The death of the late actor is reported to have been confirmed by her granddaughter to the US Sun, although a cause of death has not yet been reported and no official statement has been released.
In Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), Shepherd played the mother of Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco). The film also starred Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci.
Shepherd also played Mary DeAngelis in hit HBO show The Sopranos from 2000 to 2007. Her character was the mother of Carmela Soprano, who was played by Edie Falco. Suzanne joined the show in season two, following its successful debut in 1999.
Other films Shepherd appeared in include Mystic Pizza (1988), Uncle Buck (1989) and Requiem for a Dream (2000) in a career that spanned over 35 years. Shepherd was also a leading theatre director and drama teacher and an upcoming documentary called A Gift Of Fire will explore her work as a leading teacher in more detail.
Shepherd’s other television appearances included more recently Law and Order and Blue Bloods. Her last appearance was in 2023’s The Performance.
Tributes to Shepherd have poured in on social media. Sopranos star Ray Abruzzo, who played Little Carmine Lupertazzi on the show, wrote on Instagram: “Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature.”
He continued: “Actress, teacher. Played Carmella’s mother on Sopranos and Karen’s mother in Goodfellas.”
You can see that and other tributes below:
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A post shared by Ray Abruzzo (@realrayabruzzo)
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A post shared by James Grissom (@james_grissom)
BREAKING: One of the 27 actors who appeared in both ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Sopranos’ has sadly passed away.
As the mother of the mobster wife, Suzanne Shepherd suited the role perfectly. She played the overbearing Mom of Karen in ‘Goodfellas’ and Carmela in ‘The Sopranos’. More… pic.twitter.com/HZmNEivOqh
— The Sopranos Club (@TheSopranosClub) November 18, 2023
Just wanted to share her hilarious scene in Uncle Buck. It was the first film I saw her in.
Rest in peace, Suzanne Shepherd pic.twitter.com/TyNmU8UGnK
— sloan (@Sloanstweets) November 19, 2023
This is a developing story – more to follow
The post ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Sopranos’ actress Suzanne Shepherd dies, aged 89 appeared first on NME.
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