The Sopranos is one of HBO’s best drama shows, a story about Tony Soprano, a man who rules over his mafia family as the don and balances that with trying to support his real family at the same time. However, while Tony is an imposing figure, how tall was James Gandolfini when he starred on the show, and how did that compare with the people he ruled over? With the show emphasizing the physical violence in the criminal underworld, one of the important things to note is how imposing the characters are.
Several Sopranos characters, including the male characters within the mafia family, are actually much shorter than many fans might expect. While the mafia members are not the only characters on the show, they remain integral to Tony’s character’s journey through the series as he reaches the highest of highs and has to make decisions that drive him to the lowest of lows. Between James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano and his crew, as well as his biological family, the height of the characters might surprise fans of the show.
At the heart of The Sopranos is Tony Soprano, played to absolute pitch perfection by James Gandolfini. The show follows Tony Soprano in his life as the head of the DiMeo mafia family in New Jersey, and one of the most powerful gangsters in the state. However, he is also a husband and a father of two kids, and the main focus is showing how his real family and his mafia family can co-exist while making it as hard as possible for Tony himself. Playing this great man, it makes sense that James Gandolfini would be one of the tallest cast members.
Gandolfini was certainly a big man, but perhaps not as big as many fans might think. Tony always looked tall and imposing next to his subordinates, but that’s only because most of the actors playing his subordinates were around 5’7”-5’9” (including Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt, and Tony Sirico). With that said, Gandolfini was a tall man, standing at just under 6’1″, with an estimated height of 6ft 3/4 in. However, Gandolfini listed his height as 6’2″ on his resume in the 90s (via Celeb Heights).
“Soprano Home Movies” is one of the most beloved episodes of The Sopranos, and it contains one of the greatest scenes of the show. This was the 13th episode of the series, and Tony planned on celebrating his birthday with his family, but the police arrested him on gun charges. After Tony’s release, he shows up at his party with his friends and family and ends up getting into a fight with Bobby Baxxalieri after drinking too much. This is because Tony insults Janice, and Bobby defends her.
The fact Bobby was able to beat up Tony affected the mafia boss’s pride and masculinity, but the two eventually got over it and moved on. It makes sense that Bobby can go toe-to-toe with Tony, as Steve Schirripa is pretty much the same size as James Gandolfini, and maybe even a little bit taller. Whereas Gandolfini is an estimated 6 ft 3/4 in, Schirripa stands at an uncontested 6’1” (via Celeb Heights). Bobby lasted until the final season when he was gunned down in a model train store.
If one man can measure up to James Gandolfini and Steve Schirripa, it’s Federico Castelluccio. Castelluccio was cast as Furio Giunta, one of the enforcers of the Soprano mob and the eventual love interest of Carmela Soprano. He first appeared in The Soprano’s second season when Tony worked out a deal to have him transferred from Italy to New Jersey to work for him on a car theft operation. However, Furio only lasted until the show’s fourth season, when he left for Italy with a guilty conscience after his affair with Tony’s wife.
It makes sense that Furio would be hired as an enforcer, as Castelluccio is a very tall and physically fit figure. According to Castelluccio’s resume, he stands 6’1” (making him slightly taller than Tony) and 190 pounds (via Celeb Heights). His height is quite obvious in the scenes he shared with Tony, as the two were virtually identical in height, and he matched up well with his boss. It also helped since Furio needed to be imposing as he was someone Tony sent to deal with people who crossed the DiMeo crime family.
Vincent Pastore plays Salvatore Bonpensiero, who is often referred to on The Sopranos as Big Pussy. Salvatore earned the “Pussy” moniker owing to his past as a cat burglar, and “Big” because he’s a big man. While he has a similar build to James Gandolfini/Tony Soprano, he stands slightly shorter at an estimated 5’10” (via Celeb Heights). This is perhaps best noticed in the scene in which Paulie, Silvio, and Tony gun their friend down after learning he turned informant, one of the saddest deaths on The Sopranos.
Pastore is clearly taller than both Silvio and Paulie, but he is noticeably shorter than Tony during the scene where they are all standing close together on the boat before his death. Before his death, Salvatore was one of Tony’s most trusted soldiers and an enforcer for the DiMeo crime family. He was also close friends with both Paulie and Silvio, which made his murder so hard to take, both for fans and for the crime family members after the fact. That marked his end in the series, but Pastore returned for dream scenes and flashbacks.
