HBO Remembers the man behind Tony Soprano with James Gandolfini: Tribute To A Friend on December 22
James Gandolfini is best known as Tony Soprano, the role he played on HBO’s The Sopranos from 1999 to 2006. He was invited into millions of homes every Sunday and we got to know him. Sure, Tony was a gangster and a ruthless killer, but Gandolfini brought out his humanity, sadness, glee and foibles. Warts and all. This wasn’t a made man to be scared of. We brought him into our living rooms every week because he was a friend. Or at least a friend of a friend, as they say in cosa nostra.
James Gandolfini was probably the best friend HBO ever had. The Sopranosturned HBO into something special. It wasn’t just that it was an alternative to TV, HBO was better than TV. The production values, writing and acting on The Sopranos was better than most films. And they did it every week. HBO made James Gandolfini a household name, but The Sopranos made HBO a class act. It transformed the cable channel into a major cinema studio.
HBO will be saying thanks to its good friend in James Gandolfini: Tribute To A Friend. The special will debut on Sunday, December 22 at 8:30 p.m. The special will feature clips and behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with Gandolfini’s friends and co-stars. But more than that, it is a tribute from a network that puts love in all its productions. Especially those that the network loves the most.
Gandolfini was only 51 when he died. His work on The Sopranosearned him three Emmy awards. He was more than that tough guy though. He was a dedicated actor who valued his trade and who transformed himself into characters nothing at all like the man behind the role.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that's your thing.