Tony Sirico
| Tony Sirico | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sirico in 2010 | |
| Born |
Genaro Anthony Sirico, Jr. July 29, 1942 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. (born July 29, 1942)[1] is an American actor, best known for his role as Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in The Sopranos.
Early life
Sirico was born Genaro Anthony Sirico, Jr. in New York City, New York on July 29, 1942.[1]
Before turning to acting, he was convicted of several crimes and had been arrested 28 times.[2][3] In 1967, he was sent to prison for robbing a Brooklyn after-hours club, but was released after serving thirteen months. In 1971, he pleaded guilty to felony weapons possession and was sentenced to an "indeterminate" prison term of up to four years, of which he ended up serving 20 months. He has said that during his imprisonment, he was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-convicts, which inspired him to give acting a try.[4] According to a court transcript, at the time of his sentencing, he also had pending charges for drug possession.[5] He appeared in a 1989 documentary about life, The Big Bang, by James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.
Career
Sirico has played gangsters in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Bullets over Broadway, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, Cop Land, Turn of Faith, Hello Again, and Mickey Blue Eyes.
He also played policemen in the films Dead Presidents and Deconstructing Harry. Sirico's most acclaimed acting job was that of Paulie Gualtieri in David Chase's Emmy award winning drama, The Sopranos. Recently, he told the host of a Las Vegas radio show he would be playing the role of an ill-tempered high school football coach in an upcoming comedy for children called Sports Heaven. He is currently set to star in the upcoming drama Zarra's Law, written and produced by Joseph Scarpinito for Scarpe Diem Productions.
In late 2013, he voiced the character of Vinny Griffin, who was the family's pet dog in Family Guy (replacing Brian Griffin after his death; Brian would later be saved via time travel two episodes after Vinny's debut).[6] Sirico also made a cameo in the episode "Stewie, Chris, & Brian's Excellent Adventure, where he threatens Stewie, who had insulted Italians, calling them "ridiculous people".
Personal life
Sirico's brother Rev. Robert Sirico is a Catholic priest and co-founder of the free-market Acton Institute.[7]
Sirico has stated that he is a Republican.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Godfather Part II | Extra | Unconfirmed; uncredited |
| 1978 | Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell | Frankie Rio | |
| Fingers | Riccamonza | ||
| The One Man Jury | Charlie Nuts | ||
| 1980 | Defiance | Davey | |
| 1981 | So Fine | Associate | |
| 1982 | Love & Money | Raoul | |
| 1983 | Exposed | Thief | |
| The Last Fight | Frankie | ||
| 1987 | The Galucci Brothers | Galucci Brother | |
| The Pick-up Artist | Patsy Cabaluso | ||
| Hello Again | Tough Guy | ||
| 1989 | White Hot | Luke | |
| Cookie | Carmine's Wiseguy | ||
| The Big Bang | Himself | Documentary | |
| 1990 | Catchfire | Greek Guy | |
| Goodfellas | Tony Stacks | ||
| 1991 | 29th Street | Fortunado | |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | Jacko | |
| 1993 | New York Cop | Mr. C | |
| Romeo Is Bleeding | Malacci | ||
| 1994 | Men Lie | Porno Witness | |
| Bullets over Broadway | Rocco | ||
| The Search for One-eye Jimmy | Snake | ||
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Officer Spinelli | |
| Mighty Aphrodite | Boxing Trainer | ||
| Melissa | Jack | ||
| Dearly Beloved | Mr. Bedutz | Short film | |
| 1996 | Everyone Says I Love You | Escaped Convict | |
| 1997 | Hoodlum | Driver | |
| Deconstructing Harry | Police Officer | ||
| Cop Land | Toy Torillo | ||
| The Deli | Tony | ||
| 1998 | Mob Queen | Joey "The Heart" Aorta | |
| Celebrity | Lou DeMarco | ||
| 1999 | Mickey Blue Eyes | Risolli Guard | |
| 2000 | It Had to Be You | Ricky Valentino | |
| 2001 | Smokin' Stogies | Tony Batts | |
| 2002 | Turn of Faith | Jimmy | |
| 2008 | The Sno Cone Stand Inc | Bob Beasley | |
| 2009 | Karma Calling | G | |
| 2010 | Skate | Skate | Short film |
| 2012 | Jersey Shore Shark Attack | Captain Salie | |
| 2013 | Super Athlete | Coach Lou | |
| Zarra's Law | Tony Zarra | ||
| Family on Board | Rocco | Short film | |
| 2014 | Friends and Romans | Bobby Musso | |
| 2016 | Café Society | Vito | |
| 2017 | Untitled Woody Allen project | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Kojak | Greek God | Episode: "Case Without a File" |
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Poker Player | Episode: "Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)" |
| 1989 | Miami Vice | Frank Romano | Episode: "Fruit of the Poison Tree" |
| Perfect Witness | Marco | Television film | |
| 1992 | In the Shadow of a Killer | Tony Andretti | Television film |
| 1996 | Cosby | Teddy | Episode: "Happily Ever Hilton" |
| Gotti | Joe Dimiglia | Television film | |
| 1998 | Witness to the Mob | Thomas Gambino | Television film |
| Vig | Locasso | Television film | |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri | 86 episodes |
| 2005 | The Fairly OddParents | Big Daddy | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Mobster | TV special |
| 2010 | Chuck | Matty | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Fake Name" |
| Medium | Big Daddy | Episode: "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" | |
| 2013–2014 | Lilyhammer | Tony Tagliano | Episodes: "2.8: Ghosts" and "3.8: Loose Ends" |
| 2013 | Nicky Deuce | Charlie Cement | Television film |
| 2013-2016 | Family Guy | Vinny Griffin/Vinny | Voice; Episodes: "Life of Brian", "Into Harmony's Way", "Christmas Guy", "The Boys in the Band" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Sopranos: Road to Respect | Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri | Voice |
Awards and nominations
References
- 1 2 "Tony Sirico Biography". The Biography Channel/A+E Networks. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (July 15, 1990). "A Real Tough Guy: Tony Sirico's rap sheet: 28 arrests and 27 acting jobs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Artie's Goose Is Coked", New York Post, May 2, 2006
- ↑ Rothstein, Mervyn (March–April 2001). "The Sopranos: Mob Rule - The wiseguys of HBO's The Sopranos take a shot at another season of the award-winning show". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ↑ From Sing Sing to Bada Bing, thesmokinggun.com, accessed July 17, 2007.
- ↑ Family Guy's Shocking Death: Boss Reveals Why They Decided to Kill Off (Spoiler)!
- ↑ "Acton Institute Press Releases". Acton.org. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ↑ Olsham, Jeremy (July 16, 2004). "'Soprano' Makes a Killing For Bush".