Frances Esemplare

{{short description|American actress}} {{Infobox person | name = Frances Esemplare | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Frances Spalluto | birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|9|3}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|12|9|1934|9|3}} | death_place = Staten Island, New York, U.S. | other_names = Frances Ensemplare | occupation = Actress | spouse = Gaetano Esemplare | children = | known_for = | awards = }}

'''Frances Esemplare''' (September 3, 1934 – December 9, 2017) was an American actress best known for her multi-episode recurring role as Maria Nuccia "Nucci" Gualtieri, mother of Paulie Gualtieri (played by Tony Sirico) on ''The Sopranos'' from 2001 until 2007.<ref name=siad>{{cite news|title=Frances Esemplare obituary |url=http://obits.silive.com/obituaries/siadvance/obituary.aspx?n=frances-esemplare&pid=187502559 |work=Staten Island Advance |date=2017-12-12 |accessdate=2018-01-03 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215054347/http://obits.silive.com/obituaries/siadvance/obituary.aspx?n=frances-esemplare&pid=187502559 |archivedate=2017-12-15 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Early life == Born Frances Spalluto, Esemplare was a lifelong resident of Staten Island, New York.<ref name=siad/>

== Career == Beginning in 2001, she was cast as Nucci Gualtieri, mother of mobster Paulie Gualtieri, on the HBO television series, ''The Sopranos''. First introduced as Paulie Gualtieri's elderly mother, it is later revealed in the series that she is Gualtieri's biological aunt, who adopted him as a child. Frances Esemplare debuted in the May 2001 episode, "Army of One," and her character remained on the show until "Kennedy and Heidi" in May 2007. Esemplare appeared in eight episodes during her recurring role on the series, from season 3 to season 6.

== Filmography ==

=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1997 |''Sue Lost in Manhattan'' |Diner Patron | |- |2006 |''The Immaculate Misconception'' |Ma | |}

=== Television === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |2001–2007 |''The Sopranos'' |Maria Nuccia "Nucci" Gualtieri |8 episodes |}

== Death == Frances Esemplare died on December 9, 2017, at the age 83. Esemplare was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, on December 13, 2017.<ref name="siad" />

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0258103|name=Frances Ensemplare}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esemplare, Frances}} Category:1934 births Category:2017 deaths Category:American television actresses Category:Actresses from Staten Island Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Category:21st-century American women