The crime genre has been home to many notable actors throughout the years - Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta to name a few. However, one of the most underrated gangster actors remains relatively unknown, despite appearing in some of the biggest gangster films of all time.
Even if audiences never fully recognized his contributions to cinema, Tony Lip remains a legend among fans of gangster films and TV. From his early, uncredited role in The Godfather to his unforgettable turn as Carmine Lupertazzi in The Sopranos, Lip was one of the most authentic character actors in crime cinema. While he may not have received the widespread recognition he deserved in his lifetime, his legacy lives on through the films and shows he featured in, along with his incredible biographical film Green Book.
Tony Lip in The Godfather, The Sopranos & Goodfellas Image via HBO
Tony Lip’s film...
Even if audiences never fully recognized his contributions to cinema, Tony Lip remains a legend among fans of gangster films and TV. From his early, uncredited role in The Godfather to his unforgettable turn as Carmine Lupertazzi in The Sopranos, Lip was one of the most authentic character actors in crime cinema. While he may not have received the widespread recognition he deserved in his lifetime, his legacy lives on through the films and shows he featured in, along with his incredible biographical film Green Book.
Tony Lip in The Godfather, The Sopranos & Goodfellas Image via HBO
Tony Lip’s film...
- 2/15/2025
- by Amy Watkins
- CBR
Quick LinksTony Sirico's Criminal Past Before 'The Sopranos'Tony Sirico's Movie Business Path, ExplainedTony Sirico's Paulie Gualtieri Lives on Forever
When it comes to crime movies and TV shows, authenticity is key. Look no further than Tony Sirico inThe Sopranos, a real-life convicted criminal who gave Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri some of the best quotes and character shading in the hit mob drama. Before being cast as one of Tony Soprano's closest Italian mob associates, Sirico had several run-ins with the law that could have turned out much differently for the actor.
Fortunately, Sirico parlayed his authentic neighborhood qualities into several mob characters, including an early role in Martin Scorsese's landmark mob film Goodfellas. Of course, Goodfellas and The Sopranos share 27 actors, with Sirico's Paulie Walnuts cemented in the pantheon of all-time favorite TV mafiosos. Learning about how Sirico's criminal past informed his character on The Sopranos will give casual...
When it comes to crime movies and TV shows, authenticity is key. Look no further than Tony Sirico inThe Sopranos, a real-life convicted criminal who gave Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri some of the best quotes and character shading in the hit mob drama. Before being cast as one of Tony Soprano's closest Italian mob associates, Sirico had several run-ins with the law that could have turned out much differently for the actor.
Fortunately, Sirico parlayed his authentic neighborhood qualities into several mob characters, including an early role in Martin Scorsese's landmark mob film Goodfellas. Of course, Goodfellas and The Sopranos share 27 actors, with Sirico's Paulie Walnuts cemented in the pantheon of all-time favorite TV mafiosos. Learning about how Sirico's criminal past informed his character on The Sopranos will give casual...
- 2/12/2025
- by Jake Dee
- MovieWeb
The Sopranos creator David Chase had a clear vision of what he wanted his characters to be. He was very strict about his storylines and the dialogue of the characters. However, he admitted that he once had to concede to the demand of an actor on the show. The demand came from Tony Sirico, who played Paul Gualtieri aka Paulie Walnuts, and Chase believed that Sirico’s demand was fair.
Tony Sirico as Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos | Credits: HBO
David Chase revealed that Sirico wanted to remove the word ‘bully’ from another actor’s line about his character. Chase revealed this rather sensitive side of Sirico in the wake of his passing in 2022. Sirico also had major roles in Goodfellas and several Woody Allen films including Mighty Aphrodite.
The Sopranos Actor Tony Sirico Wanted David Chase To Remove One Description of Him Tony Sirico in a still from The Sopranos...
Tony Sirico as Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos | Credits: HBO
David Chase revealed that Sirico wanted to remove the word ‘bully’ from another actor’s line about his character. Chase revealed this rather sensitive side of Sirico in the wake of his passing in 2022. Sirico also had major roles in Goodfellas and several Woody Allen films including Mighty Aphrodite.
The Sopranos Actor Tony Sirico Wanted David Chase To Remove One Description of Him Tony Sirico in a still from The Sopranos...
- 11/23/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
Tony Sokol Jul 10, 2019
Rip Torn, who played characters from Judas Iscariot to the producer on The Larry Sanders Show, dies at 88.
