The actress known for her roles in Martin Scorsese's gangster movie and TV series 'The Sopranos' is confirmed by her family to have passed away at the age of 89.
- Nov 19, 2023
AceShowbiz - Suzanne Shepherd has passed away aged 89. She was well known for being a "mob actress" due to her roles in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" as the mum of character Karen Hill and as Carmella Soprano's mother in "The Sopranos", and the star's passing was confirmed by her family on Saturday, November 18 night.
No cause of death was provided and the family did not offer additional details as Suzanne's granddaughter Isabelle told The US Sun of the actress' death.
Along with Isabelle, Shepherd is survived by her daughter Kate, son-in-law Miles, and daughter-in-law Joyce.
Fans flooded social media with tributes to the star, hailed as one of America's "go-to" actresses for gangster movies. In "Goodfellas", she had a scene-stealing role as the mum who despaired over Lorraine Bracco's character getting married to Ray Liotta's Henry Hill gangster.
In "The Sopranos", she was again despairing as Mary DeAngelis, the mum of Carmela Soprano, played by actress Edie Falco, who is married to James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano.
"Sopranos" actor Ray Abruzzo, 69, was among the stars who took to Instagram to pay tribute to Suzanne, saying, "Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature. Actress, teacher. Played Carmella's mother on 'Sopranos' and Karen's mother in 'Goodfellas'."
Suzanne's career spanned more than 35 years, with her first role as Aunt Tweedy in 1988's "Mystic Pizza" starring Julia Roberts.
Her TV appearances included on "Law and Order" and "Blue Bloods" and she played a friend of Ellen Burstyn's drug-addled mum in "Requiem for a Dream", which also starred Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly.
Her last appearance was in 2023's "The Performance", and she was a renowned theatre director. An upcoming documentary called "A Gift of Fire" will also chronicle her career as a leading acting teacher.
