Vincent Pastore, the actor best known for playing mobster Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, died at the age of 80. His death was confirmed by his friend Steve Villano, who told The Hollywood Reporter that Pastore died in his sleep at his Bronx, New York home on Saturday.
Pastore came to acting late, not entering the film industry until his forties. He started in the late 1980s, landing small roles as mob heavies in films including Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic Goodfellas, 1991's New Jack City, Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, and alongside Al Pacino in 1993's Carlito's Way. He also made multiple appearances on Law & Order as a mobbed-up character.
According to Rolling Stone, Pastore claimed to be the son of a real-life wiseguy. In 1996, he was cast as a Gambino crime family mobster in the HBO biopic Gotti. That TV film also starred future Sopranos cast mates Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, and Dominic Chianese. The Gotti role led directly to him being cast in The Sopranos.
His character Big Pussy played a central role in the first two seasons of the show. The character began as Tony Soprano's trusted right-hand man before being revealed as an FBI informant. He was ultimately shot on a boat and dumped at sea in the Season 2 finale. Big Pussy reappeared several more times over the course of the series in Tony Soprano's dreams.
Despite his late start, Pastore racked up nearly 200 on-screen roles over the course of his career. He appeared in mob-heavy films like Made, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Revolver, and on TV shows including Blue Bloods, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Hawaii Five-0. One of his final roles was an as-himself appearance on Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie's The Curse.
