Whatever Happened To The Cast Of The Sopranos
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
When "The Sopranos" made its HBO debut back in 1999, it was truly a TV drama unlike anything viewers had seen before. James Gandolfini was an experienced character actor but hardly a star when he was cast as Tony Soprano, a New Jersey suburbanite whose job as a Mafia boss placed him in the crosshairs of the FBI, competing mobsters, and even his mother (the late, great Nancy Marchand), who schemed to have her own son whacked. Understandably, Tony experienced enough angst, anxiety, and agita to send him to a therapist (Lorraine Bracco) who tried to help him understand his own mind but didn't have much impact on changing his criminal ways.
The show ran for six critically acclaimed seasons following the travails of both his nuclear family and his Mafia one, the latter an eccentric array of made guys with memorable names like Paulie Walnuts and Big Pussy. Along the way, viewers witnessed multiple whackings, Tony's existential conversation with a talking fish, and a controversial series finale that continues to dredge up heated debates. Were fans sad to see it end? Fuhgeddaboudit.
Ultimately, the show went on to transcend its small-screen origins to become a bona fide cultural phenomenon that spawned a cookbook, fan conventions, and even bus tours to New Jersey locations where scenes were filmed. In 2024, the series celebrates its 25th anniversary — so what better time than right now to find out what happened to the cast of "The Sopranos."
James Gandolfini tragically died at age 51
For James Gandolfini, playing Tony Soprano was a game-changing role that catapulted him to a variety of other roles. Clearly, Gandolfini could have had his choice of gangster roles, yet he chose parts that demonstrated his versatility instead. As a result, his post-"Sopranos" roles included playing a documentary filmmaker in the HBO movie "Cinema Verite," the director of the CIA in "Zero Dark Thirty," and a flamboyant Vegas stage magician in the Steve Carell comedy "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone." Perhaps his most memorable later performance, though, came in the poignant comedic love story "Enough Said," in which he starred alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
In the summer of 2013, Gandolfini was vacationing in Rome with his son Michael Gandolfini, then 14, when he tragically suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 51.
Gandolfini left an eclectic body of work highlighted by his indelible performance on "The Sopranos." Interestingly, Gandolfini was able to posthumously pass the baton to his son, who played the young Tony in the prequel movie "The Many Saints of Newark," written and directed by "Sopranos" creator David Chase. "To me, he was just my dad, my goofy, lovely dad," the actor's son told Page Six. "My memories on set are of me in the trailer doing my homework. And my dad would walk in and sit on a chair in his robe [while I was] just doing my homework. I was just happy to be with him and hang out with him."
Lorraine Bracco ventured to HGTV
After six seasons playing Dr. Jennifer Melfi on "The Sopranos," Lorraine Bracco remained an in-demand actor, appearing in guest spots on such TV series as "Lipstick Jungle" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." In 2010, she joined the cast of "Rizzoli & Isles," playing Angela Rizzoli — mother of series co-lead Angie Harmon's Jane Rizzoli — for all seven seasons. Subsequently, she landed roles in the TV series "Blue Bloods," voiced a character in Disney's 2020 live-action remake of "Pinocchio," and appeared in few TV movies.
In 2020, her career made an unexpected left turn when she starred in her own series for HGTV: "My Big Italian Adventure," which chronicled her home-renovation adventures after purchasing a fixer-upper in Sicily — for which she paid just €1. The impetus for the purchase came from an article she'd read about the 1 Euro House Project, in which the owners of dilapidated houses in Italy agree to essentially give the property to new owners with the wherewithal to bring them back to their past glory. She had her work cut out for her. "It was from scratch," she told The Washington Post. "There was nothing, there was no water, no electricity, no roof. The walls were caving in. No kitchen."
Another challenge lay in the simple fact that Bracco was a novice at DIY home renovation. "I'm not a contractor. I'm not a decorator. I'm an actress," she told HGTV. "I have no idea what I'm really getting into!"
