Vincent Pastore: From Mob Boss to Acting Mentor, Paying It Forward to the Next Generation

Veteran actor Vincent Pastore is known for his roles as a mobster in the hit TV drama “The Sopranos” and the HBO film “Gotti,” but offscreen he’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse — he’ll teach you everything he knows about acting!

That’s his way of paying it forward to a new generation of performers.

Pastore learned his craft at the renowned New York drama school HB Studio, and now the 78-year-old star runs a theater group with his former “Sopranos” costar Steven Van Zandt’s wife, Maureen, where he produces classic and contemporary plays for the stage.

He also teaches acting classes. He says that every now and then, a “Sopranos” fan will drop by.

“Usually, it’s a guy,” says Vincent, who played strongman Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero. “I say, ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Well, I wanted to meet you.’ I say, ‘Well, I’m Vinny. I’m a teacher. I’m not that guy on television, you know.’ ”

Ironically, acting was not what he set out to do. “My dream was not to be an actor,” reveals Vincent. “My dream was to be a nightclub owner. I love putting shows together.”

But while running a travel agency in the 1970s, he put Alan Arkin’s son Anthony on a bus to go back to college, and became pals with the star, who put him in the cult film “The Jerky Boys.” That led to Vincent appearing in “Gotti” and then “The Sopranos.”

Vincent says his late costar James Gandolfini took him by the hand after a table read for a difficult episode.

He confides, “After the read, I went over to Jimmy and said, ‘How am I going to learn all this?’ He said, ‘You’re going to come to the set early. We’re going to get in my trailer, and we’re going to run out of wine, and you’re going to do a good job.’ God bless him.”

And if the time ever comes, he’s ready to pay it forward to his 13-year-old granddaughter Maya. After watching Grandpa on stage, “She was blown away,” Vincent recalls. “As we were walking out, I was holding her hand, and I could see that glow on her. I said, ‘So you want to be an actor?’ I said, ‘Listen, let me know when you want to be an actor, and I’ll teach you.’ ”