Suzanne Shepherd, ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Goodfellas’ actor, dead at 89
Actor Suzanne Shepherd, best known for her roles in Goodfellas and The Sopranos, has died aged 89.
Shepherd’s passing has been confirmed by her granddaughter. However, as of yet, no cause of death has been revealed. Additionally, a statement is yet to be issued on behalf of her family.
The late thespian was one of 27 actors who played roles in The Sopranos and Goodfellas. In the hit HBO show, she was cast as Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Carmela Soprano, who was married to James Gandolfini’s character Tony Soprano.
Meanwhile, in Martin Scorsese’s iconic movie Goodfellas, Shepherd starred alongside Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci as the mother of Lorraine Bracco’s character Karen Hill.
Shepherd only made her film debut two years before her appearance in Goodfellas. She came from a theatre background, directing productions across the United States. She also had her own studio in New York, where she’d provide acting lessons. A documentary celebrating her teaching titled A Gift of Fire is set to be released in the near future.
Outside of her main two roles, Shepherd made appearances in Requiem for a Dream, Uncle Buck and Lolita. In the television sphere, the late actor featured in Law & Order and Blue Bloods.
Since news broke of her death, The Sopranos star Ray Abruzzo, who portrayed Little Carmine Lupertazzi on the programme, paid tribute to Shepherd. He wrote: “Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature. Actress, teacher. Played Carmella’s mother on Sopranos and Karen’s mother in Goodfellas.”
See Abruzzo’s tribute below.
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