Actor Joe Pantoliano was rushed to a Connecticut hospital after he was struck by a car while he went for a walk. Pantoliano’s wife, Nancy, told TMZ that the former Sopranos star was out walking with his family in their neighborhood on Friday when a Porsche skid across the road and hit him after it was t-boned by another car.
After being struck by the car, Pantoliano was sent flying backward a couple of feet into an old wooden fence. He ended up with a gash on his head along with some other injuries to his left leg and a shoulder. Fortunately, EMTs were able to arrive quickly and transport the actor into medical care, where he’s currently waiting on the results of his CT scan. While it appears that the actor will pull through, it’s also being reported that both drivers stayed on the scene after the accident.
Videos by PopCulture.com
A revered performer of stage and screen, Pantoliano might be best known for his role as Ralph Cifaretto on Seasons 3 and 4 of HBO’s acclaimed crime drama, The Sopranos. A skeevy, conniving gangster, Ralph was a huge thorn in the side of crime boss Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini. Even after his character was killed off partway through Season 4, his character appeared throughout the rest of the season and his presence continued to loom throughout the remainder of the show’s six-season run.
More recently, Pantoliano reprised his role as Captain Howard for Bad Boys For Life, which opened in theaters back in January. The fan-favorite character returned to put up with the usual bullet-ridden hijinks of stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
He also celebrated another of his beloved roles on Monday when he joined the rest of the cast and crew behind The Goonies for the first installment of the web series Reunited with Josh Gad. Along with actor Robert Davi, Pantoliano played one of the Fratelli brothers, the wiseguys who were trying to thwart the Goonies plan and take One-Eyed Jack’s treasure for themselves. Along with Steven Spielberg, writer Chris Columbus, director Richard Donner and the principal cast, Pantoliano and Davi each popped in as special guests to recall their time on the production.
Pantoliano is slated to appear in a number of upcoming projects, including the comedy Sprink Break ’83, the drama Short Straw and the thriller Hide and Seek. He also recently appeared on an episode of the comedy series Tacoma FD.
