On July 19, 2013 James Gandolfini died of an apparent heart attack in Rome, Italy at the age of 51 while vacationing with his young son. He was famous for his part as Tony Soprano, a troubled mafia boss in the television hit series The Sopranos. This role alone brought him three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), and two Golden Globes as Best Actor-Drama Series. He went onto winning other SAG awards for the same series. The award winning actor also appeared in many other productions including films.
Born on September 18, 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey, his career in acting started at Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge, New Jersey. At Rutgers University he studied communication studies receiving a BA in 1982. Later he studied acting at The Gately Poole Conservatory. Starting in 1992 he appeared in Broadway productions and landed a leading role in the famous HBO drama series The Sopranos in 1999. The drama series continued until 2007. He later went on to act, direct and produce films and dramas. Twice married actor survived by his young son and a daughter. His estate estimated at $70 million and he left majority of it to his son.