James Gandolfini: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

Last year saw the tragic loss of one of the greatest, most versatile and humanistic performers working in Hollywood. James Gandolfini often played thuggish, violent characters, owing to his New Jersey heritage and large stature: in reality, the actor was an avowed pacifist who had reservations about the malicious conduct of his best-known character Tony Soprano, and produced two documentaries about post-traumatic stress and life-changing injuries suffered by war veterans. Gandolfini was an interesting guy. Refusing to be typecast despite being known to most audiences as a remorseless - if complicated - mobster, he managed to get through a great deal of diverse and interesting roles before suddenly dying of a heart attack, aged 51, during a vacation in Rome. He made his on-screen debut relatively late and all, with an uncredited part in 1991's The Last Boy Scout, before breaking through on The Sopranos some eight years later. An interesting guy and, in the few short decades he was working, one of the most interesting actors we had. Still, even a rose isn't without its thorns, and with the release of crime drama The Drop this weekend - almost certainly the last time he'll appear on screen - it's about time to look at five of James Gandolfini's best performances...and five that sucked.