(Born Sept. 22, 1961) James Gandolfini is an American actor. Although he acted on Broadway and in various films in the 1990s, Gandolfini's most acclaimed role is that of Tony Soprano, the Mafia boss and family man in the multi-award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. He has also acted in films such as 8mm, The Mexican and The Man Who Wasn't There.