Respected and versatile character actor Rip Torn died Tuesday in Lakeville, Conn., according to Variety. Publicist Rick Miramontez did not release a cause of death, but said Torn was with his wife, Amy Wright, and two daughters, Katie and Angelica. He was 88.
Torn believed actors should “play drama as comedy and comedy as drama,” according to the statement, and the actor was equally at home both. He starred in comedies like Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life and the Men in Black films, as well as TV comedies 30 Rock, playing General Electric CEO Don Geiss, mentor to Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Torn won an Emmy for his part in HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, and was nominated for a Tony award in...
Rip Torn, who played characters from Judas Iscariot to the producer on The Larry Sanders Show, dies at 88.
Respected and versatile character actor Rip Torn died Tuesday in Lakeville, Conn., according to Variety. Publicist Rick Miramontez did not release a cause of death, but said Torn was with his wife, Amy Wright, and two daughters, Katie and Angelica. He was 88.
Torn believed actors should “play drama as comedy and comedy as drama,” according to the statement, and the actor was equally at home both. He starred in comedies like Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life and the Men in Black films, as well as TV comedies 30 Rock, playing General Electric CEO Don Geiss, mentor to Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Torn won an Emmy for his part in HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, and was nominated for a Tony award in...
- 7/10/2019
- Den of Geek
By Lee Pfeiffer
Actor Rip Torn has died at age 88. He was a volatile figure in the entertainment industry, known for his sometimes bizarre behavior as well as his brilliant performances. A native Texan, he gravitated to New York City in the 1950s where he studied under Lee Strasberg at the legendary Actors Studio. He was championed by director Elia Kazan, who gave Torn high profile roles in his stage and film productions. Torn gained major acclaim with a Tony-nominated performance on Broadway in "Sweet Bird of Youth", a role he would reprise in the 1963 film version. Torn's film career occasionally saw him attain leading man status but he remained a highly acclaimed supporting actor throughout his career. His feature films include "A Face in the Crowd", "Baby Doll", "The Cincinnati Kid", "Pork Chop Hill", "King of Kings", "Beach Red", "Coming Apart", "Tropic of Cancer", "Crazy Joe", "The Man Who Fell to Earth...
Actor Rip Torn has died at age 88. He was a volatile figure in the entertainment industry, known for his sometimes bizarre behavior as well as his brilliant performances. A native Texan, he gravitated to New York City in the 1950s where he studied under Lee Strasberg at the legendary Actors Studio. He was championed by director Elia Kazan, who gave Torn high profile roles in his stage and film productions. Torn gained major acclaim with a Tony-nominated performance on Broadway in "Sweet Bird of Youth", a role he would reprise in the 1963 film version. Torn's film career occasionally saw him attain leading man status but he remained a highly acclaimed supporting actor throughout his career. His feature films include "A Face in the Crowd", "Baby Doll", "The Cincinnati Kid", "Pork Chop Hill", "King of Kings", "Beach Red", "Coming Apart", "Tropic of Cancer", "Crazy Joe", "The Man Who Fell to Earth...
- 7/10/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Actor Rip Torn, who earned Oscar and Tony nominations as well as an Emmy Award and two Obies, has died Tuesday in Lakeville Conn., his representative confirmed. He was 88.
Torn was equally at home in the comedy of the “Men in Black” film series or TV’s “The Larry Sanders Show” (for which he won his Emmy) and in the drama of “Sweet Bird of Youth” or “Anna Christie,” to name two of the numerous classic works of theater in which he appeared.
The actor was nominated for a supporting-actor Oscar in 1984 for his work as a father who confronts tragedy in Martin Ritt’s “Cross Creek,” one of many rural dramas in which he appeared during his career.
He drew a Tony nomination in 1960 for his first performance on Broadway, as the sadistic son of the town boss in Elia Kazan’s original production of Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth.
Torn was equally at home in the comedy of the “Men in Black” film series or TV’s “The Larry Sanders Show” (for which he won his Emmy) and in the drama of “Sweet Bird of Youth” or “Anna Christie,” to name two of the numerous classic works of theater in which he appeared.
The actor was nominated for a supporting-actor Oscar in 1984 for his work as a father who confronts tragedy in Martin Ritt’s “Cross Creek,” one of many rural dramas in which he appeared during his career.
He drew a Tony nomination in 1960 for his first performance on Broadway, as the sadistic son of the town boss in Elia Kazan’s original production of Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth.
- 7/10/2019
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Just when you thought you’d seen everything… here comes another 55 insane trailers to whip you into a frenzy in this collection of sick, depraved and hysterically brilliant movie previews from the golden age of Grindhouse cinema in Grindhouse Trailer Classics 4.
