Gangster roles were a stepping stone for a lot of actors in Hollywood, and some of them even managed to be among the 11 most recognized gangsters of Hollywood.
Gangsters have always been a major inspiration for Hollywood filmmakers, especially in the Golden Age of Hollywood and from the 1970s to 1990s. Some of the gangster movies were based on true stories, and revolved around lives of some most iconic gangster figures in the world, most notably Al Capone, whose life and work were the inspiration for numerous Hollywood movies.
According to Daniel Talbot’s book Film, an Anthology, “The classic gangster movie ranks with the Western as one of the most successful creations of the American movie industry.”
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The classic understanding of gangsters and gangs changed a lot during the years. On the beginning and through the 20th century, gangsters were people that dealt in organized crime. Their business empire was widespread and complex, with both illegal and legal businesses accounted in. They didn’t chose means for achieving goals, and used intimidation, bribery, and violence to get what they want. These types of gangs are known as Mafia and its members as mobsters. The most notable mafia in the history is Italian, who has been portrayed in the Hollywood movies countless times.
When it comes to portrayal of gangsters in Hollywood movies, it’s hard not to see a pattern. Most gangster movies tell a story about the main character’s rise in the organization, and his even faster downfall that usually ends with the character’s violent death.
As we said, in the beginning, there was a large number of actors that tried to do gangster roles, and few were successful. But those successful ones cemented their place in the Hollywood history, and became some of the most famous people in the world. They earned their fame, unlike the 10 most famous Hollywood socialites.
To find out the actors among 11 most recognized gangsters of Hollywood, we checked out the list made by Biography where famous people who played mobsters are listed. Then we checked each one of them to see how many times they portrayed gangsters in major movies. If an actor was in a major TV show, we added one appearance for every season if he was a lead and one appearance per TV show if he was a supporting role.
11. James Caan
Although two Godfather movies and Mickey Blue Eyes may not seem like many movies, Caan did leave a strong impression. The proof for that is a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Sonny Corleone. The fun fact is that he initially was cast for the role of Michael Corleone, but decided that the role of Sonny suited him better.
Number of appearances: 3
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10. Marlon Brando
His role as Don Vito Corleone, head of the Corleone family in The Godfather, stands to date as one of most famous gangster impressions of all time. His portrayal of Vito got him his second Academy Award for Best Actor and the character is often listed as one of the greatest ones in cinema history.
Number of appearances: 4
9. Andy Garcia
Another actor who crafted the art of playing gangsters in The Godfather. For his role of Vincent Mancini he got a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He also starred as a gangster in Hoodlum, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, and Rob the Mob.
Number of appearances: 4
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8. Tony Sirico
Although most recognizable for his role of Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri in The Sopranos, Sirico had a handful of other gangster appearances like Goodfellas, Bullets over Broadway and Cop Land. Playing a tough guy wasn’t much of a challenge for Sirico, since he was arrested 28 times before he got into acting.
Number of appearances: 6
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7. Vincent Pastore
Or Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, as you know him on The Sopranos. Pastore played gangsters through his career even before The Sopranos, most notably in Goodfellas and Carlito’s Way.
Number of appearances: 8
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6. James Gandolfini
The most famous gangster that ever appeared on TV didn’t have many roles as gangster besides The Sopranos, but we can say he did his part by playing Tony Soprano. His portrayal got him worldwide recognition and numerous awards. After The Sopranos ended, he began working on documentaries, but, unfortunately, died of a heart attack in Italy in 2013.
Number of appearances: 8
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5. Chazz Palminteri
Palminteri’s grandparents came from Sicily into the United States, so he had the perfect background to become successful in gangster roles. For his gangster portrayal he managed to get himself an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Bullets Over Broadway. His other gangster appearances include Boss of Bosses and A Bronx Tale.
Number of appearances: 8
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4. Joe Pesci
The younger audience knows him as the funny bandit from movies Home Alone 1 and 2, but before that Pesci was a serious actor specializing in gangster roles. In fact, he was so good at portraying them that he got an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. Pesci is retired from acting since 1999.
Number of appearances: 8
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3. Al Pacino
Al Pacino played roles on both sides of the law, but he will be remembered as a gangster. His breakthrough came when he was cast to play Michael Corleone in The Godfather series, and his portrayal is considered one of the finest ever seen on film. This and the lead role in Scarface remain the defining moments of Al Pacino’s successful career and got him the recognition as one of the greatest Hollywood actors ever.
Number of appearances: 9
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2. Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro didn’t give up on his opportunity to star in The Godfather. After he was rejected for the role of Sonny Corleone and Michael Corleone, he landed a role of young Vito and got himself an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. De Niro starred in one more cult classic of gangster movies, Goodfellas, and cemented his place as one of the favorite on screen gangsters.
Number of appearances: 16
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1. James Cagney
James Cagney was a man who popularized gangster movies in its first incarnation and deserved to lead our 11 most recognized gangsters of Hollywood. He starred in some defining movies of the gangster genre that had the great impact on movies to come, like Public Enemy, Angels with Dirty Faces, and White Heat. During his successful career he received multiple Academy Award nominations, winning one. He retired from acting in 1961, eventually coming back on the screen 20 years later for his final role in Ragtime.
Number of appearances: 17
