James Gandolfini Bio: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Actor

release date:	Friday June 12, 2009 Tuesday November 3, 2009 (dvd/video)
genre:	Thriller
running time:	106 min.
director:	Tony Scott
studio:	Columbia Pictures
producer(s):	Jason Blum, Steve Tisch, Tony Scott, Todd Black
screenplay:	Brian Helgeland
cast:	Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini, Ramon Rodriguez
Current Tribute rating: 3.72 Rate Movie User Reviews

James Gandolfini Biography

JAMES GANDOLFINI

Date of Birth: September 18, 1961

After spending years as a Manhattan bouncer and nightclub manager, Westwood, New Jersey-born James Gandolfini discovered acting when a friend took him to an acting class in the late '80s. He was left so unsettled and challenged by a focusing exercise that involved threading a needle that he knew he had to return. He made his Broadway debut in 1992 in A Streetcar Named Desire along with Alec Baldwin, Jessica Lange and Amy Madigan. Gandolfini immersed himself in Manhattan's downtown theater world.

After making his big-screen debut in Sidney Lumet's A Stranger Among Us (1992), Gandolfini's breakthrough came with his portrayal of Virgil, the philosophizing hitman, in Tony Scott's True Romance (1993) with Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette.

He then appeared in Mr. Wonderful (1993) with Annabella Sciorra and Matt Dillon and in Money for Nothing (1993) with John Cusack. Gandolfini has also been seen in Get Shorty (1995), She's So Lovely (1997), A Civil Action (1998), The Mighty (1998) and 8MM (1999).

Gandolfini became a household name after landing the role of Tony Soprano in HBO's hit series, The Sopranos, for which he has won three Emmy awards in 2000, 2001 and 2003 as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a 2000 Golden Globe award.

Filmography:

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) (voice)
Welcome to the Rileys (2009)
Kiddie Ride (2009)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
In the Loop (2009)
Lonely Hearts (2006)
All the King's Men (2005)
Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
Surviving Christmas (2004)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Catch Me If You Can (2001)
The Last Castle (2001)
Blow (2001)
The Mexican (2001)
8MM (1999)
A Civil Action (1998)
The Mighty (1998)
Fallen (1998)
Gun (1997)
Perdita Durango (1997)
She's So Lovely (1997)
Night Falls On Manhattan (1997)
The Juror (1996)
Get Shorty (1995)
Crimson Tide (1995)
The New World (1995)
Angie (1994)
Terminal Velocity (1994)
Italian Movie (1993)
Money for Nothing (1993)
Mr. Wonderful (1993)
True Romance (1993)
A Stranger Among Us (1992)