A Tribute to Tom Aldredge, a.k.a. Tony Soprano’s Father-in-Law (1928-2011)

We here at The Back Row love to pay tribute to character actors, a.k.a. “That Guys”, especially when their death doesn’t get a lot of coverage (no doubt due to the death of a certain drug-addicted singer the following day). The world lost a very prominent character actor last week when Tom Aldredge passed away from lymphoma on July 22 at the age of 83. Aldredge’s career spanned over 50 years and he appeared in numerous films, TV shows and stage plays. He had supporting roles in such movies as Batteries Not Included, What About Bob? and Intolerable Cruelty and was seen most recently as Ethan Thompson in three episodes of Boardwalk Empire. But of course, he will be best remembered for his recurring role on The Sopranos as Carmella Soprano’s father, Hugh DeAngelis, whom I believe was one of the more underrated characters on the show. These clips showcase some of his best moments in the series and his angry rant at Livia Soprano’s wake where he finally reveals just how much he despised her is priceless (“God damn it, who are you… minister of propaganda?!”).