Name	Romance & Cigarettes
Caption	Promotional poster for Romance & Cigarettes
Director	John Turturro
Producer	Coen BrothersJohn PenottiJohn TurturroCo-producer: Justin Berfield
Writer	John Turturro
Starring	James GandolfiniKate WinsletSusan SarandonMary-Louise ParkerSteve BuscemiBobby CannavaleAida TurturroMandy Moore and Christopher Walken
Distributor	United Artists (USA)Icon International (non-USA)
Released	24 March 2006 (U.K.)7 September 2007 (U.S.)
Runtime	105 minutes
Country
Language	English

Romance & Cigarettes is a 2006 musical romantic-comedy film written and directed by John Turturro.

The film, initially scheduled for an August 2005 release date, was postponed, partly so it could premiere at the Venice Film Festival, partly – some speculate – so that it could be better prepared for Academy Award nomination.

The film opened in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2006, the Netherlands on March 30, 2006, and the rest of Europe in April 2006. United Artists had been scheduled to distribute the film in the United States, but when the film finally got a limited release on September 7, 2007, director Turturro decided to distribute the film himself. United Artists remains a partial rights holder to the film, but Icon International, actor Mel Gibson's company, now has full distribution rights in the U.S. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is distributing the film outside the U.S. and Sony Pictures (under license from Icon International, and ironically a cousin company to UA) released the DVD on February 12, 2008.

Reception

The film has received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, as of March 8, 2008, it has a score of 53%.

On April 27, 2008, the movie was viewed at the 10th Annual Ebertfest, in Champaign, Illinois. Ebertfest is Roger Ebert's film festival near his hometown of Urbana, Illinois. Aida Turturro and Tricia Brouk were scheduled to attend the event.

Cast

James Gandolfini — Nick Murder

Susan Sarandon — Kitty Kane Murder

Mary-Louise Parker — Constance Murder

Mandy Moore — Baby Murder

Aida Turturro — Rosebud / 'Rara'

Kate Winslet — Tula

Steve Buscemi — Angelo

Christopher Walken — Cousin Bo

Barbara Sukowa — Gracie

Bobby Cannavale — Chetty Jr. / 'Fryburg'

Eddie Izzard — Father Gene Vincent

Elaine Stritch — Grace Murder

P.J. Brown — Police Officer

Tonya Pinkins — Medic

Amy Sedaris — Frances

Adam LeFevre — Frances's Boyfriend

Cady Huffman — Roe

Kumar Pallana — Da Da Kumar

Soundtrack

Tom Jones's "Delilah"

Engelbert Humperdinck's "A Man Without Love"

Dusty Springfield's "Piece of My Heart"

Gene Ammons's "Answer Me, My Love"

Bruce Springsteen's "Red Headed Woman"

Connie Francis's "Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me?"

Bobby Cannavale's "Hot Pants"

Anna Identici's "Quando m'innamoro"

Ute Lemper's "Little Water song"

Cyndi Lauper's "Prisoner of love"

Elvis Presley's "Trouble"

Buena Vista Social Club's "El Cuarto De Tula"

Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart"

Mandy Moore with Aida Turturro & Mary-Louise Parker "I Want Candy"

James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"

Vikki Carr's "It Must be Him"

James Gandolfini & Susan Sarandon "The Girl That I Marry"

Harvey & The Moonglows' "Ten Commandments of Love"

Bill Maxwell's "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now"

Bill Maxwell's "Banks of the Ohio"

Erma Franklin's "Piece of My Heart"

R&C; Choir's "When The Saviour Reached Down for Me"

References

External links

Romance & Cigarettes Fan Page

Filmmaker magazine interview with John Turturro

Category:2005 films Category:2000s musical films Category:2000s romantic comedy films Category:American musical comedy films Category:American romantic comedy films Category:American romantic musical films Category:Films directed by John Turturro Category:Films set in New York City Category:Films shot anamorphically Category:Films shot in New York City Category:Icon Productions films Category:United Artists films

Name	Kate Winslet
Caption	Winslet at 2007 Palm Springs Film Festival
Alt	A young woman with shoulder-length, wavy, blonde hair and wearing a low-cut blue gown, is looking to the right with her mouth open as if speaking.
Birth name	Kate Elizabeth Winslet
Birth date	October 05, 1975
Birth place	Reading, Berkshire, England
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	(separated)

Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She is the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader (2008). Winslet has been acclaimed for both dramatic and comedic work in projects ranging from period to contemporary films, and from major Hollywood productions to less publicised indie films. She has won awards from the Screen Actors Guild, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association among others, and has been nominated for an Emmy Award for television acting.

Raised in Berkshire, Winslet studied drama from childhood, and began her career in British television in 1991. She made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994), for which she received her first notable critical praise. She achieved recognition for her subsequent work in a supporting role in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and for her leading role in Titanic (1997), the highest grossing film for more than 12 years until 2010.

Since 2000, Winslet's performances have continued to draw positive comments from film critics, and she has been nominated for various awards for her work in such films as Quills (2000), Iris (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Finding Neverland (2004), Little Children (2006), The Reader (2008) and Revolutionary Road (2008). Her performance in the latter prompted New York magazine to describe her as "the best English-speaking film actress of her generation". The romantic comedy The Holiday and the animated film Flushed Away (both 2006) were among the biggest commercial successes of her career.

Winslet was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2000. She has been included as a vocalist on some soundtracks of works she has performed in, and the single "What If" from the soundtrack for (2001), was a hit single in several European countries. Winslet has a daughter with her former husband, Jim Threapleton, and a son with her second husband, Sam Mendes, from whom she is separated. She lives in New York City.

