Actor Joseph Siravo has passed away at age 66 due to a lengthy battle with stage four prostate cancer that ultimately spread to other major organs, according to Screen Rant. Siravo was featured on HBO’s classic drama series The Sopranos as portraying the lead character Tony Soprano’s father, Giovanni Frances or Johnny Boy Soprano, in the series’ flashbacks to Tony’s childhood. Siravo passed away on Sunday, April 11. In addition to The Sopranos, Siravo carried various acting credits for other television, film, and Broadway productions. He most recently was an acting teacher at New York University following a tenure as an MFA student at the university’s Tisch School of Arts.
Siravo appeared in five episodes of The Sopranos as Tony’s father, Johnny. However, he expanded his television credits with appearances in FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story as the father of Ronald Goldman, Fred. He has also portrayed guest roles and recurring roles in series such as NBC’s The Blacklist as Niko for the first two seasons in addition to appearing in a one-off role on Blue Bloods and New Amsterdam. In terms of his Broadway appearances, he portrayed Angelo DeCarlo on the national run of the iconic play Jersey Boys. Furthermore, he has also continued his acting experiences with mafia-related roles with appearances in 1993’s Carlito’s Way in addition to appearing as the infamous mobster John Gotti in 2015’s The Wannabe.
Fellow Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli (Goodfellas) posted a picture on his personal Instagram account commemorating and remembering the actor:
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According to Screen Rant, Siravo is survived by his daughter, sister, three brothers, son-in-law, and grandson.