Edie Falco went on to star in several TV shows of her own
Playing mob wife Carmela Soprano on "The Sopranos" put Edie Falco on Hollywood's radar, and when the show ended, she quickly made the leap to leading roles (she was still starring on "The Sopranos," in fact, when she was cast in a TV adaptation of the film "Fargo" that didn't make it to series.
After "The Sopranos," Falco busied herself by appearing in a few indie films and the occasional TV guest spot before starring in Showtime's "Nurse Jackie," in which she played a nurse who juggled her demanding job with being a wife and mother — and struggling with substance abuse. The series was a hit, ultimately running for seven seasons until its cancellation. Subsequent TV projects included comedian Louis C.K.'s online series "Horace and Pete," NBC's "Law & Order," and the CBS crime drama "Tommy," in which she played Abigail "Tommy" Thomas, the LAPD's first female chief of police. She then portrayed Hillary Clinton in "American Crime Story," and then the mom of "Saturday Night Live" alum Pete Davidson's character in his quasi-autobiographical comedy series "Bupkis." On the big screen, she played a general in director James Cameron's big-budget blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water."
According to Falco, "The Sopranos" is responsible for all of it. "I started out as just another actress struggling in New York City and somehow I fell into a pile of gold that was this show," she told The A.V. Club.
Michael Imperioli won acclaim for The White Lotus
Playing doomed mobster Christopher Moltisanti in "The Sopranos" not only won Michael Imperioli an Emmy Award but also opened some big doors for him. The same year the series ended, he starred in the TV movie "Mitch Albom's For One More Day" and followed that up with a series regular role in the time-travel police drama "Life on Mars." He subsequently starred in another cop show, "Detroit 1-8-7" and then landed a recurring role in "Californication." His next series were "Mad Dogs," "Alex, Inc." and "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector."
In 2022, he played a vacationing sex addict who tries to hide his dalliance with a local sex worker from his son and father in critically HBO comedy series "The White Lotus." He almost didn't land the part, however, after botching his audition. As Imperioli told Backstage, he hadn't seen the series' first season and didn't get the right tone of the dark comedy, which was about the class distinctions between the 1% and those who serve them at a luxury resort. "The first go-around, I really missed out on the humor and how the humor interplays with the tragedy," he explained.
In addition to acting, Imperioli has also become an author with the publication of his debut novel, "The Perfume Burned His Eyes." He subsequently teamed up with former "Sopranos" co-star Steve Schirripa for their book, "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of 'The Sopranos.'"
Steven Van Zandt is still rocking with the Boss (and kind of launched Netflix)
Playing mobster Silvio Dante on "The Sopranos" was the first acting role for Steven Van Zandt, who at that point was better known for playing guitar in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Van Zandt's "Sopranos" role led to a unique acting opportunity with "Lillyhammer," in which he played a New York mobster who goes into witness protection and chooses to relocate to Lillehammer, Norway.
How he became involved in the series is nearly as wild as the plotlines in the show itself. As Van Zandt told Netflix's Tudum, he was mixing a record in Norway when he was told a couple wanted to meet him. "I go down, and it's a husband and wife, Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad, and they say, 'Hello, we are comedy writers in Norway, and we wrote a TV show for you.' Now, you don't hear that every day, all right?" he recalled. Debuting in 2012, "Lillyhammer" wound up running for two seasons and made history as the first-ever original series to stream on Netflix.
While his acting output has diminished considerably since "Lillyhammer" ended (a few voice roles for animated projects, a bit part in Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman"), he's had his hands full touring with Springsteen, various musical side projects, and hosting shows for his SiriusXM radio channel, Little Steven's Underground Garage. His memoir, "Unrequited Infatuations," was published in 2021.
Robert Iler retreated from acting
"The Sopranos" was only the second screen credit for Robert Iler, who was just 12 when he began portraying Tony Soprano's son, Anthony "A.J." Soprano. As Iler recalled during an appearance on the "Sopranos"-themed podcast, "Pod Yourself a Gun," he felt safe and protected on the set, courtesy of one of his co-stars. "Once we did, like, the second or third episode, like, Tony Sirico just came over to me and he's like, 'Hey, uh, if anyone ever ... bothers you, or anybody says anything, you tell Uncle Tony, okay?'" Iler recalled.