While Lorraine Bracco’s 5’7” measurement is relatively tall as Tony’s therapist, Jennifer Melfi, that’s nothing compared to Nancy Marchand. Marchand wasn’t on the show for long, as she tragically passed away from lung cancer in 2000. However, she made quite an impression by playing Tony’s difficult mother, Livia, and she was the tallest woman in The Sopranos main cast. This makes sense as Livia needs to stand tall next to her powerful son to show she holds as many cards as he does in the family’s power.
If Livia always seemed quite tall when standing next to Tony, that’s because Nancy Marchand herself was quite tall. Viewers would find little difference in height between her and Big Pussy, as it’s estimated that Marchand stood the exact same height as the mafia enforcer, at 5’10” (via Celeb Heights). The actress, who also had a starring role in Lou Grant, even appeared on the HBO mafia series after Nancy Marchand died, as The Sopranos used CGI to add Livia into a scene to give her a proper sendoff.
Drea De Matteo always appeared taller than she was owing to the massive heels she wore and by standing next to Michael Imperioli, who stands at just 5’8”. When not wearing heels (like in her and Chris’s apartment), Adriana would stand a little shorter than Christopher. This is important for two reasons. First, Adriana had lots to prove when most people on the show discounted her because of her job and social status. By wearing heels and standing closer to 5’10”, she made herself appear bigger than she is.
It also helps make Christopher look like a smaller man, which plays into his desire to become a bigger member of the DiMeo crime family. However, when she removes her heels, she is shorter than Christopher, helping him at least look bigger in his own home. Drea De Matteo is 5’6” (via Celeb Heights). This is the height that Playboy listed for her back in 1999 — the same year that The Sopranos debuted. This height places her just under most of the men appearing on the show, most of whom average around 5’7”-5’9”. It also makes her taller than Edie Falco, Aida Turturro, and Jamie Lynn Sigler.
It seems like the short gene runs in the Soprano family because A.J. is also shorter than both parents and only slightly taller than his sister, Meadow. While most of the men on The Sopranos aren’t very tall (at least compared to average male heights), Robert Iler is the shortest male on the cast as A.J. Soprano, measuring in at an estimated 5’5′‘ (via Celeb Height). A photo of Iler standing next to Jamie Lynn Sigler has her standing only a little bit taller than him, and she was likely wearing heels as it was at an awards ceremony.
There were also scenes on the show where A.J. stood next to Michael Imperioli, and Christopher stands tall over A.J. Imperiolo is only 5’8″, so the 5’5″ seems normal for the actor. It should be noted that Iler was only 14 when he started appearing on The Sopranos, and he grew up on the show. Since The Sopranos ended, Iler retired from acting to become a professional poker player. He has since started a podcast called Not Today Pal with his on-screen sister, Jamie Lynn Sigler.
Edie Falco played Tony Soprano’s wife Carmela on The Sopranos. When it comes to the success of The Sopranos cast, Falco matches up well with James Gandolfini, winning three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Sopranos. She also went on to star in another hugely successful television show — Nurse Jackie. She also stands tall beside her on-screen husband, although he clearly towers over her in many scenes.
Compared to Tony Soprano, Carmela is eight inches shorter than her husband. It’s estimated that Edie Falco stands at 5’5” (via Celeb Heights) – an average female height, but one of the shortest heights found on The Sopranos. This helps add a level of fear to the show when she and Tony get into their fights, as he is clearly the larger individual, but she also shows that, even if she isn’t as tall as other members of The Sopranos cast, she isn’t going to back down from him and will always stand tall.
It looks like Meadow Soprano got her mother’s genes because she is considerably shorter than Carmela and Tony. Some actresses on The Sopranos are quite tall – including Lorraine Bracco, who stands 5’7.” However, Jamie Lynn Sigler is almost the shortest member of the main cast, measuring in at just 5’3” (via Celeb Heights). However, in her biography, Wise Girl: What I’ve Learned About Life, Love, and Loss, she claims to be 5’6”.
When standing next to other actors in The Sopranos, she always seemed shorter than them, and this includes Edie Falco, who stands 5’5″, so if Sigler is 5’6″, then either Falco was wearing heels or the camera was set up to make Sigler look much shorter than she claims to be.