Early life

Born in Reading, Berkshire, Winslet is the daughter of Sally Anne (née Bridges), a barmaid, and Roger John Winslet, a swimming pool contractor. Her parents were "jobbing actors", which led Winslet to comment that she "didn't have a privileged upbringing" and that their daily life was "very hand to mouth". Her maternal grandparents, Linda (née Plumb) and Archibald Oliver Bridges, founded and operated the Reading Repertory Theatre, At the age of 12, Winslet appeared in a television advertisement directed by filmmaker Tim Pope for Sugar Puffs cereal. Pope said her naturalism was "there from the start".

Career

1991–1997

Winslet's career began on television, with a co-starring role in the BBC children's science fiction serial Dark Season. This role was followed by appearances in the made-for-TV movie Anglo-Saxon Attitudes in 1992, the sitcom Get Back for ITV and an episode of medical drama Casualty in 1993, also for the BBC. The film included Winslet's singing debut, and her a cappella version of "Sono Andati", an aria from La Bohème, was featured on the film's soundtrack. The film was released to favourable reviews in 1994 and won Jackson and partner Fran Walsh a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Winslet was awarded an Empire Award and a London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year for her performance. Speaking about her experience on a film set as an absolute beginner, Winslet noted: "With Heavenly Creatures, all I knew I had to do was completely become that person. In a way it was quite nice doing [the film] and not knowing a bloody thing." Director Ang Lee admitted he was initially worried about the way Winslet had attacked her role in Heavenly Creatures and thus required her to exercise tai chi, read Austen-era Gothic novels and poetry, and work with a piano teacher to fit the grace of the role.

In 1996, Winslet starred in both Jude and Hamlet. In Michael Winterbottom's Jude, based on the Victorian novel Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, she played Sue Bridehead, a young woman with suffragette leanings who falls in love with her cousin, played by Christopher Eccleston. Acclaimed among critics, it was not a success at the box office, barely grossing US$2 million ($}} million) worldwide. Richard Corliss of Time magazine said "Winslet is worthy of [...] the camera's scrupulous adoration. She's perfect, a modernist ahead of her time [...] and Jude is a handsome showcase for her gifts." Winslet played Ophelia, Hamlet's drowned lover, in Kenneth Branagh's all star-cast film version of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film garnered largely positive reviews and earned Winslet her second Empire Award.

In mid-1996, Winslet began filming James Cameron's Titanic (1997), alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Against expectations, the film went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing more than US$1.843 billion ($}} billion) in box-office receipts worldwide, and transformed Winslet into a commercial movie star. Subsequently, she was nominated for most of the high-profile awards, winning a European Film Award.

1998–2003

Shot prior to the release of Titanic, Hideous Kinky, a low-budget hippie romance, was Winslet's sole film of 1998. The film garnered generally mixed reviews and received only limited distribution, resulting in a worldwide gross of US$5 million ($}} million). Despite the success of Titanic, the next film Winslet opted to star in was Holy Smoke! (1999), featuring Harvey Keitel, another low-budget project—much to the chagrin of her agents, who felt "miserable" about her preference of arthouse movies. The same year, she voiced Brigid in the computer animated film Faeries.

In 2000, Winslet appeared in the period piece Quills with Geoffrey Rush and Joaquin Phoenix, a film inspired by the life and work of the Marquis de Sade. The actress served as somewhat of a "patron saint" of the film for being the first big name to back it, accepting the role of a chambermaid in the asylum and the courier of The Marquis' manuscripts to the underground publishers. Well-received by critics, the film garnered numerous accolades for Winslet, including nominations for SAG and Satellite Awards.

In 2001's Enigma, Winslet played a young woman who finds herself falling for a brilliant young World War II code breaker, played by Dougray Scott. Generally well-received, Winslet was awarded a British Independent Film Award for her performance, In the same year she appeared in Richard Eyre's critically acclaimed film Iris, portraying Irish novelist Iris Murdoch. Winslet shared her role with Judi Dench, with both actresses portraying Murdoch at different phases of her life. Subsequently, each of them was nominated for an Academy Award the following year, earning Winslet her third nomination. with proceeds donated to two of Winslet's favourite charities, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Sargeant Cancer Foundation for Children. A Europe-wide top ten hit, it reached number one in Austria, Belgium, and Ireland, number six on the UK Singles Chart, and won the 2002 OGAE Song Contest.

Her next film role was in the 2003 drama The Life of David Gale, in which she played an ambitious journalist who interviews a death-sentenced professor, played by Kevin Spacey, in his final weeks before execution. The film underperformed at international box offices, garnering only half of its US$ 50,000,000 budget, and generating mostly critical reviews, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times calling it a "silly movie."

2004–2006

Following The Life of David Gale, Winslet appeared with Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), a neosurrealistic indie-drama by French director Michel Gondry. In the film, she played the role of Clementine Kruczynski, a chatty, spontaneous and somewhat neurotic woman, who decides to have all memories of her ex-boyfriend erased from her mind. The role was a departure from her previous roles, with Winslet revealing in an interview with Variety that she was initially upended about her casting in the film: "This was not the type of thing I was being offered [...] I was just thrilled that there was something he had seen in me, in spite of the corsets, that he thought was going to work for Clementine.” The film was a critical and financial success. Winslet received rave reviews for her Academy Award-nominated performance, which Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described as "electrifying and bruisingly vulnerable."

.|alt=A young woman in formal evening attire of a strapless black gown, with diamond earrings and bracelet, looks over her shoulder. Her hair is pulled back from her face, and her hand, with dark nail varnish clasps a purse.]]