While Iler appeared in a few other TV guest spots during the run of "The Sopranos," since the series ended, he's had just one screen credit, on a 2009 episode of "Law & Order." As it turned out, that role was taken reluctantly; according to Iler, he accepted the job in order to avoid jury duty.
As Iler explained during an appearance on "Talking Sopranos," the podcast hosted by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, Iler revealed that his retreat from the spotlight has been entirely his decision. A part of that, he revealed, was because he's aware that whatever he does next will never compare to "The Sopranos." "For me, I was extremely spoiled with my first thing," he said. "It was perfect." After the show ended, Iler supported himself as a semi-professional poker player but dialed that back when he realized that lifestyle had been feeding his addiction issues.
Tony Sirico's Hollywood career ended with his death in 2022
Arguably no "Sopranos" character was more memorable than Paulie Gualtieri, aka Paulie Walnuts, the finicky, eccentric mobster played to perfection by Tony Sirico. Prior to "The Sopranos," he landed bit parts in film and TV — pretty much exclusively as a mafioso — but his professional world expanded after the series ended. His "Sopranos" role led to TV guest spots in such series as "Chuck," "Medium," and "The Grinder," in addition to a role in Woody Allen's "Café Society" and lending his voice to several episodes of "Family Guy."
Of all the members of the cast, Sirico was likely the most familiar with the world in which "The Sopranos" was set. According to The Sun, Sirico had 28 arrests on his record, the first occurring when he was just 7 years old. "I was a pistol-packing guy," Sirico told the Los Angeles Times. "The first time I went away to prison, they searched me to see if I had a gun — and I had three of 'em on me." And while the extent of Sirico's actual mob connections remains murky, "Sopranos" creator David Chase has revealed that Sirico agreed to play the role under one condition — that his character would never become a rat.
Sirico died in 2022 at a Florida assisted living facility at the age of 79.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler found further TV success after receiving a devastating diagnosis
Like her TV brother Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler was a novice at television acting when she was cast as Meadow Soprano on "The Sopranos." Unlike Iler, she continued to pursue acting after the series ended. That included guest spots on TV series ("How I Met Your Mother," "Entourage," and "Ugly Betty," for example), and made-for-TV movies.
What fans didn't know was that Sigler, while still starring on "The Sopranos," had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "I was only 20 years old and otherwise very healthy. I was in a moment where my career was flourishing," she told Forbes. The reason she waited so long to go public with her diagnosis, she explained, was because she didn't want her MS to take focus right as her career was taking off after the end of "The Sopranos." "I think out of fear and self-preservation," she said of why she didn't reveal her MS sooner.
Sigler's first marriage ended in divorce, but in 2016, she wed Major League Baseball player Cutter Dykstra, son of Mets legend Lenny "Nails" Dykstra. "I don't know if there's enough ways that I can describe my gratitude for him," she told People of her husband. "He's made himself available to me in every way that I've needed support." In 2023, she and Iler reunited to launch their own podcast, "Not Today, Pal."
Dominic Chianese followed his musical muse
Dominic Chianese's screen credits extended back to 1964 before he was cast in what became his breakout role, playing Corrado "Junior" Soprano in "The Sopranos." While Uncle Jun remains Chianese's signature role, he'd previously appeared in such film classics as "Dog Day Afternoon," "All the President's Men," and "The Godfather Part II," in which he memorably portrayed mobster Johnny Ola.
After "The Sopranos" concluded, Chianese appeared in a few more critically acclaimed TV series, playing shadowy Stuart Zedeck on legal thriller "Damages," power broker Leander Whitlock on "Boardwalk Empire," and Judge Michael Marx on "The Good Wife." His most recent TV role was in the short-lived 2019 series "The Village."
