Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Paul Herman death: The Sopranos and The Irishman actor dies aged 76

Star who also appeared in ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ died on his birthday

Ellie Harrison
Wednesday 30 March 2022 05:28 EDT
Comments
Paul Herman who played Beansie in The Sopranos died at the age of 76

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Sopranos actor Paul Herman has died at the age of 76.

Herman’s death, on the day of his 76th birthday on 29 March, was confirmed by his former Sopranos castmate, Michael Imperioli.

He wrote on Instagram: “Our friend and colleague PAUL HERMAN has passed away. Paulie was just a great dude. A first class storyteller and raconteur and one hell of an actor...

“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 community of actors and filmmakers.”

A cause of death has not been disclosed.

Herman played Peter “Beansie” Gaeta in the hit gangster drama, which ran from 1999 to 2007. Beansie was an associate of the DiMeo crime family in the show who laundered mob money through his pizza parlour. He became paralysed after David Proval’s character Richie ran him over in a car.

Paul Herman and James Gandolfini in ‘The Sopranos’
Paul Herman and James Gandolfini in ‘The Sopranos’ (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

The actor starred in the films The Irishman, Goodfellas, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

Herman, along with his brother Charlie, also ran Manhatten’s Columbus Cafe in the 1990s, a place frequented by actors, ballet dancers, gangsters, as well as FBI and DEA agents.

Actor Demi Mazar, who appeared in Goodfellas alongside Herman, expressed her sadness over his death in the comments section of Imperioli’s tribute: “Noooooo!!! Oh no,” she wrote.

“I have such a long history with Paulie since the early Eighties,” she added, along with a string of sad emojis.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in