Following the successful and critically-acclaimed release of Grindhouse Trailer Classics 1, 2 & 3, Nucleus Films will once again take you on trip back to the “gory days” of cult and exploitation cinema with their latest unseen compilation of audacious theatrical trailers from the sleazy cinematic sub-genre known as “grindhouse”.
I’m a Huge fan of this series (check out this pic of my signed copies of the first 3 releases) so I’m super-excited to see what stupefyingly awesome trailers this collection has to offer. According to the press release, all of the trailers in this collection have been sourced from ultra-rare 35mm prints, many of which haven’t been seen since they...
Following the successful and critically-acclaimed release of Grindhouse Trailer Classics 1, 2 & 3, Nucleus Films will once again take you on trip back to the “gory days” of cult and exploitation cinema with their latest unseen compilation of audacious theatrical trailers from the sleazy cinematic sub-genre known as “grindhouse”.
I’m a Huge fan of this series (check out this pic of my signed copies of the first 3 releases) so I’m super-excited to see what stupefyingly awesome trailers this collection has to offer. According to the press release, all of the trailers in this collection have been sourced from ultra-rare 35mm prints, many of which haven’t been seen since they...
- 4/16/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Italian neorealist film director and screenwriter who made Last Days of Mussolini, starring Rod Steiger
Carlo Lizzani, who has died aged 91, after falling from a balcony at his home, was a screenwriter and director of Italian neorealist cinema who made more than 40 feature films, as well as documentaries and television series.
His first professional experiences in the film world were as an actor, playing cameos in two powerful neorealist films: Il Sole Sorge Ancora (The Sun Still Rises, 1946), directed by Aldo Vergano; and Caccia Tragica (Tragic Hunt, 1947), Giuseppe De Santis's first feature film.
In 1947 Roberto Rossellini summoned Lizzani to Berlin where he was preparing to shoot Germania Anno Zero (Germany Year Zero). Lizzani did research with East German locals which Rossellini would find useful when the film was being made without a definitive shooting script. Lizzani said later: "Rossellini filmed the story of the boy [Edmund] as if growing up...
Carlo Lizzani, who has died aged 91, after falling from a balcony at his home, was a screenwriter and director of Italian neorealist cinema who made more than 40 feature films, as well as documentaries and television series.
His first professional experiences in the film world were as an actor, playing cameos in two powerful neorealist films: Il Sole Sorge Ancora (The Sun Still Rises, 1946), directed by Aldo Vergano; and Caccia Tragica (Tragic Hunt, 1947), Giuseppe De Santis's first feature film.
In 1947 Roberto Rossellini summoned Lizzani to Berlin where he was preparing to shoot Germania Anno Zero (Germany Year Zero). Lizzani did research with East German locals which Rossellini would find useful when the film was being made without a definitive shooting script. Lizzani said later: "Rossellini filmed the story of the boy [Edmund] as if growing up...
- 10/15/2013
- by John Francis Lane
- The Guardian - Film News
#8 – Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Movies That Ruled the ’70s
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Mike Malloy’s densely-packed documentary details the Italian Film Industry’s bizarre “Eurocrime” subgenre which emerged in the wake of the decline of both the Spaghetti Western and the Giallo genres. These crime pics brazenly ripped off the likes of Dirty Harry and The Godfather, though boasted their own unsavoury edge; real-life crime often became entangled in the productions, while the directors aimed to push the boundaries of sexual and violent taboos, as they shot in an unfussed guerilla style – that’s Eurocrime.
Though some might dismiss Eurocrime as a vapid pilfering of America’s superior cinema, the argument here is that it was a reaction to the Italian concerns of the crime, namely a surging crime rate and worrying trend of violence throughout the country. Often the most prominent figures of the genre – such...
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Mike Malloy’s densely-packed documentary details the Italian Film Industry’s bizarre “Eurocrime” subgenre which emerged in the wake of the decline of both the Spaghetti Western and the Giallo genres. These crime pics brazenly ripped off the likes of Dirty Harry and The Godfather, though boasted their own unsavoury edge; real-life crime often became entangled in the productions, while the directors aimed to push the boundaries of sexual and violent taboos, as they shot in an unfussed guerilla style – that’s Eurocrime.
Though some might dismiss Eurocrime as a vapid pilfering of America’s superior cinema, the argument here is that it was a reaction to the Italian concerns of the crime, namely a surging crime rate and worrying trend of violence throughout the country. Often the most prominent figures of the genre – such...
- 8/26/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
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