# Post "The Sopranos" successes for the actors in the show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579 "2011-04-24T18:57:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/1 "2011-04-24T18:57:38Z")
Aside from James Gandolfini and Michael Imperioli, have there been any noteworthy roles for the main people in _The Sopranos_? I know Edie Falco is having some success as _Nurse Jackie_ and I have seen folks like Vincent Pastore and Steve Schirripa lately in less-than-stellar roles, but I’m having trouble thinking of anybody from the show making it big since the screen went dark in the restaurant. Who am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/2 "2011-04-24T19:14:00Z")
How successful are you thinking? Looking at IMDB, it seems most of them (other then AJ) have at least managed to keep themselves busy. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/3 "2011-04-24T19:17:33Z")
Bobby was on The Secret Life Of the American Teenager Adriana was on Joey and Desperate Housewives The priest is sleeping with Edie Falco on Nurse Jackie Melfi is on some TNT show and in a bunch of made for TV movies Jr released at least one album that I know of, maybe more. Meadow was on Entourage and Ugly Betty Silvio is in some band Gabriella’s IRL husband is in some band. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/4 "2011-04-24T19:27:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > How successful are you thinking? Looking at IMDB, it seems most of them (other then AJ) have at least managed to keep themselves busy. I’d leave that up to others’ criteria for “success.” Gandolfini is obviously finding starring (or at least primary support) roles in movies. Imperioli has had modest success with TV series roles. I do see quite a few of the players from time to time in smallish parts and will immediately recognize them from _The Sopranos_. But I can’t think of anybody who’s “made it big” since then. That, of course, leaves out the guest stars like Buscemi and Pantoliano who were already big names before their parts in _The Sopranos_. I guess another way to put it would be “has any actor on _The Sopranos_ done anything since that show to be better known for than what he or she did there?” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/5 "2011-04-24T19:45:44Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I guess another way to put it would be “has any actor on _The Sopranos_ done anything since that show to be better known for than what he or she did there?” For Soprano’s fans, I don’t think any one has yet. But I’m sure there are plenty of people that never watched the Sopranos and therefore only know someone from their new role. Having said that, over the course of the next ten years…maybe, I guess we’ll see. The Sopranos was a pretty big deal, it’s going to be very hard to top. You know how on American Idol, there are certain songs that the judges will call “Big Songs,” The Sopraons was a Big Show, with a lot of Big Characters. It’s going to be very hard to top that. Nurse Jackie might be able to do it, but only because Edie has the lead, it’s on every week (unlike a movie) and it’s currently on. Also, I know this is odd, but the cinematography is totally different. The Sopranos was a very dark show (as in the color and lighting) whereas Nurse Jackie is very bright/white/clean. It makes the show stand out. But I think for someone that’s watched the Sopranos, people still see her as Carmella. ETA, Also Jackie is a very different character then Carmella. Looking at Drea, her characters on The Sopranos, Desperate Housewives and Joey were all pretty similar. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/6 "2011-04-24T19:54:16Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The Sopranos was a very dark show (as in the color and lighting) whereas Nurse Jackie is very bright/white/clean. It makes the show stand out. > But I think for someone that’s watched the Sopranos, people still see her as Carmella. I have no problem at all separating Jackie from Carmella. Falco has immersed herself very successfully in the role of the druggie nurse. Gandolfini, unfortunately, has the same mannerisms and personality no matter what role he plays. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/7 "2011-04-24T20:17:55Z")
I think what provoked me to start this thread was that just within the past few weeks I have seen quite a few of the alums from _The Sopranos_ in other roles and it has seemed to me that other defunct “big shows” like _Deadwood_, _The Wire_, _The Shield_ and others I was caught up in at the time, have had their players getting better (at least more significant) parts than _Sopranos_ players. It’s not that they’re not finding work, but they’re not rising very high on the road to stardom. And as for Gandolfini having limited acting chops, I just plain disagree. He can’t get away from his physical attributes, but his emotional range is quite impressive to me. He has played mild-mannered and sympathetic characters convincingly and as recently as [Welcome to the Rileys (2010)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183923/) Roger Ebert had this to say: > [@](#): > > I was struck at once by the uncanny accuracy of his central Indiana accent. I grew up in Downstate Illinois hearing men speak exactly like him. A kind of firm, terse understatement, on a flat, factual note. I could close my eyes and imagine one lifelong friend in particular. Going online, I found that the coastal critics as a group thought he was using a Southern accent, “for some reason.” They’ve never been to the Midwest and possibly never to the South. We all sound the same to them. Gandolfini has the accent spot on, and it’s certainly not one that we’ve heard before from him. The thing is that in that role, if you hadn’t seen _The Sopranos_, you’d have a hard time thinking of Doug as a mob boss! