Vincent Pastore Kleinfeld insults. He is listed in the credits as "Vinny Pastore" playing "Copa Wiseguy." Pastore got a bigger role in the comedy/crime film "" (1995) as Tony Scarboni, one of the three gangsters and Lazarro's (played by Alan Arkin) clients. In the 1996 HBO television movie "Gotti", Pastore played the character of Angelo Ruggiero, alongside future "Sopranos" cast members Tony Sirico and Dominic Chianese. In 1999, Pastore got his biggest role to date in "The Sopranos", where he played the character Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero. His character was murdered in the finale of season 2, but Pastore would make a
The Sopranos producers) and his second for writing the 1980 television film "Off the Minnesota Strip". By 1996, he was a coveted showrunner. The story of "The Sopranos" was initially conceived as a feature film about "a mobster in therapy having problems with his mother." Chase got some input from his manager Lloyd Braun and decided to adapt it into a television series. He signed a development deal in 1995 with production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script. He drew heavily from his personal life and his experiences growing up in New Jersey, and has stated that he tried to