James Gandolfini is a native of New Jersey, being born in Westwood on September 18, 1961. His education was in-state as well, attending Park Ridge High School and Rutgers University.
James started as an actor in the New York theatre scene, finally breaking through in the 1992 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Though he appeared in several movies that you have have seen (including True Romance, Crimson Tide, Get Shorty, Fallen, and A Civil Action), James is most well-known for his role as Tony Soprano, the mobster and family patriarch on the hit TV show The Sopranos. Although the TV series can be regarded as some of his best work, he gives a stunning and brutal performance as pornographer Eddie Poole in the Nicholas Cage movie, 8MM. He also starred in The Mexican aside Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, as well as the Robert Redford flop The Last Castle.
As for things you may not know about your favorite mobster, Mr. Gandolfini opened a bar in Oneonta, New York called The Vine. Although he does have a son, he and his wife filed for divorce in 2002.
Editor's note: James Gandolfini died after suffering a heart attack on June 19, 2013, at the age of 51.
Sources: www.imdb.com, http://members.ozemail.com.au/~manwithnoname/