Born
September 25, 1962 (1962-09-25) (age 46)
Brooklyn, New York, US
Height
5'5"
Nationality
American
Celebrity Status
Actress
Biography
New York actress Aida Turturro paid her dues with dozens of small
but memorable character parts for over a decade before landing
the role of a lifetime on "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007) in
2000. In 2007, she was honored with an Emmy nomination for Best
Supporting Actress for her role as Tony Soprano’s soul-searching,
emotionally unpredictable sister for the show’s heavily
publicized final season. A cousin of actors and brothers John and
Nicholas Turturro, the actress also earned her stripes on the big
screen, appearing in his films “Mac” (1990), “Illuminata” (1998)
and “Romance and Cigarettes” (2005), but it was as Janice Soprano
that Turturro truly mesmerized – holding her own, two-to-two
opposite the intense James Gandolfini.
Turturro was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 25, 1962, and raised on
Manhattan's Lower East Side by her artist father and her
stepmother. Her mother was chronically ill, so Turturro did not
spend much time with her while growing up. She was one of the
shyest kids in school, but a reluctant stage performance in drama
class planted the acting seed in her head. Turturro worked up the
nerve to audition for high school plays, discovering that the shy
girl had a great gift for being onstage. She decided to train for
an acting career at the State University of New York in New
Paltz’ drama department, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in
1984.
Back in Manhattan, she continued to study with acting coaches
while beginning to build a resume with roles in off-Broadway
productions and TV and film auditions. Her career began to take
off in 1989 when she landed a supporting role in the feature
comedy, "True Love,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
In 1990, she broke through into guest TV roles on local shows
like “Law & Order” and also landed a part in “Mac” (1990) – a
well-received film about 1950s working class Queens life directed
by her cousin, actor-director John Turturro.
Her unique spark and warm, vibrant screen presence lent itself to
a series of "best friend" roles in 1992's "Jersey Girl" and
1994's "Angie." Both her vivacity and versatility were displayed
with roles in films as divergent as "Manhattan Murder Mystery"
(1993) and "Money Train" (1995). Turturro also took center stage
(with several others) as part of the ensemble of the acclaimed
independent "Denise Calls Up" (1995), in which she played a
failed party planner with a note-perfect turn. In her first
recurring TV role, Aida was seen on “The Wright Verdict” (CBS,
1995). She got to play zany in "The Search for One-Eye Jimmy"
(1996), in which she portrayed skewed seer Madame Esther, as well
as taking the fortune teller route in Woody Allen's "Celebrity"
(1998). Also in 1998, Turturro re-teamed with helmers Savoca and
John Turturro respectively, memorably co-starring in "The 24 Hour
Woman" and "Illuminata." She enjoyed several colorful supporting
parts in 1999 with "Deep Blue Sea," "Play It to the Bone" and
"Bringing Out the Dead," before moving up to a co-starring role
in the independent comedy "24 Nights."
In 2000, the spirited actress joined the hit HBO drama "The
Sopranos" during its second season, playing the sister of
troubled Mafia capo Tony (James Gandolfini) and daughter of
maniacal matriarch Livia (Nancy Marchand). Janice, an aging New
Ager newly christened Pavarti after a Hindi goddess, was
initially presented as a spiritually in-touch woman seeking to
separate herself from the crime family, but quickly showed her
true colors with opportunistic manipulation and explosive
violence. Turturro and Gandolfini made a compelling onscreen
team, battling with sibling rivalries and contrasting lifestyle
issues, but ultimately coming together in times of crisis and
uniting against an abusive mother. Their chemistry was not
surprising, as the two actors had worked together in "Angie" and
"Fallen" (1998), and played battling neighbors in the 1992
Broadway revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire.” The final season
of “The Sopranos” was bittersweet for Turturro, who received an
Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2007.
Turturro’s film and stage work continued unabated throughout her
“Sopranos” years, with roles in indie films like “Home Sweet
Hoboken” (2001) and cousin John Turturro’s “Romance and
Cigarettes” (2005). Off-Broadway, she appeared in "Cavalleria
Rusticana" at New York's Westbeth Theater, as well as productions
of "The Threepenny Opera," "Cabaret," and “Souls of Naples,”
which she went on to perform in Naples, Italy, following a New
York run.
Aida Turturro was also active in several health awareness
initiatives. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and having
suffered with the illness throughout her life, she was very
outspoken about the importance of treating and working towards
cures for the debilitating disease. In 2001, she was also
diagnosed with type two diabetes. After learning how to manage
the disease herself, she embarked on speaking tours of hospitals
and diabetes centers to promote a proactive approach to living a
healthy lifestyle with the increasingly common illness. |
