James Gandolfini to be honored next month at film awards

The late actor James Gandolfini - who rocketed to stardom as mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series, "The Sopranos" - will be given a posthumous tribute by the actor Steve Buscemi at the 23rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall St. on Dec. 2.

"James Gandolfini was a friend, an inspiration, and an extraordinary talent whose presence is missed by all of us who knew and loved him. It is an honor to present this tribute at the Gotham Awards," Buscemi said in a statement.

Gandolfini died June 19 at the age of 51 in Rome.

Born in Westwood, NJ, Gandolfini won three Emmys and a Golden Globe award for playing Tony Soprano, but also produced independent films and was a prolific stage and movie actor. He can now be seen playing Albert opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in "Enough Said," and will appear in "Animal Rescue" with Tom Hardy when that film is released next year.