Vincent Pastore, 1946 – 2026

Tough-guy actor Vincent Pastore (“Big Pussy” in The Sopranos) was found dead at his Bronx home on August 1. He was 80. The native New Yorker was a US Navy vet, who was already in his 40s when he got into acting. His best-known vehicles—often as a mobster—included Gotti, Goodfellas, Carlito’s Way, Mickey Blue Eyes, Riding in Cars with Boys, Shark Tale, and Revolver; he was ubiquitous in both films and TV (most recently last year’s Yellowjackets), appearing in more than 180 (and with 13 products in some period of development). Pastore was also seen on Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, Celebrity Family Feud, and Shark Tank, among other reality shows; he hosted the podcasts The Wiseguy Show and Fuhgeddaboudit with Vinny Pastore. He told writer Tracey Smith of his famed Sopranos role, “David Chase wrote that role for an actor who could play a tough guy who also could be sensitive. I saw Big Pussy as a man with a big heart, and that was my choice of how I played that role. A lot of people think I grew up with those kinds of people. The truth is that I grew up in a pure Italian-American home. Tradition. We lived in New Rochelle in an Italian neighborhood. But to play these roles you don’t rely on memories. You use your own personality and come up with a great character. And for the record, I never knew any rats.”