Aida Turturro ( ; born September 25, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of

Janice Soprano Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. In ''The Sopranos'', Janice is portrayed by Aida Turturro who’s the eldest sibling of the ...

on the HBO drama series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

''.

Early life and education

Aida Turturro was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, daughter of a Sicilian mother, Dorothy, a nurse, and an Italian-American father, Domenick Turturro, an artist. After graduating from high school, Turturro earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the

State University of New York at New Paltz The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an ...

Career

Film

Turturro appeared in her first film, '' True Love'', in 1989. She has acted in films such as ''

What About Bob? ''What About Bob?'' is a 1991 American black comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled patient who follows his self-centered psychotherapist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) o ...

'', '' Jersey Girl'', and '' Illuminata''. Turturro also had small parts in '' Sleepers'' and '' Deep Blue Sea''. She appears also in the 2005 movie ''

Romance & Cigarettes ''Romance & Cigarettes'' is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast which includes James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mand ...

'', directed by her cousin

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. She also appeared in ''

Money Train A money train is one or more railcars used to collect cash fare revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train was typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter ...

''.

Television

From 2000 to 2007, Turturro appeared as Janice Soprano in 49 episodes of ''

'', earning two nominations for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...

in 2001 and 2007. In 2009, Turturro appeared in "Bite Me," a sixth-season episode of the CBS series ''

Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation * Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium ...

'', playing the evil Bobbi Catalano. Turturro appeared in the eighth-season episode "Car Periscope" of ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televi ...

''. In 2012, Turturro appeared in "Day of the Iguana," an episode of ''

Nurse Jackie ''Nurse Jackie'' is an American medical comedy-drama television series. It premiered on Showtime on June 8, 2009, and its seventh and final season premiered on April 12, 2015. The series finale aired on June 28, 2015. The show stars Edie Fal ...

'', which reunited her with her ''

Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' co-star

Edie Falco Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...

. She played Laura Vargas, the titular character's lawyer. In 2013, Turturro appeared in the fourth-season episode "Drawing Dead" of '' Blue Bloods''. Since 2013 she has guest-starred in several episodes of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as Judge Felicia Catano. In 2016, Turturro appeared as Maura Figgis, sister of gangster Jimmy "The Butcher" Figgis on the Fox

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eit ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

, ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Da ...

''. In 2017, Turturro appeared in "Il Mostro" in the second season of '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders''.

Personal life

In 2001, Turturro was diagnosed with

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...

. Turturro has worked to raise public awareness of

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are inv ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* 1962 births American film actresses American people of Italian descent People of Sicilian descent American television actresses Living people Actresses from New York City State University of New York at New Paltz alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses People of Apulian descent {{US-tv-actor-1960s-stub