Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. (born July 29, 1942) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in the HBO series The Sopranos.

Early life

Sirico was born in New York City, New York. Before turning to acting, he was convicted of several crimes, and had been arrested 28 times. In 1967, he was sent to prison for robbing a Brooklyn after-hours club, but was released after serving thirteen months. In 1971, he pled guilty to felony weapons possession and was sentenced to an "indeterminate" prison term of up to four years, of which he ended up serving 20 months. He has said that during his imprisonment, he was visited by an acting troupe composed of ex-convicts, which inspired him to give acting a try. According to a court transcript, at the time of his sentencing, he also had pending charges for drug possession. He appeared in a 1989 documentary about life, The Big Bang, by James Toback, in which he discussed his earlier life.

Career

Sirico has played gangsters in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Bullets over Broadway, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, Cop Land, Turn of Faith, Hello Again, and Mickey Blue Eyes.