By 
The heart of The Sopranos is the outstanding cast that brought all of our famously flawed mobsters and their loved ones to life. Considering how big the cast is and how many different sets of characters interacted with each other, it’s not hyperbolic to claim creator David Chase and his team got to work with perhaps the most cohesive and talented list of actors in television history.
While everyone deserved several more shots at fame after the show ended in 2007, the stars of The Sopranos have had varying amounts of professional success since. So where are they now? Some have semi-retired, while others have appeared in other award-winning dramas. Let’s check in with all of New Jersey’s finest!
James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini is the crème de la crème of TV actors. The Westwood, New Jersey native redefined excellence on the small screen as Tony Soprano and left a template for all others who followed in his wake. His intensity, psychotic eyes, and bellowing voice belied a soft-spoken demeanor in real life.
Gandolfini didn’t get much of a chance to add to his legacy after the show. He passed away in a hotel room in Rome in 2013 at the age of 51. He went back to playing supporting roles in films such as Zero Dark Thirty and Killing Them Softly, but his authenticity shined through in a documentary he produced about American soldiers who fought in Iraq titled Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq.
Edie Falco
Edie Falco is maybe the only actress from The Sopranos who might still be among TV’s upper echelon even without playing Carmela Soprano. After delivering fiery fights and emotional outpourings like no other, Falco switched to the medical profession in Nurse Jackie. Jackie Peyton is much different than Carmela. She struggles with drugs and the intensity of a hospital atmosphere, but Falco brings the same intensity as before. On the big screen, Falco played a small part in Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022.
Lorraine Bracco
Thanks to her iconic role as mob wife Karen Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Lorraine Bracco was one of the most well-known names going into The Sopranos. Wisely, she advocated to play Tony’s shrink Dr. Jennifer Melfi rather than rehashing a Karen-esque performance. Since The Sopranos signed off in 2007, Bracco has kept a relatively low dramatic profile but working consistently in TV projects like Blue Bloods, BoJack Horseman, and Jerk.
Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli has embedded himself in The Sopranos’ lore for many more reasons than just his indelible performance as Christopher Moltistanti. Imperioli has always been fascinated by the process of how the series was made, from his days directing episodes of the show to his Talking Sopranos podcast with castmate and friend Steve Shirripa. Imperioli was often typecast as just a mobster early in his career, but his most recent role was a return to HBO as a wealthy serial cheater in season 2 of The White Lotus!
Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo was style and substance personified as Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos. Her tragic character arc displayed the issues that arise when a mob wife stays too close to the hits and the crime. She has always been brilliant at playing characters who have much more beneath the surface than expected. Her best role since Adriana was as another criminal’s significant other, Wendy Case, on Sons of Anarchy. Outside of television, de Matteo has gone viral for her decision to make an OnlyFans account and her appearances talking politics on Fox News.
Nancy Marchand
Nancy Marchand was already a TV fixture when she was cast as Livia Soprano. Years on Lou Grant next to Ed Asner served as a wonderful audition for her role on The Sopranos. Marchand died only 21 episodes into the series, a tragic passing that changed more than a couple of plot decisions on the show. Had Marchand lived, the writing team would have most likely continued fleshing out the cantankerous mommy issues that stressed Tony’s mental health throughout the first two seasons.
Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro is a force of nature no matter what screen she’s on. She catapults into The Sopranos as Janice, Tony’s loud-mouthed sister, in season 2 and changes the family dynamics of the Soprano clan. Turturro hasn’t been a main character since the series ended, instead littering her resume with guest spots on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Blue Bloods, and Law & Order: SVU.
John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia played one of the toughest roles on The Sopranos. Artie Bucco was an accomplished chef, but his jealousy of Tony and the other mobsters ruined his personal life and confidence. It was a complicated character that should have spurred Ventimiglia to further success, and he did get two more recurring roles on Blue Bloods and Jessica Jones.
Tony Sirico
Tony Sirico brought real-life organized crime experience to The Sopranos, but it was his comedic timing and chemistry with James Gandolfini and Michael Imerioli that made him an unforgettable part of the series. After playing Paulie Walnuts, Sirico went on to voice Vinny the greyhound on Family Guy and mobster Enzo Perotti on American Dad. He passed away just short of 80 years old in 2022.
Steven Van Zandt
Stevie Van Zandt got the role of Silvio Dante after originally trying out for Tony Soprano. Creator David Chase went with Gandolfini (the correct call), but he didn’t want Van Zandt’s bad-boy aesthetic to go to waste. The E Street Band musician looked the part of a mobster, but he also turned into a great actor, too. Van Zandt still tours with Bruce Springsteen and isn’t shy about giving political commentary on social media. His biggest role after The Sopranos was the lead role in Netflix’s Lilyhammer, another mobster show in which Van Zandt’s appearance and mannerisms felt eerily similar to Silvio’s.
Dominic Chianese
Dominic Chianese was chosen to play Uncle Junior in part based on his appearance in The Godfather Part II a quarter-century before The Sopranos. What a decision this was, as Chianese provided remarkable supporting scenes next to James Gandolfini and Nancy Marchand. Chianese enjoys a steady musical career even into his 90s and was most recently Leander Whitlock on Boardwalk Empire. This period piece shares a lot of DNA with The Sopranos, namely through Steve Buscemi and Terence Winter.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Watching Jamie-Lynn Sigler evolve as an actress was one of the best aspects of The Sopranos. As Meadow’s personality changed and the writers gave her more storylines, it felt like Sigler might become a star after the show ended. She hasn’t had another big role yet, appearing in minor guest spots on shows such as Ugly Betty, Beef House, and most recently Big Sky, a network vehicle that became a home for her in its last season on ABC. Sigler gets along well with her on-screen brother, Robert Iler, and they have a podcast reminiscing about The Sopranos titled Not Today Pal.
