Marcy Wudarski is the first wife of the late actor, James Gandolfini. They were married for three years from 1999 to 2002.
Marcy’s Early Life and Parents
Marcy Wudarski was born on February 6, 1967, in Hudson, USA, to Pennsylvania natives, Edward B. Wudarski and Mary Ann Wudarski.
Her dad, Edward, who was born on March 17, 1920, died six days after his 66th birthday in 1986. He was a former Army lieutenant colonel and a retired comptroller for the Department of the Army Washington. He’s also an old Army veteran of World War 2 and the Korean War.
Meanwhile, her mother, Mary, passed away on October 19, 1988, in Hudson, Pasco, at the age of 67.
Source: Instagram
As for her education, she graduated from Bayonet Point Junior High School.
Marcy’s Married Life with James Gandolfini
Marcy Wudarski was the first wife of the late actor and producer, James Gandolfini. They walked down the aisle on March 20, 1999, after just over a year of dating.
The duo first met when the actor hired Marcy as his personal secretary in 1995. During an old interview, Wudarski revealed that she met her ex-husband, James, while working for him as a part-time helper.
I was working between jobs, working for a movie company, and a friend suggested I be a part-timer helper, do some piddling things for ‘this actor you never heard of who’s made a couple of nothing movies.’
Why did Marcy and James Divorce?
James Gandolfini unexpectedly left his home in New York’s Greenwich Village on February 1, 2001, and never went back. A year later, in March 2002, he filed for divorce on the grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment. Emotional instability and volatile temper were termed as the major reason for their separation.
During their divorce proceedings, Marcy Wudarski revealed that her husband was a drug addict and alcoholic and was placed at a rehabilitation center in 1998 a year before their marriage. She even hired private detectives to follow James to know if he still used drugs and alcohol.
In October 2002, The National Enquirer published a story based on a source who claimed to have seen the legal papers prepared for the divorce case. The story also claimed the actor’s use of alcohol and drugs. Consequently, Gandolfini sat down with The National Enquirer and admitted that he had had a problem with cocaine and alcohol in 1998 but he had been sober since he had had a son.
Besides alcohol and drug addiction, Marcy also accused John of having a life of mistresses, kinky sex, and guns. Gandolfini confessed that he had bought the gun for protection while visiting Harlem to buy drugs.
They finalized their divorce on December 18, 2002. She kept the West Village’s $2 million worth of condo while Gandolfini had to buy a condo downtown in nearby Tribeca to stay close to their son, Michael Gandolfini.
Relationship after Their Divorce
Well, we are unsure about Marcy Wudarski’s relationship after their separation. As for James Gandolfini, he dated Lora Somoza and got engaged. However, they ended their engagement in 2005.
Three years later, on August 30, 2008, two years after dating, Gandolfini walked down the aisle with the former model, Deborah Lin. They have a daughter together, Liliana Ruth Gandolfini, who was born in October 2012 in LA.
Death of James Gandolfini
Marcy Wudarski’s ex-husband, James Gandolfini passed away on June 19, 2023, in Rome, Italy, at the age of 51 due to a heart attack.
James was in Italy with his son, Michael Gandolfini, to attend the Taormina Film Festival. Michael, who was 13 at the time, found his father collapsed in the bathroom. He immediately called the hotel staff and rushed him to the hospital.
The Hotel Boscolo manager, Antonio D’amore, revealed that the actor was still alive when the ambulance arrived. Despite multiple attempts to resuscitate him, he lost his life at the Policlinico Umberto I hospital. James was declared dead at 11 pm local time (5 pm ET), 20 minutes after being admitted.
A day before his passing, two travelers from Atlanta, Blake Kahn and Dee Duncan, shot what turned out to be his last photo. James and his son, Michael were at a diner, Sabatini Restaurant, in Rome when the travelers photographed him.
Prior to his demise, the actor had already set up a trust fund for his son, which will have “at least $7 million in it” when Michael turns 21 in 2021 and is old enough to access it.
Gandolfini’s Funeral
James Gandolfini’s funeral was held at Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine at 10 am local time. The ceremony included an exclusive film tribute produced and filmed by HBO for the actor’s family.
Source: DailyMail
Following the ceremony, his body was sent to Robert Spearing Funeral Home in Park Ridge, near Westwood, where he grew up.
On Monday, September 8, 2014, Michael Gandolfini spoke to the US Weekly at a special screening of his father’s final film, The Drop in NYC.
It was really bittersweet. It was amazing to see him… the screen comes on, and I see him. I know he was happy – happy acting and happy at that moment… It was the last time he could be happy filming a movie, so it was very hard.
Michael also revealed that he thinks of love whenever he remembers his dad.
When I think of my dad, the number one thing I think of is love. His huge arms. Big hands hugging me. Putting his finger in my ear. He was hilarious. The funniest person I’ve ever met.
Source: Instagram
James and Marcy’s Son
James Gandolfini and Marcy Wudarski have a son together, Michael Gandolfini. He was born on May 10, 1999, four months after The Sopranos made its debut.
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 2021.
Michael’s Career
Michael Gandolfini followed in the footsteps of his late father, James Gandolfini. In 2016, he started his career as an actor, writer, and producer.
He had his first official role in the TV series, The Deuce in 2018. He portrayed the role of Joey Dwyer in the TV series. The same year, he made his movie debut with a minor role as a Busboy in Ocean’s 8. He has a total of 12 acting credits under his belt.
Source: Instagram
In January 2019, Michael was chosen to play the younger version of his father’s most iconic character.
The pressure is real. There’s fear, but the second layer, that a lot of people don’t think about, which was actually harder, is to play Tony Soprano.
What’s Marcy’s Net Worth?
Marcy Wudarski’s net worth is estimated at around $500 thousand. However, we believe her fortune is well over the $500,000 mark since she received a $2 million worth mansion in West Village during her separation from her former partner, James Gandolfini.
Meanwhile, James had a net worth of around $70 million, at the time of his passing.
What was Wudarski’s profession?
Marcy Wudarski used to work for a movie company but had to work other jobs including a part-time helper job to make ends meet. She has also worked as an executive producer in Wish You Were Here in 2013.
Meanwhile, her ex-husband, James Gandolfini was an actor mostly known for his appearance as Tony Soprano in the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO‘s TV series, The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007. His acting career began in 1992 when he appeared as Tony Baldessari in the drama movie, A Stranger Among Us.
A year later, he performed in four on-screen projects, Money for Nothing, True Romance, Mr. Wonderful, and Italian Movie. He has appeared in as many as 51 movies and TV series to date.
That’s about it from us!
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