Sopranos Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

Decades after its debut in 1999, "The Sopranos" is still considered to be one of, if not the greatest television series of all time, and it's been credited with sparking the "Golden Age of Television" of the early 21st century. But while the show's legacy may live on forever, fans have been reminded all too often of the mortality of those who built it. Between the second and third season in 2000, Livia Soprano actress Nancy Marchand passed away from lung cancer at the age of 72, leading to a dramatically altered storyline for the third season. Then, six years after the conclusion of the series, beloved star James Gandolfini died suddenly of a heart attack at only 51 years old.

While the rest of the regular cast is, thankfully, still with us, the same can't be said for a number of the recurring guest actors whose characters inhabited the world of the North Jersey mafia and their rivals across the Hudson River. Shot primarily in New York and New Jersey, "The Sopranos" showcased actors from the comparably small East Coast television industry (the same talent pool that fed Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" empire), Broadway stage veterans, and also new faces discovered via local casting calls. With a cast as sprawling as "The Sopranos," it's understandable for news of an actor's passing to evade notice, so we've compiled a list of some of those we've lost since the series came to an end in 2007.

(Warning — there are spoilers below.)

Denise Borino-Quinn appeared in 17 episodes of "The Sopranos" as Ginny Sacrimoni, wife of New York crime boss John "Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni (Vincent Curatola). Ginny is one of the audience's lenses into the everyday family lives of the mafia's higher echelons, as she and her husband move to New Jersey and begin to socialize more often with the Soprano crew. Ginny and Johnny Sack's relationship is most deeply explored in the episode "The Weight," in which Johnny nearly kills Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) for telling a joke about Ginny's weight. Ultimately, Johnny realizes that his extreme reaction merely plays into the cultural expectation that Ginny should be ashamed of her weight, which is a great hardship on her.

Prior to "The Sopranos," Denise Borino-Quinn had no previous acting experience, but she won the role of Ginny Sacrimoni unexpectedly at an open casting call for the series in 2000. She has no other screen acting credits. Borino-Quinn succumbed to liver cancer in 2010 at the tragically young age of 46.

Frank Anthony Vallelonga, aka Tony Lip, portrayed Carmine Lupertazzi, head of the Lupertazzi Crime Family of New York, in 11 episodes of "The Sopranos." Like much of the New York mafia, Carmine can be a bit condescending towards his New Jersey neighbors, but he's also willing to make compromises in Tony's favor in the interests of keeping the wheels of their business turning. While generally a cunning gangster, Carmine fails to formally announce a successor and spends his final days grooming his clueless son, Little Carmine (Ray Abruzzo), rather than the better-qualified John Sacrimoni. This results in a bloody power struggle over control of the family after his death.

Prior to "The Sopranos," Tony Lip was already well known to fans of the gangster genre for his appearances in "Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco," and he even makes an uncredited appearance as a wedding guest in "The Godfather." Lip passed away at 82 in 2013, but his name became more famous after the release of "Green Book," a 2018 film co-written by his son Nick, based on accounts of Tony Lip working as a driver and bodyguard for pianist Don Shirley in the '60s. It should be noted, however, that the accuracy of their portrayals in the film (to say nothing of the quality of the film as a whole) is the subject of much controversy.

David Margulies appeared as Tony's attorney, Neil Mink, in eight episodes of "The Sopranos," spanning from the second season premiere all the way to the final episode. Neil is a reliable resource for Tony, and he remains one of the less contentious of Tony's business relationships throughout the series. His calm confidence in his own insight sometimes borders on aloofness, but he always manages to keep Tony out of prison, even as a parade of his colleagues get pinched.

After his feature debut in the 1972 indie film "Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers," David Margulies appeared steadily on both the big and small screen between 1976 and his death from cancer in 2016. Margulies had a noteworthy Broadway career, as well, appearing in "Angels in America," "Conversations with My Father," and "The Iceman Cometh" (with "Sopranos" castmate Tom Aldredge). To moviegoers, he's perhaps best remembered as Mayor Lenny Clotch in 1984's "Ghostbusters" and its 1989 sequel. His final film role is in the micro-budget indie feature "Adam Bloom," which was released in 2020, four years after his death.