Robert Iler
A.J. Soprano may be annoying to a lot of The Sopranos’ fans, but watching Robert Iler grow up on the show has created a soft spot for his portrayal of Tony’s son. Unlike many other child actors who struggle to find their place in the world after a big role, Iler has gone quietly about his business. He plays poker and talks about the show with his on-screen sister, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, on the aforementioned podcast, Not Today Pal. Iler is essentially retired, as he hasn’t appeared in a series or film since an episode of Law & Order in 2009. His cameo in a Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial in 2022 was a nice surprise, as well!
Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore’s Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero didn’t last too long on The Sopranos but he burned brightly. To this day, Tony’s childhood best friends remains of the character’s most associated with the mob aspects of the show. Since embodying Big Pussy, Pastor has played a whole host of mafia-adjacent characters in film and television (Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-O, Wu-Tang: An American Saga). He’s often at his best, however, when playing himself like he did during a surreal appearance in the finale of Showtime’s A24 series The Curse.
Steve Schirripa
As the mild-mannered Bobby “Bacala” Maccalieri, Steve Schirripa excelled at playing a gentle giant mobster who didn’t really have a taste for violence. His post-Sopranos career has put that characterization to good use. After playing Leo Boykewich for 113 episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Schirripa has continued to pop up in TV projects like Ugly Betty and American Dad! He also played Big Mike Frato in 2011’s Kill the Irishman. He hosted the Talking Sopranos podcast alongside Michael Imperioli, which led to a book deal in 2021 for Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos.
Joe Pantoliano
Thanks to prominent roles in Bad Boys, The Fugitive, and The Matrix, New Jersey-born actor Joe Pantoliano was already relatively famous before taking on the role of Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos‘ third season. Following his Emmy-award winning stint as the character, Pantoliano stayed hard at work in Hollywood. His post-Sopranos highlights include the Bad Boys sequels and TV shows Roswell, How to Make it in America, and Sense8. Most recently he’s appeared in CBS’s MacGyver reboot, played himself in Syfy’s Chucky, and provided his voice to The Patrick Star Show.
Vincent Curatola
On The Sopranos, Vincent Curatola brought New York mobster John “Johnny Sack” Sacrimoni to life. Since then he’s played mobster Johny Amato in 2011 film Killing Them Softly and real life Boston mayor Thomas Menino in 2016’s Patriots Day. Of late he’s the go-to guy for authority figures on network TV dramas, playing roles in Person of Interest, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Blacklist, and FBI.
Joseph R. Gannascoli
Joseph R. Gannascoli is one of the few actors lucky enough to play two roles on The Sopranos. After portraying unassuming bakery customer Gino in season 1, the actor was eventually brought back to play closeted mobster Vito Spatafore. Gannascoli has continued working since The Sopranos, popping up mostly in bit parts in movies like Men in Black 3 and TV shows like White Collar. He’s also a passionate chef and a consistently funny social media presence.
Frank Vincent
Perhaps you may have heard but Phil Leotardo did 20 years in the can. Thanks to his iconic work in Goodfellas, Casino, and even the Grand Theft Auto video game series, Frank Vincent brought real mob movie gravitas to the role of Tony’s nemesis in the latter seasons of The Sopranos. He continued to put that gravitas to good use in the years since, appearing in a handful of mostly low-budget mob movies and some big TV shows like Stargate Atlantis, Law & Order: SVU, and most compellingly, providing his voice to Ezra Koenig’s Netflix animated series Neo Yokio. Vincent passed away in New Jersey in 2017.
David Proval
David Proval is another actor with pre-Sopranos mob story experience thanks to his role as Tony DeVienazo in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. He put that, and his experience in films like The Shawshank Redemption, to good use in playing season 2 antagonist Richie Aprile. Following The Sopranos, Proval continued to play mob-adjacent roles in films like Smokin’ Aces and Balls of Fury. His biggest TV role in that time was a three-episode arc as Paul Turcotte on NBC’s Boomtown.
Federico Castelluccio
As the only actual Italian in Tony Soprano’s crew, Furio Giunta stands out as a Sopranos character. So too does the actor who plays him, Federico Castelluccio. Born in Naples and raised in New Jersey, Catelluccio has a fascinating C.V. He’s continued to act since The Sopranos, mostly in projects you likely haven’t heard of (save for the perfunctory spots on NYPD Blue and Law & Order: Criminal Intent), but his personal life is where all the cool stuff is. A talented painter himself, in 2014 Castelluccio successfully identified a 17th-century painting by Italian baroque painter Guercino and purchased it for $68,000. Its value was later approximated at $10 million. He also crossed paths with Donald Trump when he served as a guest judge on the fourth season of Celebrity Apprentice.
All six seasons of The Sopranos are available to stream on Max in the U.S. and Sky and Now in the U.K.
The post The Sopranos Cast: What Did James Gandolfini And Others Do Next? appeared first on Den of Geek.