Her final film in 2004 was Finding Neverland. The story of the production focused on Scottish writer J. M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) and his platonic relationship with Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet), whose sons inspired him to pen the classic play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. During promotion of the film, Winslet noted of her portrayal "It was very important for me in playing Sylvia that I was already a mother myself, because I don’t think I could have played that part if I didn’t know what it felt like to be a parent and have those responsibilities and that amount of love that you give to a child [...] and I've always got a baby somewhere, or both of them, all over my face." The film received favourable reviews and proved to be an international success, becoming Winslet's highest-grossing film since Titanic with a total of $118 million worldwide.

In 2005, Winslet appeared in an episode of BBC's comedy series Extras as a satirical version of herself. While dressed as a nun, she was portrayed giving phone sex tips to the romantically challenged character of Maggie. Her performance in the episode led to her first nomination for an Emmy Award. Hand-picked by Turturro, who was impressed with her display of dancing ability in Holy Smoke!, Winslet was praised for her performance, Derek Elley of Variety wrote: "Onscreen less, but blessed with the showiest role, filthiest one-liners, [and] a perfect Lancashire accent that's comical enough in the Gotham setting Winslet throws herself into the role with an infectious gusto."

After declining an invitation to appear in Woody Allen's film Match Point (2005), Winslet stated that she wanted to be able to spend more time with her children. She began 2006 with All the King's Men, featuring Sean Penn and Jude Law. Winslet played the role of Anne Stanton, the childhood sweetheart of Jack Burden (Law). The film was critically and financially unsuccessful. Todd McCarthy of Variety summed it up as "overstuffed and fatally miscast [...] Absent any point of engagement to become involved in the characters, the film feels stillborn and is unlikely to stir public excitement, even in an election year."

Winslet fared far better when she joined the cast of Todd Field's Little Children, playing Sarah Pierce, a bored homemaker who has a torrid affair with a married neighbour, played by Patrick Wilson. Both her performance and the film received rave reviews; A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "In too many recent movies intelligence is woefully undervalued, and it is this quality—even more than its considerable beauty—that distinguishes Little Children from its peers. The result is a movie that is challenging, accessible and hard to stop thinking about. Ms. Winslet, as fine an actress as any working in movies today, registers every flicker of Sarah’s pride, self-doubt and desire, inspiring a mixture of recognition, pity and concern that amounts, by the end of the movie, to something like love. That Ms. Winslet is so lovable makes the deficit of love in Sarah’s life all the more painful." For her work in the film, she was honored with a Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year from BAFTA/LA, a Los Angeles-based offshoot of the BAFTA Awards. and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and at 31, became the youngest actress to ever garner five Oscar nominations.

She followed Little Children with a role in Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy The Holiday, also starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. In it she played Iris, a British woman who temporarily exchanges homes with an American woman (Diaz). Released to a mixed reception by critics, the film became Winslet's biggest commercial success in nine years, grossing more than US$205 million worldwide. Also in 2006, Winslet provided her voice for several smaller projects. In the CG-animated Flushed Away, she voiced Rita, a scavenging sewer rat who helps Roddy (Hugh Jackman) escape from the city of Ratropolis and return to his luxurious Kensington origins. A critical and commercial success, the film collected US$177,665,672 at international box offices.

2007–present

in February 2009|alt=A young woman with blonde hair, pulled back from her face wears diamond earrings and formal gown. She looks to her right and waves and smiles.]]

In 2007, Winslet reunited with Leonardo DiCaprio to film Revolutionary Road (2008), directed by her husband Sam Mendes. Winslet had suggested that both should work with her on a film adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates after reading the script by Justin Haythe. Resulting in both "a blessing and an added pressure" on-set, the reunion was her first experience working with Mendes. Portraying a couple in a failing marriage in the 1950s, DiCaprio and Winslet watched period videos promoting life in the suburbs to prepare themselves for the film, In his review of the film, David Edelstein of New York magazine stated that "[t]here isn’t a banal moment in Winslet’s performance—not a gesture, not a word. Is Winslet now the best English-speaking film actress of her generation? I think so." A month after filming began, however, Kidman left the film due to her pregnancy before filming of her had begun, enabling Winslet to rejoin the film. She later said the role was difficult for her, as she was naturally unable "to sympathise with an SS guard." While the film garnered mixed reviews in general, The following year, she earned her sixth Academy Award nomination and went on to win the Best Actress award, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. She has been cast in the Steven Soderbergh disaster film Contagion, which is scheduled to be released in October 2011. Winslet will also join Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz in Roman Polanski's adaptation of the play God of Carnage, which is scheduled to begin filming in Paris in February 2011.

Personal life

While on the set of Dark Season, Winslet met actor-writer Stephen Tredre, with whom she had a nearly five-year relationship. He died of bone cancer soon after Winslet completed filming Titanic, causing her to miss the film's premiere in order to attend his funeral in London.

Winslet was later in a relationship with Rufus Sewell, They have a daughter, Mia, who was born on 12 October 2000 in London. Winslet began a relationship with Sam Mendes, whom she married on 24 May 2003 on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean.

Mendes and his production company, Neal Street Productions, purchased the film rights to the long-delayed biography of circus tiger tamer Mabel Stark. The couple's spokesperson said, "It's a great story, they have had their eyes on it for a while. If they can get the script right, it would make a great film." GQ subsequently issued an apology. She won a libel suit in 2009 against British tabloid The Daily Mail after it printed that she lied about her exercise regimen. Winslet said she had always expressed the opinion that women should be encouraged to accept their appearance with pride, and therefore "was particularly upset to be accused of lying about my exercise regimen, and felt that I had a responsibility to request an apology in order to demonstrate my commitment to the views that I have always expressed about body issues, including diet and exercise." They also own a Grade II-listed five-bedroom house, set in in the village of Church Westcote in Gloucestershire, England. After purchasing the house for £3 million, they have reportedly spent a further £1 million in renovations, as the house had fallen into disrepair after the death of its former owner, the equestrian artist Raoul Millais in 1999.

