News | Entertainment
30 Jul 2025 20:02
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    The Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano has revealed his mental health crisis almost destroyed his marriage

    The 73-year-old actor - who played Ralph 'Ralphie' Cifaretto in the hit mobster drama - has confessed he was "a mess for a long time" and he made matters worse by self-medicating with alcohol which left his marriage to Nancy Sheppard on the brink of collapse


    He told New York Post column PageSix: "[I used] alcohol, what was available, women, you know, risky behaviour, act first and then ask questions second ...

    "[I was] a mess for a long time ... My wife and my kids were ready to throw me out. The only people who were happy to see me weren't people. They were my dogs."

    Joe went on to insist he believes his pets helped save him. He explained: '[The dogs] saved my life because it was the only spark that was left in me. I was like Tinkerbell and the light was dying."

    The actor was eventually diagnosed with clinical depression in 2007 and managed to get his life back on track. He has since written two books on mental health and founded a charity called No Kidding, Me Too! to help eliminate the stigma surrounding such issues,

    Joe recently dec lared he's been feeling "really uncomfortable" at home in the US since President Donald Trump took office for a second term last year.

    He had previously revealed he's no fan of the reality TV star-turned-politician and accused him of glorifying the mobster characters in The Sopranos to justify bad behaviour,

    Joe told The Independent newspaper: "What always upset me was that the majority of the audience didn't get the genius of [The Sopranos creator] David Chase, and what David Chase was saying about these monsters.

    "[Mobster character] Tony Soprano becomes a hero, when he's a broken-down gangster and a murderer. Scumbags like Trump and Roger Stone, all these white-collar criminals, continue to be quoted as using The Godfather and The Sopranos as a blueprint for being douchebags! I mean, how f***** up is that?"

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     30 Jul: Selena Gomez's fragrance bottle was designed with the help of a rehab facility and hand therapists
     30 Jul: Lindsay Lohan's son thought she had got trapped inside their television
     30 Jul: Ozzy Osbourne will make one final trip through Birmingham in a "dignified tribute" ahead of a private family funeral
     30 Jul: Hulk Hogan's son broke down in tears as he joined a WWE tribute to his late father on Monday (28.07.25)
     30 Jul: Pete Davidson risked "real damage" to his eye filming The Home
     30 Jul: A man claiming to be Jay-Z's son, Rymir Satterthwaite, is dropping his federal lawsuit against the rapper
     30 Jul: Lo Bosworth is married and expecting her first child with Dom Natale
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    A non playing sabbatical next year looms as a fait accompli for All Blacks captain Scott Barrett More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Kiwibank has the go-ahead to raise capital from New Zealand investors More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Selena Gomez's fragrance bottle was designed with the help of a rehab facility and hand therapists 19:49

    Environment:
    Tsunami warning live updates: Alerts remain in Pacific after Russian earthquake; Hawaii's governor reports no 'wave of consequence' 19:47

    Entertainment:
    Lindsay Lohan's son thought she had got trapped inside their television 19:19

    Environment:
    Magnitude-8.8 earthquake strikes off Russia's east coast, sparking tsunami warnings across the Pacific 19:07

    Rugby League:
    The Warriors could be without co-captain James Fisher-Harris for up to four weeks due to a calf injury 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Ozzy Osbourne will make one final trip through Birmingham in a "dignified tribute" ahead of a private family funeral 18:49

    Business:
    Kiwibank has the go-ahead to raise capital from New Zealand investors 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Hulk Hogan's son broke down in tears as he joined a WWE tribute to his late father on Monday (28.07.25) 18:19

    International:
    Why Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance want to 'Make America procreate again' through pronatalism 18:17

    Rugby:
    A non playing sabbatical next year looms as a fait accompli for All Blacks captain Scott Barrett 18:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd