Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos, died July 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 79. Sirico was in an assisted living facility and no cause of death was given.
Paulie Walnuts was a henchman for mob boss Tony Soprano. A violent man who favored track suits, Paulie Gualtieri got his nickname after hijacking a truck that was supposed to be filled with television sets, but in fact was full of walnuts.
Gennaro Anthony Sirico was born in Brooklyn in 1942. He grew up in Bensonhurst and watched how the local mafia men carried themselves. He turned to a life of crime, and ended up at prison Sing Sing. While incarcerated, Sirico saw a troupe of actors who were ex-convicts, according to The New York Times, and thought he’d give acting a shot.
He fared well. Sirico’s films included Love & Money, The Pick-Up Artist and Goodfellas, and several Woody Allen movies, including Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite and Deconstructing Harry.
The Sopranos ran on HBO from 1999 to 2007.
“I adore Tony Sirico,” co-star Lorraine Bracco shared on social media. “A stand-up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents. I have a lifetime of memories with Tony — starting with Goodfellas to The Sopranos and beyond — but my God, did we have fun doing The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee.” ■