Awards and nominations

Winslet won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Reader (2008). She won two Golden Globe Awards in the same year: Best Actress (Drama) for Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress for The Reader. She has won two BAFTA Awards: Best Actress for The Reader, and Best Supporting Actress for Sense and Sensibility (1995). She has earned a total of six Academy Award nominations, seven Golden Globe nominations, and seven BAFTA nominations.

She has received numerous awards from other organisations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for Iris (2001) and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Sense and Sensibility and The Reader. Premiere magazine named her portrayal of Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) as the 81st greatest film performance of all time.

Academy Award nomination milestones

Winslet was 26 when she received her third Academy Award nomination, for Iris, just missing the mark of Natalie Wood, who received her third nomination at age 25. She set the mark as the youngest actor to receive five nominations, at age 31, for Little Children (2006). She surpassed Bette Davis, who was 33 when she received her fifth nomination for her performance in The Little Foxes (1941). With her Best Actress nomination for The Reader, Winslet became the youngest actor to receive six Oscar nominations. At age 33, Winslet passed the mark Davis, one year older, set with Now, Voyager (1942).

Winslet received Academy Award nominations as the younger versions of the characters played by fellow nominees Gloria Stuart, as Rose, in Titanic (1997) These are the only instances of the younger and older versions of a character in the same film both yielding Academy Award nominations.

When she was not nominated for her work in Revolutionary Road, Winslet became only the second actress to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) without getting an Oscar nomination for the same performance (Shirley MacLaine was the first for Madame Sousatzka [1988], and she won the Golden Globe in a three-way tie). Academy rules allow an actor to receive no more than one nomination in a given category; as the Academy nominating process determined that Winslet's work in The Reader would be considered a lead performance—unlike the Golden Globes, which considered it a supporting performance—she could not also receive a Best Actress nomination for Revolutionary Road.

Awards for other work

In 2000, Winslet won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Listen To the Storyteller. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for playing herself in a 2005 episode of Extras.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1991 | Dark Season | Reet | (TV series) |- | 1992 | Get Back | Eleanor Sweet | (TV series) |- | 1994 | Heavenly Creatures | Juliet Hulme | Empire Award for Best British ActressLondon Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNew Zealand Film and TV Award for Best Foreign Performer |- | 1995 | | Princess Sarah | |- | 1995 | Sense and Sensibility | Marianne Dashwood | BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleEvening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (also for Jude)Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated–Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | 1996 | Jude | Sue Bridehead | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (also for Sense and Sensibility) |- | 1996 | Hamlet | Ophelia | Empire Award for Best British ActressNominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |- | 1997 | Titanic | Rose DeWitt Bukater | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – DramaEmpire Award for Best British ActressEuropean Film Awards Jameson Audience/People's Choice Award for Best British ActressGolden Camera – Germany – Film – International (Exceptional work in a non-German production)Nominated–Academy Award for Best ActressNominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best PerformanceNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Leonardo DiCaprio)Nominated–MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Leonardo DiCaprio)Nominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated–European Film Awards – Outstanding Achievement in World CinemaNominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | 1998 | Hideous Kinky | Julia | |- | 1999 | Faeries | Brigid | (voice) |- | 1999 | Holy Smoke! | Ruth Barron | |- | 2000 | Quills | Madeleine 'Maddy' LeClerc | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (also for Enigma and Iris)Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–Blockbuster Entertainment Awards – Favorite Actress – DramaNominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture DramaNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role |- | 2001 | Enigma | Hester Wallace | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (also for Iris and Quills)Nominated–British Independent Film Award for Best Actress |- | 2001 | | Belle | (voice) |- | 2001 | Iris | Young Iris Murdoch | Empire Award for Best British ActressEvening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (also for Enigma and Quills)European Film Awards – Jameson Audience/People's Choice Award for Best British ActressLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleNominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureNominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |- | 2003 | | Bitsey Bloom | |- | 2004 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Clementine Kruczynski | Empire Award for Best British ActressInternational Cinephile Society Award for Best ActressLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Finding Neverland)London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year (tied with Eva Birthistle for Ae Fond Kiss...)Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressSanta Barbara International Film Festival – Outstanding Performance of the Year Award (also for Finding Neverland)Nominated–Academy Award for Best ActressNominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated–People's Choice Awards – Favorite Leading LadyNominated–People's Choice Awards – Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Jim Carrey)Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated–Saturn Award for Best ActressNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role |- | 2004 | Finding Neverland | Sylvia Llewelyn Davies | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Eternal Sunshine)Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Outstanding Performance of the Year Award (also for Eternal Sunshine)Nominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated–Teen Choice Awards – Choice Movie Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 2005 | Romance & Cigarettes | Tula | |- | 2006 | All the King's Men | Anne Stanton | |- | 2006 | Little Children | Sarah Pierce | The Britannia Award for British Artist of the YearGotham Awards – Tribute AwardPalm Springs International Film Festival – Desert Palm Achievement AwardNominated–Academy Award for Best ActressNominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated–Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaNominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role |- | 2006 | ''Flushed Away | Rita | (voice) |- | 2006 | | Iris Simpkins | |- | 2006 | Deep Sea 3D | Narrator | (voice) |- | 2008 | | Narrator | (voice) |- | 2008 | | Hanna Schmitz | Academy Award for Best ActressBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressChicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressEuropean Film Award for Best ActressGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Revolutionary Road)London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Revolutionary Road)RopeofSilicon Movie Award for Best Supporting ActressSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressVancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Revolutionary Road)Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best PerformanceNominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama |- | 2008 | Revolutionary Road | April Wheeler | Alliance of Women Film Journalists – Best ActressDetroit Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressGolden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for The Reader)London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for The Reader)Palm Springs International Film Festival – Best Cast PerformanceSt. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressVancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for The Reader)Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Montevito AwardNominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role |- | 2011 | Mildred Pierce | Mildred Pierce Beragon | HBO mini-series |- | 2011 | Contagion | Dr. Erin Mears |- |}

References

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:People from Reading, Berkshire Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:European Film Awards winners (people) Category:Grammy Award winners Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Category:Evening Standard Award for Best Actress

Caption	Sarandon at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth name	Susan Abigail Tomalin
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Birth date	October 04, 1946
Years active	1969–present
Occupation	Actress
Spouse	Chris Sarandon (1967–1979) (divorced)
Partner	Tim Robbins (1986–2009) (separated)

Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an American actress. She has worked in films and television, since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She was nominated for the award for four films, before that, and has received other recognition for her work. She is also noted for her social and political activism for a variety of liberal causes.

