As we reel from the shocking, untimely death of James Gandoflini, let’s celebrate his career and how he changed television forever with his brilliant portrayal of mobster Tony Soprano.

The world is still shocked from the passing of James Gandolfini, and the primary reason is for his iconic, brilliant, award-winning performance as Tony Soprano. He became so synonymous with the character that he never quite broke free from it in a larger context (although he kept busy and had several projects in the works at the time of his death).

Which is remarkable really. He played a vicious thug, abusive and cruel…but the reason he remains so beloved and why The Sopranos was recently recognized as the best written show in television history by The Writer’s Guild Of America, is for what else he brought to the character. This was a man who loved his children, who fought for his marriage even as he simultaneously destroyed it. He was also deeply empathetic to animals. He had a soft spot amidst his dark underpinnings.

When David Chase first created The Soprano’s it sounded bland on paper. A mobster going to a therapist brought memories of the weak Crystal/De Niro comedy film Analyze This.

But Chase’s brilliance was building a series that was just as much driven by character as plot. And these characters who would normally be marginalized as ugly Italian stereotypes in any other mob movie or drama, were given layers of complexity and nuance.

And Gandolfini led the charge, using his method acting to create a character so multifaceted and polarizing, that he was the hero and villain all at once. He gave insight into his preparation on an episode of Inside The Actor’s Studio, saying he’d deprive himself of sleep, or walk around with a rock in his show to get his angst in full gear.

It’s that dichotomy within his ultimate anti-hero that changed television forever. Before The Sopranos, TV was for entertainment, but often lacked artistic merit and complexity (Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, The Prisoner, a few of the exceptions).

The Sopranos changed all this. Now having a morally ambiguous lead character is the norm, not the exception. But there would be no Dexter, Breaking Bad, The Shield or any other major cable drama without that first step. Thanks to the show, television is now much richer and fulfilling than modern cinema.

If you want  a watershed moment about what the show represented, and what talent, grace and complexity Gandolfini brought to the role, look no further than the first season episode College. In it, Tony takes his daughter Meadow on a tour of colleges she is considering attending. But on the way, he notices a familiar face at a gas station. Turns out it was a former mobster turned FBI informant, now hiding in the witness protection program.

Tony can’t tolerate a rat, so he forges a plan to kill the man, all the while keeping Meadow on schedule (and in the dark to his dealings).

After he murders the man viciously, Meadow knows something is up, but Gandolfini shows that sweet; smiling mug of his and placates her, even though she knows something isn’t quite right. Eventually she pops the big question; Are you in the mafia?

His reaction (and explanation) is electric to watch. It’s a perfect symbiosis of great writing and acting.

Afterwards he notices a plaque on a university wall, which perfectly encapsulates his character:

No man…can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one may be true.

It was Gandolfini’s great gift that he could play both. His presence was so larger than life, that his death seems unbelievable. Thankfully, we can all celebrate his life by enjoying his body of work, and reappreciate his talents. His death feels just like the last scene in that frustrating, maddening final episode; gone in a flash, leaving us wanting more.

RIP James Gandolfini 1961-2013.

Here’s Amazon links to the complete Sopranos series as well as an AOD streaming episode of College.