An artist with flair and everyone's favorite mob boss and domestically-challenged family man, The Sopranos star James Gandolfini (1961–2013) was born on this day in Westwood, New Jersey, the son of Italian immigrants.

“I'm standing on my parents' shoulders; they allowed me to do this silly job,” said Gandolfini, who graduated from Rutgers University with a Communications degree before discovering the challenges and joys of acting.

Known for his humility, he once admitted, “I just don't think I'm that interesting… I mean, who cares?” But his work spoke otherwise. He made his Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire (1992) and his film breakthrough in True Romance (1993).

The talented character actor was stunned when he was cast as Tony Soprano, a role that earned him three Emmy Awards and reshaped television storytelling. “I thought they'd hire one of these Irish-looking guys who are all over TV now,” he joked.

Even after The Sopranos ended in 2007, Gandolfini continued to take on meaningful roles, including two acclaimed documentaries about veterans affairs: Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq (2007) and Wartorn: 1861–2010 (2011). “Do I think a documentary is going to change the world? No, but there will be individuals who will learn things from it, so that's enough.”

He carried his fame lightly, but the stories he chose to tell mattered deeply.

Gandolfini died unexpectedly in 2013 while on vacation in Rome. Sopranos creator David Chase called him “a genius… one of the greatest actors of this or any time.” In every role, he reminded us that even flawed characters can hold surprising grace.