Suzanne Shepherd, ‘Sopranos,’ ‘Goodfellas’ actress, dead at 89

Suzanne Shepherd, who played mob mothers in “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas,” died Friday. She was 89.

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Shepherd’s death was confirmed by Aloia Funeral Home in Garfield, New Jersey. Shepherd’s agent, Sarah Fargo, also confirmed the actress’ death to Variety.

The actress’ daughter, Kate Shepherd, told TMZ that her mother died in her sleep on Friday morning. No cause of death has been determined, but Suzanne Shepherd had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Shepherd appeared in 20 episodes of “The Sopranos” as Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) and mother-in-law of lead character Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), Deadline reported.

In “Goodfellas,” Shepherd had the role of the mother of Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco, who also appeared in “The Sopranos”) in Goodfellas.

Born Oct. 31, 1934, Shepherd appeared in films for more than three decades, according to Deadline.”

Shepherd also portrayed teacher Anita Hogarth in the 1989 film, “Uncle Buck” and had roles in “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990), “Trees Lounge” (1996), “Lolita” (1997), “American Cuisine” (1998), “Requiem for a Dream” (2000), “Harold” (2008), “The Week Of” (2018) and “The Performance” (2023), Variety reported.

On television, Shepherd appeared in “Law & Order” and “Blue Bloods,” Deadline reported. She most recently appeared in the 2023 drama, “The Performance,” according to IMDb.com.

Ray Abruzzo, who played “Little” Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. in “The Sopranos,” called Shepherd “a force of nature” in an Instagram post.

“Actress, teacher,” Abruzzo wrote.

Shepherd also directed in theaters nationwide and worked as an acting coach for over four decades at her own studio in New York City, Variety reported.

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