In commemoration of his recent passing, I thought I’d share a pencil drawing of James Gandolfini from the highly acclaimed HBO drama The Sopranos that I recently drew for a customer. If you’re interested in commissioning a pencil drawing of a favourite celebrity, just head over to my commission a portrait page, fill out the form and I’ll get straight back to you with a price.

James Gandolfini from The Sopranos

I was so sorry to hear about the death of the James Gandolfini back in June 2013. I was a big fan of The Sopranos and have enjoyed many of the films that Mr Gandolfini has appeared in over the years, so I was very grateful to have the opportunity to draw the iconic Tony Soprano when a customer asked me for this commemorative pencil portrait.

The commission was actually a 10″ x 10″, as this made more sense in the context of a pencil drawing (not to leave too much white space), but I’ve cropped it here more in line with how the source photograph is cropped and I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out.

Some Interesting James Gandolfini Facts

1. He was born in 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey.
2. His Broadway début was in a revival of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ in 1992.
3. His breakthrough role was Virgil, a hitman in Tony Scott’s ‘True Romance’ in 1993.
4. He is best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano in the hit HBO drama The Sopranos, which ran from 1999 to 2007.
5. He famously said that he was nothing like Tony Soprano in real life: “I’m a neurotic mess. I’m really basically just like a 260-pound Woody Allen”.
6. He played the trumpet and saxophone.
7. He was married twice and had two daughters, one from each marriage.
8. Sadly, he died unexpectedly of a heart attack while on holiday in Italy in 2013.

I hope that adds a little bit more background for you (thank you Wikipedia and IMDB)

Want Your Own Celebrity Drawing?

If you’re interested in owning an original drawing of your favourite celebrity, or you know someone that think would like one, all you need to do is pop over to my commission a portrait page. Whether it’s a current actor, a personal hero from the past or even a classic star from the silver screen, I would be very pleased to sketch them for you, so please get in touch.

I can’t wait to hear from you!