Early life

Sarandon, the eldest of nine children in a Roman Catholic family, was born as Susan Abigail Tomalin in New York City, as the daughter of Leonora Marie (née Criscione) and Phillip Leslie Tomalin (26 September 1917 – 26 March 1999), who worked as an advertising executive, television producer, and nightclub singer during the big band era. Sarandon's father was of English, Irish and Welsh ancestry, and her Italian American mother's ancestors emigrated from the regions of Tuscany and Sicily. Sarandon attended Roman Catholic schools. where she graduated from Edison High School in 1964. She then attended The Catholic University of America, from 1964 to 1968, and earned a BA in drama and worked with noted drama coach and master teacher, Father Gilbert V. Hartke.

Career

In 1969, Sarandon went to a casting call for the motion-picture Joe, with her then-husband Chris Sarandon. Although he did not get a part, she was cast in a major role of a disaffected teen, who disappears into the seedy underworld. (The film was released in 1970). Between the years 1970 and 1972, Sarandon played Patrice Kahlman on the short-lived soap opera A World Apart, and on Search for Tomorrow, in the role of Sarah Fairbanks. She appeared in Fleur bleue (The Apprentice) (1971) and also appeared in Lady Liberty (1971), by Mario Monicelli, opposite Sophia Loren.

In 1974, she co-starred in The Front Page, with the comedy duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and Lovin' Molly with Anthony Perkins. She appeared in the cult favorite musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). That same year, she played the female lead in The Great Waldo Pepper, opposite Robert Redford. In 1978, Sarandon played the mother of a child prostitute, who was played by Brooke Shields, in Pretty Baby.

Her most controversial film appearance was in The Hunger in 1983, a modern vampire story in which she had a lesbian sex scene with Catherine Deneuve. The film was a critical and commercial flop but gained a cult following. Sarandon played one of the leads in the 1987 dark comedy/fantasy film The Witches of Eastwick, opposite Jack Nicholson. Sarandon starred in the 1988 film Bull Durham, which became a huge commercial and critical success. In 1989, she co-starred with Marlon Brando in A Dry White Season.

Sarandon received five Academy Award nominations, for best actress, in Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992) and The Client (1994). In 1995, she won the award for her performance in Dead Man Walking.

Additional performances in film include Little Women (1994), Compromising Positions, Stepmom (1998), Anywhere but Here (1999), Cradle Will Rock (1999), The Banger Sisters (2002), Shall We Dance (2004), Alfie (2004), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), Elizabethtown (2005) and Enchanted (2007).

Sarandon has appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons, one as herself ("Bart Has Two Mommies") and another as a ballet teacher, "Homer vs. Patty and Selma". She has made appearances on comedies such as Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Mad TV, Saturday Night Live, Chappelle's Show, and Rescue Me.

Sarandon has contributed the narration to some two dozen documentary film, many of which dealt with social and political issues; in addition, she has served as the presenter on many installments of the PBS documentary series, Independent Lens. In 2007, she hosted and presented Mythos, a series of lectures by the late American mythology professor Joseph Campbell.

Sarandon joined the cast of the adaptation of The Lovely Bones, opposite Rachel Weisz, and appeared with her daughter, Eva Amurri, in Middle of Nowhere; both of the movies were filmed in 2007.

In June 2010, Sarandon joined the cast of new HBO pilot The Miraculous Year. She will play the role of Patty Atwood, a Broadway director/choreographer.

Personal life

Sarandon began a relationship with fellow college student Chris Sarandon, in 1964, and they married on September 16, 1967. After their separation, Sarandon discussed their relationship in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine in 1978, in which she stated "I no longer believe in marriage." They divorced in 1979 and she retained Sarandon as her stage name.

In the late 1970s, Sarandon had a two-year relationship with director Louis Malle, who directed her in Pretty Baby and Atlantic City. Sarandon was in a relationship with actor Tim Robbins, whom she met while she filmed Bull Durham. They had two sons — Jack Henry (born 1989) and Miles Guthrie (born 1992). She was honored for her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, an advocate for victims of hunger and HIV/AIDS and a spokesperson for Heifer International. Sarandon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City Film Festival that is dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18. In 2006, Sarandon and 10 of her relatives (including her then-partner Tim Robbins and her son Miles) travelled to Wales to trace her family's Welsh genealogy. Their journey was documented by the BBC Wales programme, Coming Home: Susan Sarandon.

Political activism

Sarandon is noted for her active support of progressive and left-liberal political causes, ranging from donations made to organizations such as EMILY's List, to participating in a 1983 delegation to Nicaragua sponsored by MADRE, an organization that promotes "social, environmental and economic justice." Sarandon has also expressed support for various human rights causes that are similar philosophically to ideas found among the Christian left.

In 1995, Sarandon was one of many Hollywood actors, directors and writers who were interviewed for the documentary The Celluloid Closet, which looked at how Hollywood films have depicted homosexuality. In 1999, she was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In that capacity, she has actively supported the organization's global advocacy, as well as the work of the Canadian UNICEF Committee.