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/8 "2011-04-24T20:55:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I have no problem at all separating Jackie from Carmella. Falco has immersed herself very successfully in the role of the druggie nurse. Gandolfini, unfortunately, has the same mannerisms and personality no matter what role he plays. She has, no doubt, and as an avid Nurse Jakie watcher, I don’t have that problem. But at the moment, I still think Carmella is bigger then Jackie. And at the moment, that may just be because Sopranos was a bigger show, ran for much longer, had (I assume) a bigger more loyal fan base and is in syndication while Nurse Jackie is still fairly new, seems to be struggling and is on HBO. If it can hold on for a few more seasons, I think Jackie will be bigger then Carmella _in the present_ but I think long after Nurse Jackie is over, people will still associate Edie with Carmella give the choice. I think we’ll need to wait until someone other then Tony or Carmella gets a lead in something that runs for a few seasons and see what happens then. Those two really made their mark in pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/9 "2011-04-24T21:01:14Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I think we’ll need to wait until someone other then Tony or Carmella gets a lead in something that runs for a few seasons and see what happens then. Those two really made their mark in pop culture. This summarizes the issue very well. And the big question is who will that someone be? And when? If you remove Tony and Carmela from that cast, who is left? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/10 "2011-04-24T21:14:09Z")
If an actor is cast in one show that is becomes a big hit, that’s a big deal - and frequently it’s the high point of their career. Not that many actors get cast in two or more hit shows. I would think that’s especially true for character actors. Most of the people who played supporting roles on The Sopranos were either already typecast as wiseguys, or they would be after the show. There were also a lot of great actors on The Wire and most of them have not had as much high-profile work since then (Idris Elba and Dominic West come to mind as exceptions, and Michael K. Williams is on Boardwalk Empire). I know David Simon feels that’s partly because there just aren’t that many great parts for black actors and that may be part of it, but it’s also true that not every actor goes onto bigger and better things after doing a well-known HBO series. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/11 "2011-04-24T21:21:17Z")
I mean, you can say the same about other HBO shows - of _Six Feet Under_ only Michael C. Hall has really gone up (to a leading role in _Dexter_). From _Deadwood_, Ian McShane has been around but then he was an experienced actor who’s been in tons of stuff before that. (So was Powers Booth, but I haven’t heard much from him since.) That one guy whose name I can’t remember has been around a TON (he played Jack McCall and also that serial killer guy) but I know him as Cromartie from _The Sarah Connor Chronicles_. As for _Rome_, I’m hard pressed to think of any of those people who I’ve seen hide or hair of since. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/12 "2011-04-24T21:33:21Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I mean, you can say the same about other HBO shows - of _Six Feet Under_ only Michael C. Hall has really gone up (to a leading role in _Dexter_). From _Deadwood_, Ian McShane has been around but then he was an experienced actor who’s been in tons of stuff before that. (So was Powers Booth, but I haven’t heard much from him since.) That one guy whose name I can’t remember has been around a TON (he played Jack McCall and also that serial killer guy) but I know him as Cromartie from _The Sarah Connor Chronicles_. As for _Rome_, I’m hard pressed to think of any of those people who I’ve seen hide or hair of since. I bet you’re thinking of [Garret Dillahunt](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226813/) from _Deadwood_! He’s one of the examples I would use to try to find a comparable _Sopranos_ actor. _Rome_’s people would include [Kevin McKidd](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0571727/) [Indira Varma](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0890055/) to name just a couple I’ve seen in significant roles since the show folded. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/13 "2011-04-24T22:12:53Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I mean, you can say the same about other HBO shows - of _Six Feet Under_ only Michael C. Hall has really gone up (to a leading role in _Dexter_). Peter Krause is one of the leads in the _Parenthood_ series. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/14 "2011-04-24T22:22:12Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Peter Krause is one of the leads in the _Parenthood_ series. He’s been the lead of like three shows since Six Feet ended. Granted those shows seem to get canceled pretty quickly, but he doesn’t appear to have any trouble getting re-hired. The Hispanic mortician is a recurring character on Ugly Betty. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/15 "2011-04-24T22:25:47Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The Hispanic mortician is a recurring character on Ugly Betty. Freddy Rodriguez. He’s in a new show, CHAOS…don’t know if it’s premiered yet, but CBS (I think) has been promoting it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/16 "2011-04-24T22:28:18Z")
