James Gandolfini’s career highlights
James Gandolfini, who is best known for his Emmy-winning role as mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO’s “The Sopranos,” had a career that spanned more than two decades. Here’s a look back at a few of his roles in television and film. (HBO)
James Gandolfini, left, plays DEA agent Willie “Woody” Dumas in Alex de la Iglesia’s crime/horror film “Perdita Durango.” (Handout)
James Gandolfini plays Juror No. 6, third from left, in the TV movie “12 Angry Men.” (Kelvin Jones / Showtime)
Gandolfini, left, stars alongside Nicolas Cage and Peter Stormare in “8MM,” a Joel Schumacher thriller about the world of snuff films. (Christine Loss / Columbia Pictures)
James Gandolfini’s Leroy takes Julia Roberts’ Samantha hostage in order to ensure that Jerry (Brad Pitt) will return with a priceless antique pistol in “The Mexican.” (Merrick Morton / Dreamworks)
Gandolfini plays Big Dave Brewster, who has words with Frances McDormand’s Doris in the Joel and Ethan Coen crime drama “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” (Melinda Sue Gordon / USA Films)
Gandolfini plays Det. Charles Hildebrandt opposite John Travolta’s Det. Elmer C. Robinson, a pair of 1940s homicide detectives trying to catch the so-called Lonely Hearts Killers, who lured their victims through the personals. The drama is based on the real-life killers Martha Beck and Raymond Martinez Fernandez. (Gene Page / Samuel Goldwyn)
Gandolfini, right, as Tiny Duffy and Sean Penn as Willie Stark in the political thriller “All the King’s Men,” adapted from Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. (Kerry Hayes / Columbia Pictures)
Edie Falco portrays Carmela Soprano and James Gandolfini plays Tony Soprano in a scene from one of the last episodes of the Emmy-winning HBO series “The Sopranos.” (Craig Blankenhorn / Associated Press)
Tony Sirico and Gandolfini appear in the series finale of “The Sopranos.” Gandolfini won three Emmys for his role as the New Jersey-based mob boss. (Craig Blankenhorn / HBO)
Gandolfini, center, plays the mayor of New York City in “The Taking of the Pelham 123,” about the hijacking of a subway train. The film, based on the novel by Morton Freedgood (under the pseudonym John Godey), is a remake of the original 1974 film starring Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau. (Rico Torres / Columbia Pictures)
Mimi Kennedy as Karen and James Gandolfini as Gen. Miller in the film “In the Loop,” directed by Armando Iannucci. (Nicola Dove / IFC Films)
Gandolfini voiced Carol, a lovable monster, in Spike Jonze’s emotive film “Where the Wild Things Are,” based on the popular children’s book by Maurice Sendak. (Ben King / Warner Bros. Pictures)
James Gandolfini in the HBO documentary “Wartorn,” which examines the effect of war on soldiers. The documentary aired on Veteran’s Day in 2010. (HBO)
James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart in a scene from “Welcome to the Rileys.” (Sundance)
James Gandolfini, far right, reunites with the original Tony Award-nominated Broadway cast of “God of Carnage” -- Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden. Yasmina Reza’s scathing comedy of manners was set in a gentrified section of Brooklyn, where two married couples meet to sort out a playground fight between their sons. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Marcia Gay Harden, as Veronica, James Gandolfini, as Michael, and Hope Davis, as Annette, perform in “God of Carnage” at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on April 3, 2011. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
James Gandolfini and Diane Lane as Craig Gilbert and Pat Loud in HBO’s “Cinema Verite,” which told the behind-the-scenes story of PBS’ “An American Family.” (Doug Hyun / HBO)
James Gandolfini as Pat in the film “Not Fade Away.” (The Weinstein Co.)
Gandolfini, right, plays hit man Mickey opposite Brad Pitt’s Jackie in the neo-noir crime flick “Killing Them Softly,” based on George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel “Cogan’s Trade.” (Melinda Sue Gordon / The Weinstein Co.)
James Gandolfini plays the CIA director in the critically acclaimed 2012 war film “Zero Dark Thirty,” directed by Oscar-winning Kathryn Bigelow. (Jonathan Olley / Columbia Pictures)
Steve Carell as Burt Wonderstone and James Gandolfini as Doug Munny in the comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.” (Ben Glass / Warner Bros.)
Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini on location filming the crime drama “Animal Rescue,” which was slated for 2014 release. (Bobby Bank / Getty Images)