James J. Gandolfini, Jr. (born September 18, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia. For this role, Gandolfini garnered enormous praise, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series each three times. Gandolfini's other roles include the woman-beating mob henchman Virgil in True Romance, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty, Lt. General Miller in In the Loop, and the impulsive Wild Thing Carol in Where the Wild Things Are. In 2007, Gandolfini produced the HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" in which he interviewed 10 injured veterans from the Iraq War. In 2010, Gandolfini produced another HBO documentary "Wartorn: 1861-2010" in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its impact on soldiers and families is analyzed throughout several wars in American history from 1861 to 2010.


Early life

Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey. His mother, Santa, a high school lunch lady, was born in the U.S. and raised in Naples, Italy. His father, James Gandolfini, Sr., a native of Borgotaro, Italy, was a bricklayer, cement mason, and later the head custodian at Paramus Catholic High School, New Jersey; he also earned a Purple Heart in World War II. His parents were devout Roman Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Due to such influence, Gandolfini has a strong sense of being Italian, and regularly visits Italy.

Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey, and graduated from Park Ridge High School in 1979, where he played basketball and acted in school plays. He was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Rutgers University, where he worked as a bouncer at an on-campus pub. Gandolfini also worked as a bartender and club manager before embarking on an acting career. Gandolfini was introduced to acting as a young man living in New York City, when he accompanied a friend, actor Roger Bart, to a Meisner technique acting class. In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with Greg Schiano promoting Rutgers football.


Career

The Sopranos

Gandolfini's most acclaimed role to date is that of Tony Soprano, a New Jersey Mafia boss and family man who is the lead character in the multi-award-winning HBO series, The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. He won three Emmys for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of Tony Soprano, an aging baby boomer who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually earned $1,000,000 (US) per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.

Film and stage work

Gandolfini performed in a 1992 Broadway production of On the Waterfront for six months. One of his better known film roles was that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance. Gandolfini has said that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil, in True Romance, was an old friend of his, who was a hitman.

In 1994 film Terminal Velocity, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. In Get Shorty (1995), he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman with a Southern accent, and in The Juror (1996) he played a mob enforcer with a conscience. He played the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123.

Gandolfini returned to HBO in 2007 as the executive producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary special, Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, his first project after The Sopranos, and the first production for his company Attaboy Films, which was opened in 2006 with producing partner Alexandra Ryan.

He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in Broadway's God of Carnage with Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels.

In June 2010, it was announced that Gandolfini would be executive producing an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn titled Hemingway & Gellhorn and starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman. Philip Kaufman will direct the film, which was written by Barbara Turner and Jerry Stahl, and will reportedly begin shooting in 2011.

Variety reported on January 24, 2011 that Gandolfini will reunite with Sopranos' creator David Chase for Twylight Zones (2012), a music-driven production set in 1960s New Jersey. Gandolfini will co-star in Chase's feature film debut, playing the father of a teenage rock 'n' roll band lead singer (John Magaro).

Alive Day: Home from Iraq

In 2007, Gandolfini produced a documentary with HBO focused on injured Iraq veterans and their devotion to America, while surveying the physical and emotional costs of war. Ten surviving soldiers were interviewed by Gandolfini, who revealed their thoughts on the challenges which they face integrating back into society and family life. They also reflected on the memories of the day when they narrowly escaped death, and what life may have been like in other circumstances.

Wartorn: 1861–2010

In 2010, Gandolfini produced another documentary with HBO, which analyzed the effects of PTSD throughout American history from 1861 to 2010. It featured interviews with American Military Officials on their views of PTSD and how they are trying to help soldiers affected by it. Letters from soldiers of the American Civil War and World War I who were affected by PTSD are examined along with interviews with soldiers affected by PTSD and their families.


Personal life

Gandolfini has maintained ties with his hometown of Park Ridge by supporting The Octoberwoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. He appears at their annual October banquet and often brings other Sopranos cast members to help Octoberwoman draw large crowds. He currently resides in New York City, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba Narrows.

On August 30, 2008, Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, after dating her for two years. Gandolfini has one child with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski, from whom he was divorced in December 2002.

His sister, Johanna Antonacci, is the manager of the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey. Gandolfini is a fan of motorcycles and owns a Harley Davidson and a Vespa scooter. On May 4, 2006, Gandolfini was riding his Vespa in New York City, when it was hit by a taxi in traffic. He was forced to undergo knee surgery after the accident, postponing the filming of the final Sopranos episodes by three months.

Gandolfini purchased a home in the hills of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey in 2009.

Izvor: Wikipedia

Filmografuija

    * The Average Joe Fishing (1987)
    * Tornado Lane (1990)
    * A Stranger Among Us (1992) - Tony Baldesseri
    * True Romance (1993) - Virgil
    * Money for Nothing (1993) - Billy Coyle
    * Mr. Wonderful (1993) - Mike
    * Italian Movie (1993) - Angelo
    * Angie (1994) - Vinnie
    * Terminal Velocity (1994) - Ben Pinkwater
    * New World (1995) - Will Caberra
    * Crimson Tide (1995) - Por. Bobby Dougherty
    * Get Shorty (1995) - Bear
    * The Juror (1996) - Eddie
    * Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) - Joey Allegretto
    * She's So Lovely (1997) - Kiefer
    * 12 Angry Men (1997) TV movie - Porotnik #6
    * Perdita Durango (1997) - Willy 'Woody' Dumas
    * Fallen (1998) - Det. Lou
    * The Mighty (1998) - Kenneth "Killer" Kane
    * A Civil Action (1998) - Al Love
    * 8mm (1999) - Eddie Poole
    * A Whole New Day (1999) - Vincent
    * The Mexican (2001) - Winston Baldry
    * The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) - Big Dave Brewster
    * The Last Castle (2001) - Puk. Winter
    * Surviving Christmas (2004) - Tom Valco
    * All the King's Men (2006) - Tiny Duffy
    * Lonely Hearts (2007) - Charles Hildebrandt
    * Romance and Cigarettes (2007) - Nick Murder
    * Kiddie Ride (2008) - Bailey
    * Where the Wild Things Are (2008) - (Wild Thing) (glas)
    * The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) as The Mayor


Televizija

    * Gun (1997)
    * 12 Angry Men (1997)
    * The Sopranos (1999 - 2007)
    * Cinema Verite (2011)

Izvor: Wikipedia

Džejms Gandolfini - kao stvoren za mafiju

Likovi koje gledamo - Džejms Gandolfini, nesvakidašnji lider njujorške mafije u seriji „Porodica Soprano“.



