EXCLUSIVE The Wire's Chris Bauer warmly remembers late costar Charley Scalies following actor's death at 84
Bauer, 58, spoke exclusively with Dailymail.com in an email interview following Scalies' passing Thursday at age 84 in Pennsylvania following a battle with Alzheimer's.
Bauer played the role of embattled Baltimore dock leader Frank Sobotka on the show's second season in 2003, with Scalies playing his loyal lieutenant, Thomas 'Horseface' Pakusa.
Bauer, who has also been seen on shows such as True Blood, The Deuce and Heels, said that while he 'rarely has much to say, he really loved working with Charley.
'Like the best scene partners, he was generous, prepared, and hard working. He was an early example for me that you don't have to be an a**hole to be a good actor. In fact, the opposite is true: laughter, humility, and a warm heart is the way to go.'
Bauer said that Scalies' 'love for his family stuck with [him] over the years' and that he was 'grateful' for the 'influence' he had on him.
The sophomore frame of the enduring series from creator David Simon closely examined the economic issues Baltimore dockworkers faced amid changing times.
It illustrated how the slow times at the docks led a few workers - including Pakusa - to earn extra cash smuggling in contraband.
Amid the items unwittingly smuggled in by the Baltimore crew drugs and women tragically trafficked into the U.S. to be sex workers.
On The Wire, the Horseface character was second-in-command to Bauer's character, union leader Frank Sobotka.
The season showed how Frank had gotten into a desperate situation trying to keep his union and workers afloat amid declining times for the longshoremen.
Frank, assisted by Horseface and his nephew Nick Sobotka (played by Pablo Schreiber) eventually resort to criminal smuggling to fund political efforts in a last-ditch effort to reinvigorate business at the docks.
Scalies also appeared in an episode of another iconic HBO series - The Sopranos - as he played Coach Molinaro, the high school football coach of Tony Soprano, played by late legend James Gandolfini.
The character appeared in an intense exchange in a dream scene in an episode titled The Test Dream.
Scalies portrayed Thomas 'Horseface' Pakusa for 12 episodes of The Wire
The discussion between the coach - who saw potential in a young Soprano - and the fully-grown Tony Soprano illustrated the psychological insecurities the fearsome New Jersey mob boss harbored, and sought to address through therapy.
The episode (which first aired May 16, 2004) was the show's 11th episode of its fifth season, directed by Allen Coulter and written by Matthew Weiner and Sopranos creator David Chase.
A Legacy obituary - which noted Scalies died 'peacefully' - emphasized the role family played in his life.
It noted he was 'best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend,' adding that his 'favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.'
The obit described Scalies, a native of South Philadelphia, as 'an American actor and former business executive whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion, and a true joy for life.'
Soboktka's wayward son Ziggy (played by James Ransone, also gets involved peripherally, leading to tragic consequences down the line.
Scalies told Chesapeake Bay Magazine in 2019 about his work on the HBO series, saying that the only time he had ever been on the docks was when he filmed the show.
He had a memorable exchange with a grown Tony Soprano (played by the late James Gandolfini) that revealed the insecurities the mob boss harbored
Scalies said that 'the only time I even met a stevedore was shortly after I was cast as Horseface.'
The role was a perfect fit, as shortly after landing the part, Scalies happened to chat with several real-life stevedores and union reps for the International Longeshoremen's Association, who all approved of his casting.
'I told them I had just been cast as a union 'checker' on a TV show,' he recalled. 'Their response was immediate and unanimous: "He looks like a checker."'
Scalies explained: 'As with all the other characters I've been blessed to portray, Horseface lives inside of me - I invite him out to play as needed.'
On Twitter, a number of fans of the show paid homage to the late actor in the role he played on The Wire, making inside references to scenes that involved his character.
A post from the Wire fan account Ziggy_Sobotka read: 'Heartbroken to report that Charlie Scalies, Horseface on The Wire and Coach Molinaro from The Sopranos has passed away.'
It concluded: 'Charles J. Scalies, Jr. 7/19/1940 – 5/1/2025.'
One fan commented, 'Great characters RIP to the legend.'
A post from The Wire fan account Ziggy_Sobotka read: 'Heartbroken to report that Charlie Scalies, Horseface on The Wire and Coach Molinaro from The Sopranos has passed away'
Another said, 'R. I. P. He's still on the clock.'
Referring to a scene illustrating Horseface's loyalty to the union, one fan wrote, 'Good luck to St Peter getting anything out of him at the pearly gates without an IBS lawyer present.'
One Twitter user aptly remarked, 'At what age does death not break your heart?'
According to the Legacy obit, Scalies is survived by 'the true love and joy of his life, his wife of 62 years, Angeline M. Scalies (née Cardamone); his five children: Charles (Chuck) Scalies III, Angeline Kogut (Steve Kogut), Anthony (Tony) Scalies, Christa Ann Scalise, and Anne Marie Scalies (Shawn Weaver); and grandchildren Charles IV, Christopher, Domenic and Amelia Scalies.'
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