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01
A shy man, James Gandolfini was uncomfortable with his celebrity status.
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02
During an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio in 1994, Gandolfini revealed he would bang his head against a wall, get little sleep, and put a pointy rock in his shoe to muster anger for The Sopranos.
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03
Upon learning he was the only actor on The Sopranos receiving a cut of DVD sales, he called each cast member into his trailer and wrote them checks for thousands of dollars from his share.
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04
He played the trumpet and saxophone.
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05
At the time of his death, he was on vacation with his son celebrating his son’s graduation from junior high school.
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06
During his struggling actor years, he bartended in Manhattan.
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07
Press-shy, he often declined interviews, believing there were more interesting celebrities to interview.
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08
He was very uncomfortable performing violent scenes on The Sopranos and would sometimes stop mid-shoot when unable to continue.
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09
He said he was nothing like Tony Soprano in real life, describing his own personality as more like a 260-pound Woody Allen.
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10
Despite gaining fame for playing brutal characters, friends and co-stars said he was the opposite: thoughtful, soft-spoken, and all-around nice.
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11
He was considered for the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction 1994, which went to John Travolta.
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12
On June 19, 2013, he suffered a fatal heart attack in Italy, his ancestral nation, at age 51.
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13
He was good friends with John Travolta; John’s father sold tires to his father.
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14
He was voted best-looking in high school.
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15
He lost more than 40 pounds for his role in The Mexican 2001, but had to gain it back for The Sopranos because executives thought the audience wouldn’t like a skinny Tony.
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16
He once worked as a bouncer.
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17
He became close friends with The Sopranos co-star Lorraine Bracco; during her close-ups, he would moon her to try to put her off, as confirmed on Inside the Actors Studio.
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18
He had two children: son Michael Gandolfini born 2000 with first wife Marcy Gandolfini, and daughter Liliana born October 2012 with second wife Deborah Lin.
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19
He was inducted into the 2014 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Arts and Entertainment category.
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20
His parents spoke Italian at home.
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21
The film Her 2013 was dedicated to his memory.
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22
Originally cast as Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can 2002, but dropped out due to The Sopranos.
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23
Though he often played thuggish characters, he was a pacifist off-stage and had reservations about continuing as Tony Soprano due to the violent content and Italian-American stereotyping.
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24
He financed the construction of a restaurant called Vines in Oneonta, New York for his childhood friend Clive Griffiths.
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25
He trained in Krav Maga for 2 and a half years.
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26
He did not start acting until his mid-20s.
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27
His estate was worth $70 million at the time of his death.
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28
He often said Robert De Niro played a considerable role in his decision to become an actor, having grown up watching Mean Streets 1973 repeatedly. In 2013 HBO announced De Niro would replace Gandolfini in the miniseries The Night Of 2016 after his death.
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29
For his role as Eddie Poole in 8MM 1999, he met real porn directors and producers to get a feel for their work and loosely based his character on several.
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30
Nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for God of Carnage.
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31
Considered for the role of Ben Grimm/The Thing in Fantastic Four 2005, which went to Michael Chiklis.
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32
He played Aida Turturro’s father in Romance & Cigarettes 2005 and her brother in The Sopranos.
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33
Attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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34
He first became interested in acting after attending an acting class with a friend, then studied the Meisner technique under Kathryn Gately for two years.
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35
He was in attendance at Chris Penn’s funeral.
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36
Co-starred with John Travolta in five movies: Get Shorty 1995, She’s So Lovely 1997, A Civil Action 1998, Lonely Hearts 2006, and The Taking of Pelham 123 2009.
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37
Co-starred with Brad Pitt in three films: True Romance 1993, The Mexican 2001, and Killing Them Softly 2012.
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38
Co-starred with Denzel Washington in three movies: Crimson Tide 1995, Fallen 1998, and The Taking of Pelham 123 2009.
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39
He strongly disliked doing interviews.
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40
Attended and graduated from Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge, New Jersey in 1979.
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41
Was introduced to acting by friend Roger Bart after accompanying him to a class.
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42
His sister Johanna is a prominent official with the New Jersey Family Court system.
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43
Co-starred with Gene Hackman in three films: Crimson Tide 1995, Get Shorty 1995, and The Mexican 2001.
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44
Appeared in four films directed by Tony Scott: Crimson Tide 1995, The Last Boy Scout 1991, True Romance 1993, and The Taking of Pelham 123 2009.
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45
Named one of E!’s Top 20 Entertainers of 2001.
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46
Became engaged to Lora Somoza in January 2004; broke up amicably in February 2005.
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47
Was friends with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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48
Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, and he were awarded the 2012 Back Stage Garland Award for Ensemble for God of Carnage at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
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49
In Crimson Tide 1995, he refers to Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant, two actors he also references in The Sopranos.
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50
James Gandolfini passed away on June 19, 2013, three months before his 52nd birthday on September 18.
