Charley Scalies, 'The Wire' and 'The Sopranos' actor, dies after Alzheimer's battle at 84
Charley Scalies, 'The Wire' and 'The Sopranos' actor, dies after Alzheimer's battle at 84
Charley Scalies Jr., a 1990s and 2000s actor best known for his role on "The Wire" and appearances on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "The Sopranos," has died. He was 84.
Scalies died "peacefully" after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease on May 1, according to an obituary. His family said the actor was "best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend" and "whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion and a true joy for life."
USA TODAY has reached out for more information.
Scalies starred in stage plays and later the Al Pacino film "Two Bits" in 1995. He played Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, an incarcerated former cargo checker from labor union IBS Local 1514, on Season 2 of the hit HBO crime drama "The Wire." He played Tony Soprano's high school football coach, Coach Molinaro, on HBO's other hit crime drama "The Sopranos" a year later in 2004.
Other credits include an appearance on the series "Homicide: Life on the Street," and the films "12 Monkeys" (1995), "Liberty Heights" (1999) and "Jersey Girl" (2004).
He made two separate appearances on "SVU": as Bert Ferrara in 2006 and Dock Foreman in 2008. The latter was among his last acting credits, in addition to an appearance on "Cold Case" as Rusty Jenkins.
Why after 25 years, 'The Sopranos' is greatest TV drama of all time
But the actor's "favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table," his family wrote.
The former business executive and consulting firm founder is survived by his wife, Angeline Scalies, and five children: Charles Scalies III, Angeline Kogut, Anthony Scalies, Christa Ann Scalies and Anne Marie Scalies. The actor had four grandchildren.
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