Viewers of Sky News may have had a strange sense of déjà vu this week when a composed Catholic priest appeared on screen discussing matters of the Vatican.
For many, there was something oddly familiar about Rev. Robert Sirico – and now eagle-eyed Sopranos fans think they’ve cracked it.
Yes, that’s Father Robert Sirico, the younger brother of the late Tony Sirico, the actor best known for playing the brilliantly brash and immaculately coiffed Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Gualtieri in the legendary HBO crime series The Sopranos.
But while Tony’s life was one steeped in drama both on and off the screen, Robert took a very different, and perhaps more surprising, path.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, the Sirico brothers grew up in a traditional Italian-American Catholic household in the East Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods. But the similarities end there.
Tony Sirico, who passed away in 2022, lived a life that could have been lifted from the pages of a mob script long before he ever stepped in front of a camera.
He dropped out of high school, was shot in the leg over a girl as a teenager, and ended up serving in the U.S. Army.
But that wasn’t the end of his run-ins with the law – far from it.
Father Robert Sirico (above), the younger brother of the late Tony Sirico, the actor best known for playing the brilliantly brash and immaculately coiffed Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Gualtieri in the legendary HBO crime series The Sopranos
Tony had his big break came with Goodfellas in 1990, and later, he was cast in the role that would define him: the hilariously paranoid and fiercely loyal Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos (above)
133 cardinal-electors gather in the Sistine Chapel in Rome as they consider who will be the next head of the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis
The Cardinals attended a special service as they consider who will be the next pope
Sirico was arrested 28 times on charges ranging from robbery to assault to gun possession.
In 1971, he was convicted on multiple charges including felony weapons possession and spent 20 months in the notorious Sing Sing prison.
It was there that Tony found his calling, of sorts. A visit from an acting troupe made up of ex-cons sparked something in him, and when he left prison, he began hustling for roles in Hollywood.
His early work included blink and you’ll miss it appearances in The Godfather: Part II, and bit parts in films like So Fine and The Pick-Up Artist.
But his big break came with Goodfellas in 1990, and later, he was cast in the role that would define him: the hilariously paranoid and fiercely loyal Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos.
A favorite of directors like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, Sirico built a 40-year career playing mobsters, tough guys, and streetwise New Yorkers.
Off-screen, he had two children and even launched his own cologne, Paolo Per Uomo, in 2008. He passed away in 2022, aged 79, after battling dementia.
In stark contrast, Robert Sirico, followed a spiritual and highly intellectual path. Initially stepping away from Catholicism in his youth, Robert explored Pentecostal preaching in Seattle during the 1970s, becoming known for his fiery sermons and progressive views.
Rev. Robert Sirico (middle) on Sky News to discuss the election of a new Pope
A favorite of directors like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, Sirico built a 40-year career playing mobsters, tough guys, and streetwise New Yorkers
Actors from left: Tony Sirico, Steven Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli & Vincent Pastore in a publicity still for TV series ‘The Sopranos’, circa 1999
Funeral for Award wining actor Tony Sirico, celebrated by his brother Robert Sirico at the church
He made headlines when he publicly came out as gay and even presided over Colorado’s first gay marriage ceremony.
But Robert later returned to the Catholic Church, influenced by the writings of St. Augustine and St. John Henry Newman.
He earned a Master of Divinity from The Catholic University of America in 1987 and was ordained as a Paulist priest two years later.
Robert didn’t fade quietly into the pulpit. He founded the Acton Institute, a libertarian think tank promoting free-market principles rooted in Christian theology.
Despite their wildly divergent paths — one a beloved screen gangster, the other a devout priest and political thinker — the Sirico brothers remained close.
Robert announced his brother’s death in 2022 saying: ‘It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022.’
He continued: ‘I sensed that the end was coming. So as we sat in a private location, I pulled out a Confessional Stole from my pocket. I looked into his eyes and I said, ‘How about that confession?’
‘My brother agreed and I did one of the most significant things a priest can do for another human being. I absolved him of all of his sins.’