During the 2000 election, Sarandon supported Ralph Nader's run for President, serving as a co-chair of the National Steering Committee of Nader 2000.

During the 2004 election campaign, she withheld support for Nader's bid, being among several "Nader 2000 Leaders" who signed a petition that urged voters to vote for Democratic Party candidate John Kerry. After the 2004 election, Sarandon called for US elections to be monitored by international entities.

Sarandon and Robbins both took an early stance against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with Sarandon stating that she was firmly against the concept of the war as a pre-emptive strike. Prior to a 2003 protest sponsored by the United for Peace and Justice coalition, she said that many Americans "do not want to risk their children or the children of Iraq". Sarandon was one of the first to appear in a series of political ads sponsored by TrueMajority, an organization established by Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream founder Ben Cohen. Also in 2003, Sarandon appeared in a "Love is Love is Love" commercial, which promoted the acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

In 2004, she served on the advisory committee for the group 2004 Racism Watch. She hosted a section of the Live 8 concert in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2005. In 2006, she was one of eight women who were selected to carry in the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, in Turin, Italy.

Along with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, Sarandon took part in a 2006 Mother's Day protest, which was sponsored by Code Pink; she has expressed interest in portraying Sheehan in a movie. In January 2007, she appeared with Robbins and Jane Fonda at an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. in support of a Congressional measure to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.

In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Sarandon and Tim Robbins campaigned for John Edwards in the New Hampshire communities of Hampton, Bedford and Dover. When asked at We Vote '08 Kickoff Party "What would Jesus do this primary season", Sarandon said, "I think Jesus would be very supportive of John Edwards."

