Vincent Pastore

Vincent Pastore is an American actor born on July 14, 1946, to an Italian-American family of Sicilian descent in the Bronx, New York City. He grew up in New Rochelle, New York, and after finishing high school served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He subsequently attended Pace University for three years. Pastore has said publicly that he spent close to 30 years in the club business before entering the acting industry in his 40s, a transition that came about after he befriended actors Matt and Kevin Dillon.

Pastore built his screen career largely on portrayals of Italian-American gangsters. His earliest film appearances came in the 1990s with uncredited or minor roles, including a brief appearance in Goodfellas, where he is seen moving a coat rack through the kitchen of the Bamboo Lounge, credited as "Man with Coat Rack," and a small part in Carlito's Way as a Copa Wiseguy. He took on a more substantial role in The Jerky Boys: The Movie (1995), playing gangster Tony Scarboni. The following year, he appeared in the HBO television film Gotti as Angelo Ruggiero, sharing the screen with Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, and Dominic Chianese, several of whom would later join him on The Sopranos. His most prominent role came in 1999, when he was cast as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series The Sopranos, the character for which he remains best known. Additional film credits include Shark Tale (2004) and Guy Ritchie's Revolver (2005), along with Two Family House, Mickey Blue Eyes, Deuces Wild, Made, The Hurricane, Riding in Cars with Boys, Serving Sara, and numerous other productions. He served as associate producer on the film Doughboys and starred in the indie mob-comedy Pizza with Bullets in 2010.

His television work extends well beyond The Sopranos. Pastore appeared in multiple episodes of Law & Order between 1992 and 1996, played Vinnie Fellachio on Son of the Beach, and had recurring roles on General Hospital beginning in 2008, portraying mobster Maximus Giambetti. Other television credits include Grounded for Life, Queens Supreme, Everybody Hates Chris, Blue Bloods, The Making of the Mob: New York, The Making of the Mob: Chicago, and an uncredited voice role on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He also hosted the radio program The Wiseguy Show on Sirius Satellite Radio's Raw Dog channel, a weekly three-hour program focused on Italian-American culture produced by Sopranos co-star Steven Van Zandt. He held radio hosting positions at New Rochelle station WVOX in 2004 and 2012, and in September 2020 launched a podcast with Goumba Johnny titled Fuhgeddaboudit with Vinny Pastore.

Pastore participated in several reality television programs. He appeared on the fourth season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, which ran from August 6 to October 1, 2006, during which he lost 29 pounds. In February 2007, ABC announced he would compete on the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars, but he withdrew after one week, citing the physical demands of training. John Ratzenberger replaced him in the competition. In January 2008, Pastore appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, where he raised $52,286 selling hot dogs on a Manhattan street for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research and later led his team to raise $33,300 for charity as project manager before resigning from the show in the fifth week. On July 1, 2008, he appeared on NBC's Celebrity Family Feud, competing with friends and family for a charity focused on pancreatic cancer research, ultimately receiving a $10,000 consolation prize. On April 8, 2011, Pastore and a business partner appeared on Shark Tank seeking investment for a money-holding product called the Broccoli Wad. Shark Barbara Corcoran offered $50,000 for a 40% stake in the company, with half her ownership going to Pastore in exchange for his name and likeness on the packaging, and Pastore and his partner accepted. He later appeared on truTV's World's Smartest Inventions in connection with the product. Pastore also appeared on the VH1 reality series Famous Food beginning July 10, 2011, in which contestants competed to open a restaurant on the Sunset Strip, and joined Joseph R. Gannascoli on Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back on January 21, 2020.

On Broadway, Pastore was active from 1996 to 2014. He appeared in The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream and the play Chicago, and in 2014 took on the role of Nick Valenti in the musical Bullets Over Broadway. In 2019, Pastore launched a tomato sauce business called Vincent Pastore's Italian Sauce, made with San Marzano tomatoes, with no added sugar and no GMO ingredients. He was previously married to Nancy Berke, with whom he has a daughter, and is currently divorced.