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Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend
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About This Book
A deeply reported, perceptive, and celebratory biography of beloved actor James Gandolfini from a prominent critic and film historian Based on extensive research and original reporting, including interviews with friends and collaborators, Gandolfini is a detailed and nuanced appraisal of an enduring artist. More than a decade after his sudden passing, James Gandolfini still exerts a powerful pull on television and film enthusiasts around the world. His charismatic portrayal of complex, flawed, but always human men illuminated the contradictions in all of us, as well as our potential for grace, and the power of love and family. In Gandolfini, critic and historian Jason Bailey traces the twinned stories of the man and the unforgettable roles he played. Gandolfini's roots were working class, raised in northern New Jersey as the son of Italian immigrants, and acting was something he loved for a long time before he could see it as a career. It wasn't until he was well into his bohemian twenties that he dedicated himself to a life on the stage and screen. Bailey traces his rise, from bit parts to character roles he enlivened with menace and vulnerability, to Tony Soprano, the breakout role that would make him a legend, and onto a post-Sopranos career in which he continued to challenge himself and his audience.
Reviews
"Bailey was...eager to show another side of Gandolfini: a hard-driving, obsessive character actor who fretted over line memorization and sought out projects and roles that cut against what naturally became a tough-guy persona."
"It is fun to get perspective from people who shared the screen with him on ..."
"A detailed account ..."
"Displays a respect for Gandolfini's craft and a sympathy for his sweet and salty nature off-screen."
"Melfi would...demand a robust interrogation of Gandolfini's childhood, but Bailey's investigations hit a wall here."
"The book's biggest draw is the author's approach: to treat James Gandolfini not as a superstar, or a pop-culture icon, but as a regular guy who had never sought fame and who struggled to keep himself balanced once he was a global sensation."
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