Chianese was in his 70s when he launched a new career as a singer, releasing his debut album, "Ungrateful Heart," in 2003. While that may have seemed like an unexpected pursuit for those who only knew him as an actor, the truth is that he was a singer long before he started acting, performing musically when he was just a teenager. "I eventually got into theater, but music has always been my first love," Chianese said in an interview with the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation. As he explained, back in the early 1980s he began volunteering his talents by singing for seniors at care facilities, a practice he continued as the years went by. "Performing for senior citizens is important to me now," he said. "I'm a senior citizen, too."
Drea de Matteo joined OnlyFans
Known to fans of "The Sopranos" as Adriana La Cerva, girlfriend of "Christofuh" (until an unfortunate car ride with Silvio, that is), Drea de Matteo was in high demand after "The Sopranos" wrapped. Her next role was a high-profile one, playing the sister of Matt LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani on "Joey," a "Friends" spin-off that bit the dust after two seasons. After appearing in several films, she then joined the cast of "Desperate Housewives" as new Wisteria Lane resident Angie Bolen during the series' sixth season. She then appeared in a recurring capacity on FX biker drama "Sons of Anarchy" (a role she reprised in the spinoff "Mayans M.C.") and was a series regular on the Jennifer Lopez cop show "Shades of Blue."
While de Matteo continued to work steadily in film and television in the years after "The Sopranos," in 2023, she announced she was joining OnlyFans, serving up racy content for anyone willing to cough up a $15 monthly subscription fee. While she received criticism, she revealed the reason behind her decision to go that route was that acting roles had dried up in recent years due to her refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. "People find that hard to believe that I was never really paid very much money for any of the jobs I've done," de Matteo told Fox News. "People think I'm f***ing made of gold, and I'm not. I've worked job to job."
Aida Turturro was on SVU, The Blacklist, and Hallmark Channel
Aida Turturro portrayed Tony's sister, Janice Soprano (who'd renamed herself Parvati after joining an ashram in California) throughout the series' run. Since then, she's maintained a steady presence in film and television. This included numerous TV guest spots over the years on series such as "ER," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Grey's Anatomy," and "What We Do in the Shadows." She also reunited with her TV sister-in-law Edie Falco when she guested on "Nurse Jackie." As Turturro told Monsters & Critics, the two have stayed in touch since "The Sopranos" ended. "Edie and I are good friends," she said. "I'll see her and hang with her a lot."
In addition, she's also held recurring roles on "The Blacklist," as embezzling accountant Heddie Hawkins, and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portraying Judge Felicia Catano. On the big screen, Turturro has appeared in films such as "Making a Killing," "Head Full of Honey," and "Call Jane." She's also joined the Hallmark Channel family, appearing as a matchmaking mom in the 2020 rom-com "Just One Kiss."
"I had never done a Hallmark movie before, but I'm a big Christmas girl and so I love Hallmark Christmas movies," Turturro told Monsters & Critics. "One day, I want to be in a Hallmark Christmas movie."
Steve Schirripa appeared on Blue Bloods and launched a Sopranos podcast
Steve Schirripa played Bobby Baccalieri, aka Bobby Bacala, throughout the six-season run of "The Sopranos." His character often served as comic relief on the show, which shouldn't be surprising considering that he's also a stand-up comic who continues to perform in New York comedy clubs.
Post-"Sopranos," he joined the cast of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," remaining with the series throughout its 2008 to 2013 run. In 2015, he was cast as investigator Anthony Abetemarco on CBS crime drama "Blue Bloods," appearing in 130 episodes and counting. In the midst of that, he also managed to guest star on several other TV series (including "Ugly Betty," "The Soul Man," and "Stargate Atlantis") as well as a few movies. He's also ventured into voice acting, with credits including Disney's "Planes: Fire & Rescue," and co-written the books "A Goomba's Guide to Life" and "Big Daddy's Rules: Raising Daughters Is Tougher Than I Look."
Despite all those acting roles, "The Sopranos" continues to loom large for him. That's apparent from the book he co-authored with former co-star Michael Imperioli, "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of 'The Sopranos,'" and the podcast they've hosted together since 2020, "Talking Sopranos." In the fall of 2023, they announced they were taking their show on the road with a series of live "Talking Sopranos" shows, joined by their former co-star Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore.