Vincent Pastore, a character actor who specialized in Italian mobster roles, died at age 80. His most prominent role was Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in The Sopranos, a character created by David Chase for an actor who could balance toughness with sensitivity. In the show, Pastore’s character was balanced against Tony Sirico’s more intense portrayal of Paulie Walnuts. One of the series’ most memorable scenes involved Pussy’s death in the season two finale, when he appeared to Tony Soprano as a fish and confessed to being a rat before being killed and thrown overboard.
Pastore was born in the Bronx and grew up in New Rochelle, New York, where his father worked as a school caretaker and his mother cooked for a local Italian social club. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and later studied drama at Pace University’s Westchester campus. He worked as a bouncer and limousine driver before his acting career began. His breakthrough in the entertainment industry came partly through connections he made while driving actors Matt and Kevin Dillon, and he was later mentored by Danny Aiello.
Pastore’s early film work included small roles in numerous crime-related pictures, including appearances in Goodfellas, Carlito’s Way, and Q&A. He made his television debut in 1990 and appeared in The Jerky Boys in 1995 before landing his breakthrough role in The Sopranos. For this ensemble performance, he won a Screen Actors Guild award in 2000. Following his character’s death on the show, Pastore appeared on various reality television programs and expanded into comedy roles.
Beyond The Sopranos, Pastore’s career included Broadway appearances in Chicago and a musical adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway, television roles in Hawaii 5-0 and General Hospital, and film work including The Black Caesar in 2022. He also founded a theatre company in 2021. Pastore lived in City Island in the Bronx and is survived by his daughter Renee from his marriage to Nancy Berke.
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