His sister Johanna is a prominent official with the New Jersey Family Court system.
Graduated from Park Ridge High School, Park Ridge, New Jersey (1979).
Attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
He plays the trumpet and saxophone.
Although he often plays thuggish or brute characters, he is actually somewhat of a pacifist off-stage; he had reservations about continuing his production contract as Tony in "The Sopranos" (1999) due to the show's violent content and stereotype of Italian-Americans.
TV mobster James Gandolfini turned to the right side of the law when he saw a woman being mugged in his native New York recently. Gandolfini plays Mob wiseguy Tony Soprano in hit TV show The Sopranos. So passers-by were shocked to see the tough-guy step in and rescue a woman when she was knocked down and had her bag snatched whilst walking down a dimly lit street. [November 2001]
Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001."
Originally cast in the Carl Hanratty role in Catch Me If You Can (2002) but had to drop out due to the Sorpranos.
Financed the construction of a restaurant called Vines in Oneonta, New York for his childhood pal Clive Griffiths, who needed the money to launch it. Griffiths has since paid him back, and then some.
Used to bartend in Manhattan during years as struggling actor.
Lost more than 40 pounds for his role in The Mexican (2001), but had to gain it all back before shooting for the HBO series _"Sopranos, The" (1999)_ because executives didn't believe the audience would like a "skinny" Tony.
Well trained in Krav Maga, (an Israeli style of Martial Arts) which he practiced for 2 1/2 years.
In Crimson Tide, James refers to Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant, two actors he also references in The Sopranos.
Became engaged to Lora Somoza [January 2004]
Says he is nothing like Tony Soprano in real life, describing his own personality as being more like a "260-pound Woody Allen."
Has co-starred with John Travolta in four movies: Get Shorty (1995), She's So Lovely (1997), A Civil Action (1998), and Lonely Hearts (2006).
Was voted "best-looking" in high school
Is friends with former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani.
Once worked as a bouncer.
For his role as Eddie Poole in 8mm, Gandolfini met a variety of real porn directors and producers to get a feel for there line of work and to get a taste of their personalities, and is said to have loosely based his character on several of them.
In "Crimson Tide" he played an officer on the U.S.S. Alabama. In "True Romance", he beats up a woman named Alabama, played by Patricia Arquette.
Italian-American
Became engaged to Lora Somoza in January 2004. Broke up, amicably, in February 2005.
James Gandolfini Detailed Biography
James Gandolfini has made his mark in a wide range of roles in more than 20 motion pictures. He most recently completed work on the feature Romance & Cigarettes, opposite Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, for director John Turturro, with Joel and Ethan Coen producing. He also wrapped the fifth season of HBO's award-winning drama The Sopranos, in which he stars in the central role of Tony Soprano. His portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano has brought him three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He has also won three Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, including two for Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series and one shared with The Sopranos' cast for Outstanding Ensemble Cast.
Gandolfini's additional film credits include the Coen brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There; Rod Lurie's The Last Castle, in which he starred with Robert Redford; Gore Verbinski's The Mexican, with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts; Joel Schumacher's 8MM, with Nicolas Cage and Joaquin Phoenix; Steven Zaillian's A Civil Action, starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall; Peter Chelsom's The Mighty, opposite Sharon Stone; William Friedkin's Twelve Angry Men, for Showtime; Nick Cassavetes' She's So Lovely, starring Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn; Gregory Hoblit's Fallen, with Denzel Washington; Sidney Lumet's Night Falls On Manhattan, with Andy Garcia and Lena Olin; Brian Gibson's The Juror, starring Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore; Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty, starring John Travolta and Danny DeVito; Tony Scott's Crimson Tide, starring Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington; French director Alain Corneau's Le Nouveau Monde; Terminal Velocity, with Charlie Sheen; Martha Coolidge's Angie, starring Geena Davis; and True Romance, which marked his first film with Tony Scott.
Born in Westwood, New Jersey, Gandolfini graduated from Rutgers University before beginning his acting career in the New York theatre. He made his Broadway debut in the 1992 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, with Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.
