James Gandolfini – RIP
For those of you hoping for a “Sopranos” revival – bad news. James Gandolfino, the actor who played Tony Soprano, has died. He was in Italy on vacation and a apparently had a massive heart attack.
Gandolfini was not a veteran (his father was, and earned the Purple Heart in World War II). However, unlike many in the entertainment business he also doesn’t seem to have been anti-military. After the Sopranos, Gandolfini produced two acclaimed military documentaries: Alive Day Memories and Wartorn 1861-2010. The former focused on 10 veterans returning from Iraq with serious injuries and their recovery (and, obviously, their struggles while recovering). The latter focused on PTSD among US soldiers – from the Civil War to today. Both documentaries appear to have been evenhanded, apolitical studies of their subject. (Disclaimer: I haven’t seen either, so I’m basing the above on published reviews.)
RIP, James Gandolfini. Another who ended up Done Too Soon.
Category: Who knows
Wikipedia has a photo of him on a USO Tour to Southwest Asia.
NYT best-selling author Vince Flynn, a strong supporter of the armed forces, also passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. RIP to both him and Gandolfini
A son of New Jesery who born born and lived a few miles from my family, he was a highly respected and talented actor and beloved by all up here.
I saw the Alive Days documentary and James Gandolfini was excellent. He let the troops tell their story and quietly comforted them. He was very low key, letting the stories unfold from our wounded warriors.
Alive Day Memories was very well done and made me cry. My respect for Mr. Gandolfini went way up the day I saw that. He is the only hollywood celebrity that I’ve ever given a shit about their death in a long time. RIP
RIP Mr Gandolfini.
To die in Italy. What a place to go.
I wonder what he was doing at the time?
Fine women? Fine wine? Fine food? Fine clothes?
I have seen both Alive Day Memories and Wartorn. Both were very well done, and Gandolfini was largely in the background for both, not making any of the usual Hollywood political statements. He will be sorely missed.
Gandolfini was in Italy for business and pleasure. He was supposed to attend a film festival and do a round of sit down interviews w/ prominent Italian film makers later this month. A Made Man…RIP
I ment him at Camp Victory, Kuwait in 2004 as part of a USO tour. Seemed like a decent guy. He asked if we would let him shoot automatic weapons, and was crushed when we said no.
I seem to remember him coming to FOB Marez in Mosul in 2004/2005 timeframe. RIP and thanks for the visit.
James did what he could with what he was. RIP to his family, and thank you for all that he’s done.
A good read (book excerpt) on the price and trials of doing business w/ late J. Gandolfini…a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201307/sopranos-james-gandolfini-david-chase-july-2013?mbid=gqpr
I worked with him for a month on set. I was a crew member on one of his movies and on several occasions he went out of his way to participate in conversation with me, and even assume “low status” in that context, in order to communicate (like any “normal” person). The day he was wrapped, he walked by me off set, stopped, turned around, and extended his hand towards me (a lowly crew member), and said some words as a goodbye. This, from a world-famous and influential artist. There was no reason for him to treat me that way, other than he was a genuine human being and wanted to make me feel comfortable. R.I.P.
I never watched the Sopranos, so I will always know him as the prison warden from The Last Castle.
He was a big supporter of the WWP. Unlike most Hollyweird types. RIP James, and thank you.
Honor and Courage
@13. I always resent went a Hollywood type kicks off and its reported ad nauseum. We learn whether he was married, whether he had kids, whether he was working on a project, what he had for dinner the night before he died. Then we have four troops killed and, aside from some local coverage, dem chirping things. Oh well. At least this fellow sounds like he was a decent human being and I wouldn’t know or believe it but for Comment 13. And for that I thank Anonymous in 13.