The Sopranos And Goodfellas Star Suzanne Shepherd Dead At 89
"Goodfellas" star Suzanne Shepherd has passed away at 89. According to Variety, the veteran performer "died Friday morning in her home in New York City." Her last acting credits saw her play roles in Shira Piven's "The Performance" and a pair of episodes in "Blue Bloods."
In 1990, Shepherd made her biggest cinematic splash by playing Karen Hill's (Lorraine Bracco) mother in "Goodfellas," a character who quickly clashes with Ray Liotta's Henry Hill. This wouldn't be Shepherd's last time playing the mother-in-law of a feared mobster. From 2000-2007, she played Mary DeAngelis, Carmela Soprano's (Edie Falco) mother, in "The Sopranos," one of the greatest television shows ever made.
Shepherd's scenes with Falco were always terrific. The former played the disapproving mother perfectly, and her snappy back-and-forth dialogue with Carmela really helped flesh out the show's constant and clamorous family drama. And as most "Sopranos" fans can attest, the household drama was often just as intriguing as Tony's (James Gandolfini) mob dealings.
Suzanne Shepherd's acting career went beyond mob dramas
Suzanne Shepherd was born in 1934. Interestingly, she didn't make her acting debut until 1988, when she played Aunt Tweedy in the Annabeth Gish and Julia Roberts-led Mystic Pizza. However, Shepherd was an accomplished presence in the theater world before her television and silver-screen appearances, having been the first woman to teach Sanford Meisner's famed acting program.
Aside from her roles in "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos," Shepherd's body of work consisted of appearances on multiple "Law & Order" shows. In 1989, she played Mrs. Hogarth in the well-received John Candy comedy "Uncle Buck." In 1997, she played Miss Pratt in the highly controversial "Lolita," starring Jeremy Irons. A couple of years later, she played Mrs. Scarlini in the divisive psychological drama "Requiem for a Dream."
After Shepherd's passing, heartfelt condolences came swiftly, with many of her costars fondly remembering her acting and teaching abilities. Ray Abruzzo, known for playing "Little" Carmine on "The Sopranos," wrote on his Instagram: "Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature. Actress, teacher." According to Variety, an upcoming documentary titled "A Gift of Fire" will focus on her work as an acting teacher, a career which spanned four decades.