James Gandolfini

Born: September 18th, 1961
Where: New Jersey, USA

Born and raised in New Jersey, James Gandolfini was taken by a friend to an acting class sometime in the late 1980s, and never looked back.

In 1992 James was cast in his Broadway debut. He played Steve Hubbell in the revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.

His film debut came in the same year. A Stranger Among Us was James's first collaboration with Sidney Lumet.

The role of hitman Virgil in True Romance, directed by Tony Scott, was James's real breakthrough.

The success of the film led to James being cast as John Cusack's brother in Money for Nothing, and in 1994 to secure his first leading role in Angie, opposite Geena Davis.

In 1998 James was also offered a part that would change his career for good. He starred as Tony Soprano, a New York gangster having a midlife crisis, in the acclaimed TV drama The Sopranos.

He received an Emmy nomination in 1999 as Lead Actor in Drama Series and in 2000 and 2001 he won the award.

Further film roles have followed, such as The Mexican in 2001, opposite Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts and the prison thriller The Last Castle, as well as the Coen brothers' film noir The Man Who Wasn't There.