‘Sopranos’ actor known for mob roles
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS January 6, 2013 7:04PM
FILE – JANUARY 5, 2013: Actor Tony Lip, born Frank Anthony Vallelonga, best known for playing Carmine Lupertazzi on “The Sopranos” died on January 4, 2013 at the age of 82 in Teaneck, New Jersey. Lip also had roles in “Goodfellas”, “Donnie Brasco” and “Raging Bull”. RIDGEWOOD, NJ - OCTOBER 05: Actor Tony Lip answers questions from the audience during a book signing for the new cookbook "Shut up and Eat" at Bookends October 5, 2005 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)
Updated: February 8, 2013 6:25AM
PARAMUS, N.J. — Tony Lip, a veteran actor known for playing mob roles on “The Sopranos” television show and in many eature films, has died. He was 82.
Mr. Lip, a Paramus resident whose real name was Frank Anthony Vallelonga, died Friday at a hospital in Teaneck. The cause of death was not disclosed, but family members told The Record of Woodland Park that Mr. Lip had been in failing health in recent years.
While best known for playing mob kingpin Carmine Lupertazzi in “The Sopranos” on HBO, Mr. Lip has also had roles in movies including “The Godfather,” “Goodfellas” and “Donnie Brasco.”
Mr. Lip also worked at the famed Copacabana club in Manhattan during the 1960s, where he met numerous celebrities of the era, including the kind of gangsters he would later portray. AP