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1970 | Joe | Melissa Compton | |- | 1971 | Lady Liberty | Sally | |- | 1971 | The Apprentice | Elizabeth Hawkins | aka "Fleur bleue" (in Canada) |- | 1974 | Lovin' Molly | Sarah | |- | 1974 | | Peggy Grant | |- | 1975 | | Mary Beth | |- | 1975 | | Janet Weiss | |- | 1976 | Dragonfly | Chloe | aka "One Summer Love" (USA: reissue title) |- | 1977 | Checkered Flag or Crash | C.C. Wainwright | |- | 1977 | | Catherine Alexander Douglas | |- | 1977 | | Ginny | |- | 1978 | Pretty Baby | Hattie | |- | 1978 | King of the Gypsies | Rose | |- | 1979 | Something Short of Paradise | Madeline Ross | |- | 1980 | Atlantic City | Sally Matthews | Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign ActressKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressNominated—Academy Award for Best Actress |- | 1980 | Loving Couples | Stephanie | |- | 1982 | Tempest | Aretha Tomalin | |- | 1983 | | Dr. Sarah Roberts | |- | 1983 | Who Am I This Time? | Helene Shaw | |- | 1984 | | Emily | |- | 1985 | Compromising Positions | Judith Singer | |- | 1986 | Women of Valor | Col. Margaret Ann Jessup | |- | 1987 | | Jane Spofford | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress |- | 1988 | Bull Durham | Annie Savoy | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | 1988 | Sweet Hearts Dance | Sandra Boon | |- | 1989 | | Christine Starkey | |- | 1989 | | Melanie Bruwer | |- | 1990 | White Palace | Nora Baker | London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Thelma & Louise)Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1991 | Thelma & Louise | Louise Elizabeth Sawyer | David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (shared with Geena Davis)London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for White Palace)National Board of Review Award for Best Actress (shared with Geena Davis)Nominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress  – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1992 | | Herself | |- | 1992 | Light Sleeper | Ann | |- | 1992 | Bob Roberts | Tawna Titan | |- | 1992 | Lorenzo's Oil | Michaela Odone | Nominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1994 | | Regina 'Reggie' Love | BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role |- | 1994 | Little Women | Margaret 'Marmee' March | |- | 1994 | Safe Passage | Margaret 'Mag' Singer | |- | 1995 | Dead Man Walking | Sister Helen Prejean | Academy Award for Best ActressChlotrudis Award for Best ActressDavid di Donatello Award for Best Foreign ActressKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1996 | James and the Giant Peach | Miss Spider | voice |- | 1998 | Twilight | Catherine Ames | |- | 1998 | Illuminata | Calimene | |- | 1998 | Stepmom | Jackie Harrison | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Mrs. Clark | voice (direct-to-video) |- | 1999 | Cradle Will Rock | Margherita Sarfatti | |- | 1999 | Anywhere but Here | Adele August | |- | 2000 | Joe Gould's Secret | Alice Neel | |- | 2000 | | Coco LaBouche | voice |- | 2001 | Cats & Dogs | Ivy | voice |- | 2001 | Goodnight Moon | Narrator | voice (short subject) |- | 2002 | Igby Goes Down | Mimi Slocumb | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress (also for | Moonlight Mile)Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |- | 2002 | | Lavinia Kingsley | |- | 2002 | | Moonlight Mile | Jojo Floss | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress (also for ''Igby Goes Down) |- | 2002 | Little Miss Spider | Narrator | short subject |- | 2003 | Ice Bound | Dr. Jerri Nielsen | |- | 2004 | Noel | Rose Collins | |- | 2004 | Jiminy Glick in Lalawood | Herself | Cameo |- | 2004 | Shall We Dance | Beverly Clark | |- | 2004 | Alfie | Liz | |- | 2005 | Elizabethtown | Hollie Baylor | |- | 2005 | Romance & Cigarettes | Kitty | |- | 2006 | Irresistible | Sophie | |- | 2007 | Mr. Woodcock | Beverly Farley | |- | 2007 | In the Valley of Elah | Joan Deerfield | |- | 2007 | Enchanted | Queen Narissa | |- | 2007 | Emotional Arithmetic | Melanie Lansing Winters | Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign ActressNominated—Jutra Award for Best Actress |- | 2007 | Bernard and Doris | Doris Duke | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a MovieNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |- | 2008 | Speed Racer | Mom Racer | |- | 2008 | Middle of Nowhere | Rhonda Berry | |- | 2009 | | Grace Brewer | |- | 2009 | Peacock | Fanny Crill | Direct-to-video |- | 2009 | Leaves of Grass | Daisy Kincaid | |- | 2009 | Solitary Man | Nancy | |- | 2009 | | Grandma Lynn | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |- | 2010 | | Sylvia Moore | released 24 September 2010 |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1970–1971 | | Patrice Kahlman | |- | 1971 | | Joyce | 1 episode |- | 1972 | Search for Tomorrow | Sarah Fairbanks | unknown episodes |- | 1973 | Wide World Mystery | | episode The Haunting of Rosalind |- | 1974 | F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' | Ailie Calhoun | |- | 1974 | | Kate | TV movie |- | 1974 | June Moon | Eileen | TV movie |- | 1974 | | Pasty Johnson | TV movie |- | 1982 | Who Am I This Time? | Helene Shaw | TV movie |- | 1984 | Oxbridge Blues | Natalie | TV mini-series |- | 1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Beauty | 1 episode |- | 1985 | A.D | Livilla | TV mini-series |- | 1985 | Mussolini and I | Edda Mussolini Ciano | TV movie |- | 1986 | Women of Valor | Col. Margaret Ann Jessup | TV movie |- | 1994 | All Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! | Bitsy | |- | 1995 | | Ballet Teacher | 1 episode |- | 1999 | Earthly Possessions | Charlotte Emory | TV movie |- | 2001 | Friends | Cecilia Monroe/Jessica Lockhart | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Comedy Series |- | 2001 | Cool Women In History | The Host | Season 1Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series |- | 2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Meg | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Comedy Series |- | 2003 | Frank Herbert's Children of Dune | Princess Wensicia | TV miniseries |- | 2004 | Chappelle's Show | herself | Season 3 |- | 2004 | Troy: The Passion of Helen | The Host | |- | 2005 | | Sunny Jacobs | TV movie |- | 2005 | Mad TV | | 2 episodes |- | 2006–2007 | Rescue Me | Alicia |- | 2009 | ER | Nora | 1 episode |- | 2010 | Who Do You Think You Are? | herself | 1 episode |- | 2010 | You Don't Know Jack | Janet Good | TV movieNominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a MovieNominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |- |- | 2010 | Chelsea Lately | Herself | Appeared 7/20/2010 |- | 2010 | The Good Wife | Mrs. Joe Kent | Uncredited voice role, 10/27/2010 |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Documentaries |- ! Year ! Title ! Role |- | 1983 | When the Mountains Tremble | |- | 1990 | Through the Wire | narrator |- | 1993 | Wildnerness: The Last Stand | narrator |- | 1994 | School of the Americas Assassins | narrator |- | 1995 | | |- | 1996 | | narrator |- | 1997 | | narrator |- | 1997 | Father Roy: Inside the School of Assassins | narrator |- | 1997 | 187: Documented | narrator |- | 1999 | For Love of Julian | narrator |- | 2000 | Light Keeps Me Company | |- | 2000 | Iditarod: A Far Distant Place | narrator |- | 2000 | This Is What Democracy Looks Like | narrator |- | 2000 | Dying to be Thin | narrator |- | 2001 | Uphill All the Way | narrator |- | 2001 | 900 Women | narrator |- | 2001 | | narrator |- | 2001 | Rudyland | narrator |- | 2001 | | narrator |- | 2001 | Ghosts of Attica | narrator |- | 2001 | Last Party 2000 | |- | 2002 | | narrator |- | 2002 | Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion | narrator |- | 2003 | XXI Century | |- | 2003 | | narrator |- | 2003 | Burma: Anatomy of Terror | narrator |- | 2003 | Journey of the Heart: The Life of Henri Nouwen | narrator |- | 2004 | Fragile Hopes from the Killing Fields | narrator |- | 2005 | | narrator |- | 2005 | On the Line: Dissent in an Age of Terrorism | |- | 2006 | Secrets of the Code | narrator |- | 2006 | Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars | narrator |- | 2007 | This Child of Mine | narrator |- | 2007 | World Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies | |- | 2009 | PoliWood | Herself |- | 2010 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself |}

References

External links

FAO Goodwill Ambassador website

Category:1946 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:American activists Category:American anti-Iraq War activists Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American actors of English descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:American actors of Welsh descent Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:New York Democrats Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Category:The Catholic University of America alumni Category:Genie Award winners for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:People from New York City Category:People from Edison, New Jersey Category:People from Queens

Caption	James Gandolfini in 2006
Birth date	September 18, 1961
Birth place	Westwood, New Jersey, United States
Birthname	James J. Gandolfini, Jr.
Spouse	Marcy Wudarski (1999–2002)Deborah Lin (2008–present)
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1992–present
Notable role	Tony Soprano

James J. Gandolfini, Jr. (born September 18, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia. Gandolfini's other roles include the woman-beating mob henchman Virgil in True Romance, enforcer/stuntman Bear in Get Shorty, Lt. General Miller in In the Loop, and the impulsive Wild Thing Carol in Where the Wild Things Are. In 2007, Gandolfini produced the HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" in which he interviewed 10 injured veterans from the Iraq War. In 2010, Gandolfini produced another HBO documentary "Wartorn: 1861-2010" in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is analyzed throughout several wars in American history from 1861 to 2010 and its impact on the soldiers and families.

