James Gandolfini has died: Remembering a brilliant actor

Just typing that headline got me choked up. Apologies if you didn't already know, but James Gandolfini, one of my favorite actors, has passed away of a possible heart attack. He was 51 years old, and vacationing in Italy when he died. My heart is breaking, along with anyone and everyone else familiar with Gandolfini's incredible body of work. Sure, most of us didn't know him personally, but we respected his talents immensely.

In the coming days and weeks, I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about James Gandolfini's remarkable acting career, much of it centering around his iconic role as Tony Soprano on HBO's mob drama The Sopranos. Rightly so: Tony was the role of a lifetime, and The Sopranos might be the greatest drama ever on television. But strangely enough, when I first learned of Gandolfini's death, that isn't the role I immediately thought of.

No, I thought of the first time I'd ever seen James Gandolfini on screen, in a movie called True Romance. His part wasn't big, but oh it was memorable. His turn as a vicious mob hitman Virgil in Tony Scott's drama (penned by Quentin Tarantino) floored me. If you've seen the film, you know the scene I'm thinking of: Virgil's horrific confrontation with Alabama (Patricia Arquette). That's one of those movie scenes that is burned into my brain forever, and it's still one of the most difficult scenes I've ever watched. In a film that featured so many terrific acting performances, Gandolfini stole the show. The man had presence, and he exuded a kind of quiet power that was as unsettling as it was strangely endearing.

I know, endearing? Okay maybe not in True Romance so much, but certainly in other films. One of my other favorite James Gandolfini movies is 2009's In the Loop. If you haven't seen it, you should: It's hilarious. I realize this is a blog about blockbuster movies, and In the Loop definitely doesn't qualify, but given the circumstances, I strongly urge you to check this one out if you decide you want a Gandolfini movie marathon. His performance is completely offbeat, and again, memorable.

I could go on and on naming more of my favorite James Gandolfini movies (The Man Who Wasn't There, Killing Them Softly, The Mexican) but I won't. Right now, I have a Gandolfini movie sitting on my coffee table that I'd planned to watch this week: David Chase's Not Fade Away. Chase, who created The Sopranos, issued a brief statement just a short while ago. I think Chase's words sum things up far better than I ever could:

"He was a genius.  Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time.  A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes."

Genius. Exactly.

What is your favorite James Gandolfini role? Feel free to share any and all memories of this great actor's stellar career here.

Photo courtesy of Filmofilia.com