- Toni Soprano? Nikada, baš nikada ne razmišljam o njemu. Uostalom, ja sam samo glumac. Odradim šta treba i idem kući.

Možda za Džejmsa Gandolfinija to sve zaista izgleda tako jednostavno, ali za sve, uključujući i naše gledaoce koji iz večeri u veče uživaju u jednom od najboljih ostvarenja ikada urađenomm među televizijskim serijama „Porodica Soprano“, ovaj glumac je simbol mafijaškog vođe koji pokušava da pronađe balans između porodičnog života i gangsterskog lidera jedne od njujorških porodica.

Glumci ne vole da se njihova karijera vezuje za jednu ulogu, pa tako i Gandolfini (1961) odbija da zauvek ostane „samo“ Toni Soprano, ali ova mafijaška televizijska saga, koja je među serijama ovakvog sadržaja ono što je „Kum“ trilogija za film, je nešto što će zauvek odrediti njegovu karijeru.

I ma koliko se on tome opirao, njegov privatni život prosto ga je vodio ka ulozi predvodnika mafije. Njegova majka jeste rođena u SAD ali je odrasla u Napulju, dok mu je otac poreklom iz okoline Parme. Zanimanja roditelja, ona je kuvala i servirala hranu u jednoj školskoj kafeteriji, on je bio slagač cigala na gradilištu i kasnije „momak za sve“ jedne katoličke škole u Nju Džerziju, nisu mu pomogla u karijeri, ali italijanski koji su govorili u kući i te kako jeste.

Ka Toniju Sopranu vodila ga je i najzapaženija filmska uloga koju je imao - lik mafijaškog „službenika za prljave poslove“ Virdžila u filmu Tonija Skota iz 1993. godine „Prava romansa“ čiji je scenario uradio Kventin Tarantino. A možda još više od načina na koji je odigrao ulogu Virdžila, za buduće likove „preporučilo“ ga je njegovo priznanje da je inspiraciju pronašao u istinitom životu jednog svog prijatelja koji je zaista bio - pesnica njujorškog organizovanog kriminala.

Uloge mafijaša prosto su se lepile za Gandolfinija, bez obzira na to da li je reč o ruskom („Smrtonosna brzina“), ili razbojniku sa južnjačkim akcentom („Uhvati malog“), ili nekog bez trunke saosećanja („Porotnik“).

A onda su 1999. godine stigli Sopranovi i preselili ovog glumca među legende. Nedavno je smešten na 42. mesto televizijskih ikona među svim serijama ikada snimljenim. Na vrhuncu popularnosti njegov Toni je zarađivao milion dolara po epizodi kojih je ukupno bilo 86.

Ali i pored svega, Gandolfini čini sve da se svoj život i sebe odvoji od lika mafijaša Tonija.

- Ja sam neurotičan čovek. Mnogo više ličim na Vudija Alena koji ima 120 kilograma, nego na karaktere koje tumačim - rekao je u jednom od intervjua koje daje nerado, pravdajući se lošim osećajem kada je u centru pažnje i svojom stidljivošću.

- Kada se snimanje „Porodice Soprano“ privelo kraju nisam strepeo što je sve gotovo. Pre početka nisam nikada verovao da ću dobiti neku tako veliku ulogu, iako sam verovao da imam u sebi nešto od Tonija, tu njegovu nervozu i ludost. Bio sam on deset godina, sada je vreme za novi početak.

Sudar u Njukorku

Gandolfini je ljubitelj motora, ali ga je ta pasija umalo skupo koštala. Vozeći se na svojoj „vespi“ 2006. godine ulicama Njujorka sudario se sa jednim taksijem, morao je na operaciju kolena, pa je snimanje poslednjih epizoda „Porodice Soprano“ odloženo za nekoliko meseci.

Izvor: Novosti

Umro je legendarni Toni iz "Sopranovih"

Džejms Gandolfini (51) umro je od srčanog udara tokom boravka u Italiji.



Tokom boravka u Italiji, umro je Džejms Gandolfini, poznat kao Toni u jednoj od najboljih kriminalističkih serija u istoriji televizije.

 Glumac se ženio dva puta i iza sebe je ostavio dvoje dece.

 Jednu od najzapaženijih filmskih uloga ostvario je u filmu "Prava romansa", kroz lik mafijaškog "službenika za prljave poslove" Virdžila, koji je režirao Toni Skot (1993) , a za koji je scenario pisao Kventin Tarantino.

 Kako su mu uloge mafijaša ležale, Gandolfini se našao i u "Smrtonosnoj brzini", "Uhvati malog" i u filmu "Porotnik".

 "Sopranovi" su stigli 1999. godine i od tog trenutka, njegov lik, Toni, postaje legenda. Ova uloga mu je donela 42. mesto na listi televizijskih ikona među svim serijama ikada snimljenim.

 Gandolfini je po epizodi zarađivao milion dolara, a ukupno ih je snimio 86.

Izvor: Mondo