James Gandolfini Death: Sopranos Actor's 5 Most Memorable Roles

Actor had been in Hollywood for decades playing various types of characters

By Lily Harrison Jun 20, 2013 12:00 AMTags
Edie Falco, James Gandolfini, The SopranosAbbot Genser/HBO

It's a sad day in Hollywood.

James Gandolfini has passed away at the age of 51, HBO has confirmed.

The Sopranos actor was reportedly in Italy for the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, where he was scheduled to participate in several events over the weekend.

Gandolfini has had a longstanding acting career from hit films to a groundbreaking series. Here's a look at five of his most memorable roles.

Craig Blankenhorn/HBO

1. The Sopranos: Gandolfini's portrayal of Tony Soprano was absolutely legendary. He went on to win three Emmys for his role during the series' six-season run.

2. True Romance: The actor's breakout performance as the hitman Virgil in the Tony Scott film from a Quentin Tarantino script introduced him to a wider audience.

3. Get Shorty: Gandolfini played the role of Bear in the hit 1995 crime thriller and showed that he could stand his own against Hollywood veteran John Travolta.

4. The Mexican: Starring alongside Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, Gandolfini 's portrayal as Winston Baldry showed off his brilliant comedic timing.

5. Welcome to the Rileys: Gandolfini starred with Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo in the 2010 indie flick which was met with stellar reviews, namely for his role as the patriarch of the Riley family.

What about your favorites? Zero Dark Thirty? The Man Who Wasn't There? Something else? Sound off in the comments.