We can safely say The Sopranos is arguably one of the greatest TV shows. It is a cult classic. An evergreen if you like. The HBO crime drama aired from 1999 to 2007. During that time, the show earned 112 Emmy nominations and won 21 of them. The show premiered more than 20 years ago. It is time to see what happened to the cast of The Sopranos.
The crime drama came into our lives on January 10, 1999. At the time, nobody could say the show will change the television landscape forever. Creators of the show made TV an art form on the same level as movies. Shows that followed, including Mad Men and Breaking Bad followed the recipe of The Sopranos.
Countless stars earned nationwide recognition and fame thanks to The Sopranos. Broadcast syndication followed in the US and internationally. A subject of critical analysis, controversy, parody, and even books, The Sopranos continues to live on. Let’s see what happened to the cast of The Sopranos.
James Gandolfini – Tony Soprano
Nowadays, you cannot imagine any other actor playing the role of Tony Soprano. James was magnificent in the role. He played it to perfection. For that role, James won three Emmy awards, a Golden Globe, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Many critics still view his performance as Tony Soprano as the greatest in TV history.
Before portraying Tony, he had another movie role as a mob henchman in True Romance. After the finale of The Sopranos, he founded the production company Attaboy Films with Paramount executive Alex Ryan. In 2006, the company signed a deal with HBO to develop original programming for the channel.
In 2007, Gandolfini produced Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq. The documentary earned a nomination for Primetime Emmy award.
In 2009, James returned to the stage, appearing on Broadway in the production for God of Carnage. The next year, he produced another documentary with HBO, Wartorn: 1861-2010. He also served as the executive producer of the HBO movie about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn.
Sadly, Gandolfini died at the age of 51 in Rome in June 2013.
Edie Falco – Carmela Soprano
For her portrayal of Carmela, Edith earned six Emmy nominations. She won three of them, as well as two Golden Globe awards.
Following the end of The Sopranos, she got another major role in television. Falco portrayed Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series, Nurse Jackie. For that role, she earned six more Emmy nominations, winning one.
In 2011, she played the part of Bananas in the Broadway revival of House of Blue Leaves. In 2016, she appeared in the Horace and Pete series for five episodes.
She now works as the spokesperson for Health Care for America Now.
Michael Imperioli – Christopher Moltisanti
Michael is only the third cast member to appear in all episodes of The Sopranos. The American actor and director got popular as Christopher Moltisanti. For that role, he won a Primetime Emmy award in 2004.
Following the end of the show, he portrayed Detective Nick Falco in the drama series Law & Order. From 2008 to 2009, he played Detective Ray Carling in Life on Mars.
Some of his movie credits include Malcolm X, The Basketball Diaries, Dead Presidents, Girl 6, I Shot Andy Warhol, Last Man Standing, Shark Tale, Summer of Sam, and more.
Fun Fact: he also works as a writer, and wrote five episodes of The Sopranos. He also serves as an artistic director of Studio Dante, an Off-Broadway theater.
Some of his latest credits include The Last Full Measure, Primal, One Night in Miami, and Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.
Steven Van Zandt – Silvio Dante
The American singer, musician, actor, and activist plays the guitar and the mandolin. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. He took a core role on The Sopranos in 1999, playing the mob consigliere. At the time, many considered him an unusual casting choice. He had no previous acting experience.
He reprised his role as Silvio Dante in an advertisement in 2008 for the online game World of Warcraft. In the ad, he quoted Michael Corleone’s phrase, “Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in”.
Since 2002, he works as a radio host as well. He hosted Little Steven’s Underground Garage, a weekly radio show. In October 2011, the program recorded its 500th show. In 2004, he launched his own record label, Wicked Cool Records.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler – Meadow Soprano
The American actress got popular thanks to The Sopranos. After the end of the show, she appeared in the USA television movie, Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss. She got the lead role. And then in 2005, she starred in Love Wrecked.
In 2008. Sigler played herself in the fifth and sixth season of Entourage. Since 2001, she also works as a musician. In 2001, she released her pop album, Here to Heaven. And in 2002, she tried herself in writing, co-authoring her autobiography.
In September 2019, she started her podcast, Pajama Pants alongside Robert Iler and Kassem G.
Lorraine Branco – Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Every mob show has to have a psychiatrist, a doctor, or any medical expert. Lorraine played that role in The Sopranos. During her career, the actress earned a nomination for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Critics love her because of her distinct husky voice and Brooklyn accent.
She got her big break in another mobster movie, The Goodfellas. In it, she played the role of mobster-wife Karen Hill. For that role, she earned an Academy Award nomination. She also owns a company, Bracco Wines, a line of wines.
Following the end of the show, she continued her fruitful career. Some of her latest work includes the comedy Dice in 2016 and Blue Bloods in 2017 and 2018.
Tony Sirico – Pauline Walnuts Gualtieri
Tony got his first movie role in 1974, in the movie Crazy Joe. He played gangsters in many movies, including Goodfellas, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, The One Man Jury, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Cop Land, Fingers, Mob Queen, and many more.
In 2013, Tony joined the cast of Family Guy. He voiced Vinny Griffin, the family’s pet dog. He replaced Brian Griffin after his death.
In 2018, he reunited with some Soprano actors in the movie Sarah Q. Sirico is also a businessman. In 2008, he released his cologne, Paolo Per Uomo.
Robert Iler – A.J. Soprano
The American actor got popular thanks to his role in The Sopranos. During the filming of The Sopranos, he also appeared in the movies Tadpole and Daredevil.
Following the end of the show, he retired from acting. Instead, he moved to Las Vegas and started playing poker professionally. He participated in official and unsanctioned games.
In September 2019, he moved back to Los Angeles. There, he started the podcast Pajama Pants with Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Kassem G.
