Tony Sirico, the actor best known for playing mobster Peter Paul “Polly Walnuts” Gualtieri on “The Sopranos,” died Friday, Variety confirmed with his manager. He was 79.
Virico’s Polly Walnuts, James Gandolfini’s bombastic and ferociously funny foot soldier to Tony Soprano with one-liners like no other, was a Sopranos scene-stealer from the start. Sirico balanced Pauli’s menace with his deadpan humor and penchant for malapropism, once calling Sun Tzu “Sun Tuh-Zoo”, later referring to the philosopher as “the Chinese Prince Machabelli”. Sirico appeared in all six seasons of The Sopranos after initially auditioning for the role of Uncle Jr. Dominic Chianese ended up getting the part.
Born Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. on July 24, 1942 to an Italian family in New York City, Sirico spent much of his early life in trouble with the law and was associated with the real-life Colombo crime family. He was arrested 28 times – the first as a seven-year-old after stealing coins from a newsstand – before he started playing. He went to prison twice, once for illegal gun possession and again for armed robbery.
“I was very unstable,” Sirico told the LA Times in 1990 about this period of his life. “I wasn’t thinking straight. So I got in touch with these guys and suddenly I was an artist. I held down every nightclub in New York.
“I have to admit it feels funny when someone notices me and asks for an autograph,” he continued. “I think it’s the old fault. Maybe I feel like I don’t deserve the attention.”
He made his acting debut as an extra in the 1974 mob drama Crazy Joe opposite Henry Winkler. This film preceded Sirico’s countless later roles as gangsters and criminals, from Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas in 1990 to Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway in 1994. Sirico appeared in a number of Allen films, including ” Café Society” in 2016 and “Mighty” Aphrodite” in 1995.
In 1989, Sirico appeared in the documentary The Big Bang, in which he discussed his criminal past and how it affected his philosophy on life. In 2013, he appeared in several episodes of Family Guy as the voice of Vinny Griffin, the family dog. His last acting appearance was in two episodes of “American Dad” as a mobster named Enzo Perotti.
Sirico’s manager, Bob McGowan, called him a “very loyal and great customer” who “will always help people in need. He was a member of the Wounded Warriors.
In an Instagram post, Sirico’s ‘Sopranos’ co-star Michael Imperioli wrote: ‘It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO passed away today. Tony was like no other: he was as tough, loyal and big-hearted as anyone I’ve ever known. I’ve been there for him through so much: good times and bad. But mostly good. And we laughed a lot.
He continued: “We found a rhythm as Christopher and Polly and I’m proud to say I did a lot of my best and funniest work with my dear friend Tony. I will miss you forever. He is truly irreplaceable. I send love to his family, friends and his many fans. He was loved and will never be forgotten. Heartbroken today.”
On Facebook, Sirico’s family wrote that they were “deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayers and condolences and requests that the public respect privacy at this time of bereavement.”
According to his family’s post, Sirico is survived by his two children, Joan Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, as well as grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and other relatives.
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