed mob lieutenant who was obsessed along with his fastidiously sculpted coiffure. He might have been simply as a lot a burden as an asset to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), however the mob boss was decided to remain loyal to a person who had been loyal to his late father.

There are dozens of unforgettable Paulie Walnuts moments from “The Sopranos,” however let’s think about this video abstract of his battle with Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) as a very profane and becoming tribute.

Preserve Up With the Greatest in Navy Leisure

Whether or not you are in search of information and leisure, pondering of becoming a member of the army or maintaining with army life and advantages, Navy.com has you coated. Subscribe to the Navy.com e-newsletter to have army information, updates and sources delivered straight to your inbox.

Present Full Article

© Copyright 2022 Navy.com. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

comments