Early life

Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey. His mother, Santa, a high school lunch lady, was born in the U.S. and raised in Italy. he also earned a Purple Heart in World War II. His parents were devout Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey, and graduated from Park Ridge High School in 1979, where he played basketball and acted in school plays. He was awarded the title "Class Flirt" in his senior yearbook. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Rutgers University, where he worked as a bouncer at an on-campus pub. Gandolfini also worked as a bartender and club manager before embarking on an acting career. In 2003, Gandolfini appeared in a series of television commercials with Greg Schiano promoting Rutgers football.

Career

He performed in a 1992 Broadway production of On the Waterfront for six months. One of his better known film roles is that of Virgil, a brutal woman-beating mob enforcer, in the 1993 romantic thriller True Romance. Gandolfini states in an Inside the Actors Studio interview that one of his major inspirations for the role of Virgil, in True Romance, was an old friend of his, who was a hitman.

In 1994 film Terminal Velocity, Gandolfini played Ben Pinkwater, a seemingly mild-mannered insurance man who turns out to be a violent Russian mobster. He also appeared in The Juror as a mob enforcer with a conscience. In Get Shorty he appeared as a bearded ex-stuntman with a Southern accent. He played the mayor of New York in the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. James Gandolfini returned to HBO in 2007 as the executive producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary special, , his first project after The Sopranos, and the first production for his company Attaboy Films, which was opened in 2006 with producing partner Alexandra Ryan.

He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in Broadway's God of Carnage with Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels.

In June 2010, it was announced that Gandolfini would be executive producing an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn titled Hemingway & Gellhorn and starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman. Philip Kaufman will direct the film, which was written by Barbara Turner and Jerry Stahl, and will reportedly begin shooting in 2011.

The Sopranos

Gandolfini's most acclaimed role to date is that of Tony Soprano, a New Jersey Mafia boss and family man who is the subject of the multi-award-winning HBO series, The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. He won three Emmys for "Best Actor in a Drama" for his depiction of Tony Soprano, an aging baby boomer who constantly questions his own identity and purpose. Gandolfini eventually earned $1,000,000 (US) per episode in the series. Entertainment Weekly recently listed him as the 42nd Greatest TV Icon of All Time for playing Tony Soprano.

Alive Day: Home from Iraq

In 2007, Gandolfini produced a documentary with HBO focused on injured Iraq veterans and their devotion to America, while surveying the physical and emotional costs of war. Ten surviving soldiers were interviewed by Gandolfini, who revealed their thoughts on the challenges which they face integrating back into society and family life. They also reflected on the memories of the day when they narrowly escaped death, and what life may have been like in other circumstances.

Wartorn: 1861-2010

In 2010, Gandolfini another documentary with HBO analyzed the affects of PTSD throughout American history from 1861 to 2010. It features interviews with American Military Official on their views of PTSD and how they are trying to help soldiers affected by it. Letters from soldiers of the American Civil War and World War I that were affected by PTSD are examined a long with interviews with soldiers affected by PTSD and their families.

Personal life

.]] visit with a member of the U.S. Air Force during a USO visit to Southwest Asia.]]

Gandolfini has maintained ties with his hometown of Park Ridge by supporting The Octoberwoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. He appears at their annual October banquet and often brings other Sopranos cast members to help Octoberwoman draw large crowds. He currently resides in New York City, and owns a lot on the Lake Manitoba Narrows.

On August 30, 2008, Gandolfini married his girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin, in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, after dating her for two years. Gandolfini has one child with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski, from whom he was divorced in December 2002.

His sister, Johanna Antonacci, is the manager of the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey. Gandolfini is a fan of motorcycles and owns a Harley Davidson and a Vespa scooter. On May 4, 2006, Gandolfini was riding his Vespa in New York City, when it was hit by a taxi in traffic. He was forced to undergo knee surgery after the accident, postponing the filming of the final Sopranos episodes by three months.

Filmography

A Stranger Among Us (1992) as Tony Baldesseri

True Romance (1993) as Virgil

Money for Nothing (1993) as Billy Coyle

Mr. Wonderful (1993) as Mike

Italian Movie (1993) as Angelo

Angie (1994) as Vinnie

Terminal Velocity (1994) as Ben Pinkwater

New World (1995) as Will Caberra

Crimson Tide (1995) as Lt. Bobby Dougherty

Get Shorty (1995) as Bear

The Juror (1996) as Eddie

Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) as Joey Allegretto

She's So Lovely (1997) as Kiefer

12 Angry Men (1997) TV movie as Juror #6

Perdita Durango (1997) as Willy 'Woody' Dumas

Fallen (1998) as Det. Lou

The Mighty (1998) as Kenneth "Killer" Kane

A Civil Action (1998) as Al Love

8mm (1999) as Eddie Poole

A Whole New Day (1999) as Vincent

The Mexican (2001) as Winston Baldry

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) as Big Dave Brewster

The Last Castle (2001) as Col. Winter

Surviving Christmas (2004) as Tom Valco

Stories of Lost Souls (2006) as Vincent

All the King's Men (2006) as Tiny Duffy

Lonely Hearts (2006) as Charles Hildebrandt

Romance & Cigarettes (2007) as Nick Murder

Stories USA (2007) as The Man

Kiddie Ride (2008) as Bailey

In the Loop (2009) as General Miller

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) as The Mayor

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) as Carol (voice)

Welcome to the Rileys (2010) as Doug Riley

Mint Julep (film) (2010) as Mr. G

Cinema Verite (2011) as documentary producer Craig Gilbert. (HBO Films)

TV series

The Sopranos (1999–2007) as Tony Soprano

References

External links

Category:1961 births Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Living people Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People from New York City Category:Rutgers University alumni Category:American actors of Italian descent