Vincent Pastore

About Vincent Pastore

Vincent Pastore (born July 14, 1946) is an American film and television actor, often cast as a mobster. He is well known for the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.

Pastore was born in The Bronx, New York, of Italian-American descent. He attended Pace University for 3 years before eventually going into the acting industry after befriending Matt and Kevin Dillon; he was previously a club-owner in New Rochelle, New York.

Pastore has made a career of playing the parts of Italian-American mobsters. He began with cameo appearances in 1990's GoodFellas and 1993's Carlito's Way. In GoodFellas, he is briefly seen rolling a coat rack through the kitchen of a restaurant and is credited as "Vincent Pastore" playing "Man with Coat Rack". In Carlito's Way, he is one of the friends of the Italian man that dances with Gail, whom Kleinfeld insults. He is listed in the credits as "Vinny Pastore" playing "Copa Wiseguy."