"The Sopranos" actor Vincent Pastore. Biography

Actor Vincent Pastore, who became famous for his role as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero in the popular TV series The Sopranos, has passed away at the age of 80. During his career, he embodied dozens of images on the screen, becoming one of the most recognizable character actors in the genre of gangster drama. About the artist's life and creative legacy — in the material of Izvestia.

Biography

Vincent Pastore was born on July 14, 1946, in the Bronx, New York, to an Italian-American family. After graduating from high school, he served in the United States Navy. The future actor also studied at Pace University for three years.

Career

Pastore began his acting career in 1988. At the beginning of his career, he starred mainly in cameo roles, gradually moving on to more significant work in feature films and television projects, among them such famous films as The Nice Guys, Carlito's Way and The Basketball Diaries. The actor's greatest popularity came from his participation in the television series The Sopranos (1999-2007). His character, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, became one of the key characters in the first seasons of the saga. His work in this project cemented Pastore's status as a sought-after artist of the criminal genre. In addition to The Sopranos, the actor's filmography includes dozens of roles in films and on television, where he often played the role of a "tough guy" or a mobster.

In addition to his role in The Sopranos, Pastore continued his career by appearing in other well-known projects. Among them are the TV series "Praktika", "Las Vegas", "Everyone hates Chris", as well as the films "Scammers" (2002), "Revolver" (2005), "Malavita" (2013) and other films.

Personal life

The actor was married to Nancy Burke. In this marriage, the couple had a daughter, Renee. Subsequently, the family union ended in divorce. In April 2005, the artist's name appeared in criminal reports: Pastore was sentenced to community service on charges of assaulting his girlfriend during an argument in a car.

Circumstances of death

According to Page Six, the actor was found dead by his neighbor on August 1. Prior to that, Pastore had not been in touch for three days.