Part of why I started this thread was to avoid going through every IMDb list of credits for each actor who worked in _The Sopranos_ since so many of the shows since then are things I haven’t watched for one reason or another. Thus I have little idea which of those roles might qualify as relatively significant when compared with Gandolfini, Imperioli, Falco, Hall, Dillahunt and the like. When I looked over [Ray Stevenson](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829032/)’s (_Rome_) credits, I saw that he’s been very busy, in spite of my seeing his work in only a couple of things. I don’t know how to rate his “success” based on what I’ve seen of his. Others are in the same boat as far as my watching goes. Thus the appeal to you people for ideas on who might be doing well after _The Sopranos_ folded. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/17 "2011-04-24T23:17:01Z")
Carmella played congresswoman Celeste Cunningham on 30 Rock. I saw that before I saw Sopranos and I thought she was quite convincing. ---
**Author:** ![missouri65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@missouri65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missouri65)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/18 "2011-04-25T01:39:09Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If an actor is cast in one show that is becomes a big hit, that’s a big deal - and frequently it’s the high point of their career. Not that many actors get cast in two or more hit shows. I would think that’s especially true for character actors. Most of the people who played supporting roles on The Sopranos were either already typecast as wiseguys, or they would be after the show. I agree. I think the actors also suffer from the cultural phenomenon that the show was. I’d also add that it wasn’t an especially young cast. Gandolfini and Falco were both well into their thirties when the show started. Even Michael Imperioli was over thirty. Most of the major supporting players were even older, excepting the kids and Drea de Matteo. Lorraine Bracco certainly wasn’t on an upswing in her career when she took the part. The show lasted a pretty long time. Tony Sirico was 65 when it ended. The world had seen him for the past 8 years as Paulie. He would have a lot to overcome, if he even wanted to. Steve Van Zandt was about 57. Vincent Pastore was in his fifties when he left the show. Most actors don’t become big stars that late in life, especially if the most visible role was a memorable part on a long-running, very popular tv show. Gandolfini, Falco, and Imperioli may be young enough and have enough range to pull it off and have another hit, but most of the cast won’t. That said, Vincent Pastore seems to have worked a lot since the show, especially in the past year. I don’t know how successful any of those roles have been. Additionally, Joe Pantoliano has worked steadily since leaving the show. He has always worked steadily, so I don’t know if the show helped him in that regard. He’s such a chameleon, I don’t think he can be typecast. I wouldn’t be surprised if he manages to get a role that surpasses his role as Ralphie, if only because Ralphie wasn’t as distinctive as some of the other characters. If someone other than Gandolfini, Falco, or Imperioli is going to do it, I think it will be Joe Pantoliano. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/19 "2011-04-25T12:36:35Z")
Well thought out and presented, **missouri65** and **Marley23** , and I think it would be hard to make a much stronger case for the why behind what appears to be happening. Another factor that may be implied (if it’s been stated, I missed it) is that so many of the minor characters in _The Sopranos_ were cast from “the general puiblic” or “casting calls” of untrained people who were likely chosen more for their local color than for acting skills or ambitions. I’d be interested in have a statistical breakdown of the hundreds whose names appear on [Full cast and crew for “The Sopranos”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141842/fullcredits#cast) in terms of “years of previous acting experience.” ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579/20 "2011-04-25T23:27:16Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > but it’s also true that not every actor goes onto bigger and better things after doing a well-known HBO series. I think that says a lot right there. There are many, many _good_ performers out there and holding a lead role on a series or top-tier film doesn’t necessarily translate to enduring A-list status. Personally I feel a series/film is more driven now by the story, directing, sfx than it is by actors. That doesn’t mean quality performances don’t add to a production, but it isn’t an iron rice bowl. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-the-sopranos-successes-for-the-actors-in-the-show/579579.md?page=2)