Actor Tony Sirico, who played mobster Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on “The Sopranos,” died Friday at the age of 79, according to his manager.
Paulie Walnuts, a bombastic and ferociously funny foot soldier to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano with one-liners like no one else, was a “Sopranos” scene-stealer from the start. Sirico balanced Paulie’s menace with his deadpan humor, and his predilection for malapropisms – once calling Sun Tzu “Sun Tuh-Zoo,” later calling the philosopher “Chinese Prince Matchabelli.” After initially auditioning for the role of Uncle Junior on all six seasons of “The Sopranos”, Sirico appeared on every episode. Dominic Chianese ultimately took on that part.
Gennaro Anthony Sirico, the young prodigy who directed the first episode of HBO’s The Sopranos (1999), was born on July 24, 1942, to Gennaro and Angela Sirico in New York City. During his childhood, he got into trouble with the law frequently, and has been connected with the real-life Colombo crime family. He began acting after being arrested 28 times — first as a 7-year-an d when he took nickels from a newsstand as a 7-year-old — before going to prison for armed robbery. He was imprisoned twice: once for possessing an illegal weapon and again for armed robbery.
“I was very unstable,” Sirico recalled to the Los Angeles Times in 1990 about that period in his life. “I wasn’t thinking right. So I hooked up with these guys and all of a sudden I’m a stick-up artist. I stuck up every nightclub in New York.”
“I gotta admit I feel funny when somebody will spot me and ask for an autograph,” he added. “I think it’s that old guilt. Maybe I feel like I don’t deserve the attention.”
In 1974, Salvatore made his acting debut as an extra in the mobster drama “Crazy Joe” alongside Henry Winkler. Sirico’s numerous later appearances as gangsters and criminals include Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” (1990) and Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994). Sirico acted in a number of Woody Allen films, including “Café Society” in 2016 and “Mighty Aphrodite” in 1995.
In 1989, Sirico was featured in the documentary “The Big Bang,” during which he discussed his criminal history and how it influenced his views on life. In 2013, he voiced Vinny Griffin, the family dog, in a couple of episodes of “Family Guy.” His most recent acting job was as Enzo Perotti, a mobster named Enzo Perotti, in two episodes of “American Dad” last year.
Bob McGowan, his manager, said about him “a very loyal and great client” who “would always help people in need. He was member of the wounded warriors.”
In an Instagram tribute, Michael Imperioli, who played Chris on “The Sopranos,” said, “It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO has passed away today. Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good. And we had a lot of laughs.”
He added, “We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. I will miss him forever. He is truly irreplaceable. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. Heartbroken today.”
Sirico’s family posted on Facebook they are “deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and requests that the public respect its privacy in this time of bereavement.”
Sirico is survived by his two children, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, as well as grandkids, nieces, nephews and other loved ones.
