Paul Herman, a staple of gangster movies and known best for playing Peter “Beansie” Gaeta on “The Sopranos,” died Tuesday on his 76th birthday.
His “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli broke the news.
“Paulie was just a great dude. A first class storyteller and raconteur and one hell of an actor,” Imperioli, who starred as Christopher Moltisanti on the HBO mob show, wrote on Instagram.
“Paulie lived around the corner from me the last few years and I am glad we got to spend some time together before he left us. I’ll miss him. Lots of love to his family, friends and our community of actors and filmmakers.”
On “The Sopranos,” Herman played a heroin dealer-turned pizza shop owner who helped launder money for Tony Soprano until his old boss, Richie Aprile, beat him and ran him over with his car, leaving Beansie paralyzed.
The Brooklyn, New York-born actor also had roles in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Little Fockers,” “American Hustle” and “Goodfellas.”
“The one & only,” Lorraine Bracco, who starred in both “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas,” tweeted. “A loving soul with a great sense of humor.”
A cause of death has not been announced publicly but his management team confirmed his death to the Daily News Wednesday.
““We are deeply saddened at the loss of our beloved Paul Herman,” his team said in a statement. “A true character on and off screen. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and we will always remember the sound of his laughter and bold spirit. We ask that you respect the privacy of the family at this time.”
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