His portrayal of of the gangster Tony Soprano was stunning. He and the series raised the bar and introduced a golden age of writing and acting. Without the Sopranos there’d be no The Wire, The Shield, Justified...it would all be lame mainstream comedies.
I don’t know if there would even be groundbreaking shows like “Mad Men”, “Breaking Bad” or “Hemlock Diaries” without “The Sopranos” to lead the way. Seems like maybe James Gandolfini died because he was overweight. Well he was a big guy, not just with a potbelly but big all around. I cannot think of any people that big that are old men.