Michael Gandolfini


Michael Gandolfini is an American actor. He is the son of actor James Gandolfini.

Early life

Gandolfini was born in 1999, the son of actor James Gandolfini and Marcy Wudarski. Growing up, Gandolfini enjoyed performing, but his father advised against an acting career, rather wanting him to pursue sports or "...be a director. They have the power."
Gandolfini's father died suddenly at the age of 51 in Rome on June 19, 2013. He was expected to travel to Sicily a few days later to receive an award at the Taormina Film Fest. After the family had spent the day sightseeing, Michael discovered his father unconscious at around 10 p.m. local time on the bathroom floor at the Boscolo Exedra Hotel. Michael called reception, which in turn called emergency paramedics. His father arrived at the hospital at 10:40 p.m. and was pronounced dead 20 minutes later from a heart attack.

Career

Following his father's death, Gandolfini decided to pursue acting. He enrolled at New York University after graduating high school. In his early audition efforts, he was cast in the HBO drama series The Deuce as Joey Dwyer. In 2019, he was cast in The Many Saints of Newark to play the young version of Tony Soprano, the role played by his father in the television series The Sopranos. Gandolfini, having never watched the show, watched through it to prepare for the role, describing it as an intense process. He was later cast in the Russo brothers crime drama Cherry.

Filmography

Film

Television