For 11 episodes between the first and fifth season of "The Sopranos," Frank Pellegrino recurs as FBI Station Chief Frank Cubitoso, the agent in charge of the federal investigation into the North Jersey mafia. Cubitoso oversees multiple attempts to gain actionable intelligence into the Soprano family's dealings, all of which are foiled. He arguably comes closest when he and Agent Deborah Ciccerone-Waldrup (Lola Glaudini) corner Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) into turning state's witness, but she's found out and killed before she can testify.

Frank Pellegrino was another in a long line of actors to find a home in the crime genre, playing both cops and robbers. He appeared as a gangster in both "Goodfellas" and "Mickey Blue Eyes," made multiple appearances in the "Law & Order" universe (including guest spots on the core series and "Criminal Intent"), and was a regular on the short-lived "New York Undercover." Aside from acting, Pellegrino also co-owned a restaurant in East Harlem, Rao's, which was a regular haunt of Martin Scorsese's. Pellegrino died of lung cancer in 2017.

Phil Leotardo, portrayed by Frank Vincent, first appears in Season 5 and eventually becomes the primary antagonist of the sixths and final season of "The Sopranos." Initially reluctant to lead, Phil nevertheless ascends from capo under boss John Sacrimoni to acting boss during Johnny's prison stay to full-on boss after his death, growing more impulsive and vengeful with power. Phil orders the elimination of the entire Soprano family leadership, but when his assassins fail to kill Tony himself, he finds himself on the defensive and loses control of his own family.

Frank Vincent wore many hats over the course of his career as an entertainer. In the 1960s, he was a studio drummer in New York working for hire for popular acts like Paul Anka and Del Shannon. In the '70s, he was a comedian performing a double-act alongside Joe Pesci, which eventually took them to Hollywood where they were cast in "Death Collector," the first of many gangster movies in which they would appear. Alongside Pesci, Vincent became a mainstay of crime dramas such as Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" and "Casino," as well as parodies and pastiches like "Wise Guys," "Shark Tale," and the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series. Vincent died in 2017 after a heart attack at the age of 80.

Frances Esemplare played Marianucci "Nucci" Gualtieri, mother of Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) in eight episodes of "The Sopranos," from Season 3 through Season 4. Nucci is a sweet old lady who means no harm to anyone, practically the polar opposite of her psychopathic son, though they share a few traits — naivety and sensitivity. Paulie is very protective of Nucci, extorting other residents of her retirement community into befriending her and threatening to kill Ralph Cifaretto for frightening her with a prank phone call. However, Paulie's doting comes to an abrupt end when he discovers that Nucci is actually his aunt, not his mother, after which he refuses to speak to her.

Prior to "The Sopranos," Frances Esemplare had only a single screen credit, a small role in the 1997 independent film "Sue," which happens to co-star John Ventimiglia, aka Artie Bucco on "The Sopranos." During the run of "The Sopranos," Esemplare had a small role in the indie feature "The Immaculate Misconception," as well as the short film "The Hit" starring another "Sopranos" regular, Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta). Frances Esemplare passed away in 2017 at the age of 83.

At the time of his death at age 83, Burt Young was remembered primarily for his role as Paulie Pennino in the "Rocky" movies. But in a single appearance on "The Sopranos," in Season 3, Episode 5, "Another Toothpick," Young made a very strong impression in the chilling role of Bobby Baccalieri Sr. The elder Bobby Bacala is in ill health with lung cancer but is brought out of retirement to pull off one last hit on behalf of Tony Soprano. 

Any fan of the series likely remembers the murders that ensue, as well as Bobby Sr.'s ultimate fate when, after the hit is carried out, he passes out during an especially nasty coughing episode and crashes his car. But it's possible that Young does his best acting in the episode when Bobby Sr. accepts the job and pleads his desire to be "useful for a change" in the criminal underworld in which he once thrived. Bobby Sr. came late in a career full of misfit tough guys for Young, and he definitely made the most of the opportunity.