Celebrity Biographies
Tony Sirico
He gave life to the witty mobster Paulie, Tony’s hitman in the memorable series “The Sopranos.” Actor Tony Sirico died on July 8, 2022, at age 79. ” It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great Tony Sirico, passed away today. Tony was loyal and with a big heart. I was by his side through many things – through thick and thin. But Above all, good. And we laugh a lot,” Michael Imperioli, co-star in the HBO series, wrote on social networks.
Born on July 29, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. –his full name– was part of the real-life Colombo crime family during his youth. He was arrested 28 times during his youth, and served time for possession of an illegal weapon, and armed robbery.
Already rehabilitated, Tony Sirico began his journey as an actor with Crazy Joe , from 1974, where he already gave life to a gangster. He reprized similar characters in titles such as Martin Scorsese ‘s Goodfellas and Woody Allen ‘s Bullets Over Broadway , which again recruited him to Mighty Aphrodite and Cafe Society .
In The Sopranos he first auditioned to play Uncle Junior, but was recruited to play Paulie, which made him a very popular face. “I feel weird when I go down the street and people ask me for autographs. I feel guilty about my dark past and I think I don’t deserve so much attention,” Tony Sirico confessed in an interview.