On Friday morning, the acclaimed actress Suzanne Shepherd, famous for her roles in “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas,” passed away at her home in New York City. She was 89 years old.
Her agent, Sarah Fargo, confirmed the news to Variety.
Shepherd played Mary DeAngelis, Carmela Soprano’s mother (Edie Falco), in the HBO crime drama series “The Sopranos” and portrayed Karen Hill’s character Loren Bracco in the 1990 film “Goodfellas.” She had roles in various other films, including “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990), “Trees Lounge” (1996), “Lolita” (1997), “American Cousin” (1998), “Requiem for a Dream” (2000), “Harold” (2008), “The Week Of” (2018), and “The Performance” (2023).
Shepherd was born on October 31, 1934. She began her acting career with the 1988 romantic comedy “Mystic Pizza,” starring Julia Roberts, and appeared in films like “Working Girl,” “Uncle Buck,” and “The Second Sight” before working on Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.”
On television, she played guest roles in “Law & Order,” “Third Watch,” “Ed,” “Blue Bloods,” “Deadline,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
Fellow “Sopranos” actor Ray Abruzzo paid tribute to Shepherd on Instagram, writing, “Saddened to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature. Actress. Teacher.”
Besides her acting career, Shepherd directed in theaters across the United States and worked as an acting coach in her New York studio for more than two decades. The upcoming documentary “A Gift of Fire” will provide insight into her career as an acting teacher.
In her family, she is survived by her daughter Kate Shepherd, son-in-law Miles MacMahon, and granddaughter Isabel Shepherd.
