Frank Vincent Of 'Sopranos,' 'Goodfellas' Fame Dies At 80
New Jersey has lost one of its most beloved wiseguys.

By Eric Kiefer (Patch Staff) - Updated September 14, 2017

NUTLEY, NJ ? Frank Vincent Gattuso Jr., a Nutley resident and actor known for his roles on mob-themed pop culture staples as The Sopranos and Goodfellas, has passed away, reports say. He was 80 years old. Gattuso, known professionally as Frank Vincent, died Wednesday, his family stated. No cause of death was provided.

?He was very private; he kept to himself," Nutley Mayor Joseph Scarpelli told NorthJersey.com. "People would see him around town, obviously, and know who he was, but he?s private. We were proud to have him live in Nutley, and he was a great actor ? a local guy who made it big."

Vincent?s obituary identifies him as a classic ?tough guy actor? who was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, in 1939. He started his acting career in 1976 in the low-budget crime film "The Death Collector" with Joe Pesci, appearing again with Pesci and Robert De Niro in three Martin Scorsese films: "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas" and "Casino." Vincent later played Phil Leotardo, the rival of Tony Soprano on hit television show "The Sopranos."

He?s also the author of a non-fiction book, "A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man."

According to his online biography, Vincent was born to first-generation Italian-Americans and raised in the Greenville section of Jersey City.


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