Former 'Sopranos' actor Tony Lip dies

Michael N. Todaro, file. Tony Lip dies: Actor Tony Lip appeared in "The Sopranos" and "The Godfather." IMAGE

1/7/13

"Sopranos" actor Tony Lip also appeared in "The Godfather," "Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco."

Paramus, NJ — Tony Lip, a veteran actor known for playing mob roles on "The Sopranos" television show and in many major feature films, has died. He was 82.

Lip, a New Jersey resident whose real name was Frank Anthony Vallelonga, died Friday at a hospital in Teaneck. The cause of death was not disclosed, but family members told The Record of New Jersey that Lip had been in failing health in recent years.

While best known for playing mob kingpin Carmine Lupertazzi in "The Sopranos" on HBO, Lip has also had roles in movies including "The Godfather," ''Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco."

Lip also worked at the famed Copacabana club in Manhattan during the 1960s, where he met numerous celebrities of the era, including the kind of gangsters he would later portray.

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