James Gandolfini

James R. Gandolfini was born on September 18, 1961, in Westwood, New Jersey. Son of Italian-Americans Jumbo Gandolfini and Santa Gandolfini, James grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey where he attended to Park Ridge High School and later graduated in communications at Rutgers University.

Moving to New York City he worked as a bouncer and nightclub manager until he was convinced by a friend to attend acting classes. After studying in the Actors Studio, Gandolfini played a few minor roles on stage until finally make his Broadway debut in 1992 in "A Streetcar Named Desire" starring Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin.

In the same year he made his film debut in Sidney Lumet's "A Stranger Among Us." A year later he was in Tony Scott’s "True Romance" (1993), written by Quentin Tarantino and "Money for Nothing." His following roles were in "Angie" (1994), “Terminal Velocity" (1994) and he worked again with Tony Scott in "Crimson Tide" (1995).

Gandolfini’s presence made him perfect for criminal roles, specially mobsters, a prelude of things to come. He played a stuntman and mobster in "Get Shorty" (1995) and a more sensitive role in "A Civil Action" (1998). One of his best reviewed parts was in "The Mexican" (2001). In the same year he made two more films - "The Last Castle" (opposite Robert Redford) and "The Man Who Wasn't There," written and directed by the Coen brothers.

But his success came along with “The Sopranos,” in which he plays Tony Soprano, the part that finally propelled him to stardom. The series debuted in 1999 and became a huge success. Gandolfini was awarded three Emmys for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his work on the show.