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James R. Gandolfini was born on September 18, 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey. He is a three-time Emmy award winning Italian-American actor known for multifaceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters.

Gandolfini's breakthrough screen role came with his portrayal of Virgil, the philosophizing hit man, in Tony Scott's True Romance with Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. He has played a diverse range of roles in more than 25 motion pictures, including John Cusack's brother in Money for Nothing, Geena Davis' plumber boyfriend in Angie, and a loyal Navy lieutenant in Crimson Tide. He also played a pivotal role in Steve Zaillian's A Civil Action with John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

Gandolfini's gift for shedding light on the vulnerable side of seemingly ruthless characters led to his starring role in the acclaimed HBO drama series The Sopranos. In 1999, Gandolfini won both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, a gangster having a midlife crisis. He has also won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2000, 2001, and 2003. In 2003, the show's executive producer announced that its sixth season would be the last.

Recent film projects include the DreamWorks' comedy Surviving Christmas (2004) with Ben Affleck and the political drama All the King's Men (2006) with Sean Penn. Reportedly there are also plans in the works for Gandolfini to play literary legend Ernest Hemingway in a film that focuses on the writer's relationship with journalist Martha Gellhorn, who became his third wife. He will also continue to work with HBO after The Sopranos ends, having signed a development deal with the cable channel and its film distribution company, Picturehouse, in August 2006.

Gandolfini and his wife, Marcella, were married in March 1999 and divorced in December 2002. They have one son, Michael. In January 2004, Gandolfini proposed to his girlfriend, Lora Somoza, but the engagement was later called off.

Filmography

• Untitled Ernest Hemingway Project (2008)
• "The Sopranos" (86 episodes, 1999-2007)
• The Sopranos: Road to Respect (2006)
• Club Soda (2006)
• All the King's Men (2006)
• Lonely Hearts (2006)
• Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
• Stories of Lost Souls (2005)
• Surviving Christmas (2004)
• "Saturday Night Live" (1 episode, 2004)
• The Last Castle (2001)
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
• The Mexican (2001)
• 8MM (1999)
• A Whole New Day (1999)
• A Civil Action (1998)
• The Mighty (1998)
• Fallen (1998)
• Perdita Durango (1997)
• 12 Angry Men (1997)
• She's So Lovely (1997)
• "Gun" (1 episode, 1997)
• Night Falls on Manhattan (1997)
• The Juror (1996)
• Get Shorty (1995)
• Crimson Tide (1995)
• Nouveau monde, Le (1995)
• Terminal Velocity (1994)
• Angie (1994)
• Mr. Wonderful (1993)
• True Romance (1993)
• Money for Nothing (1993)
• Italian Movie (1993)
• A Stranger Among Us (1992)

Awards

• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2003
• Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2003
• American Film Institute Male Actor of the Year (Series) "The Sopranos" 2001
• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2001
• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2000
• Golden Globe Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama) "The Sopranos" 2000
• Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2000
• Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series "The Sopranos" 2000