'Sopranos' Actor Bruce MacVittie Dead at 65

Bruce MacVittie, best known for his roles in "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City," has died at age 65.

The actor's wife, Carol Ochs, confirmed the news Thursday to The New York Times, saying MacVittie died in a Manhattan hospital on Saturday. No cause of death was given.

Born Oct. 14, 1956, in Providence, Rhode Island, MacVittie received a BFA from Boston University before moving to New York City in 1979 to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in several off-Broadway productions before making his Broadway debut in 1983, after serving as Al Pacino's understudy, in "American Buffalo." MacVittie performed the role on a national tour and in the West End of London.

"Bruce carried this currency, especially for young actors then, like me, that he'd worked on stage with Pacino," recalled the actor Bobby Cannavale to the Times. "The fact that he'd elevated to that role as a 'cover' made it even more heroic."

Over the next few decades, MacVittie would make dozens of appearances that included guest roles in shows such as "Miami Vice," "Sex and the City," "Oz," "Blue Bloods," "Chicago Med," as well as recurring roles in the "Law & Order" franchise and films including "Stonewall," "Hannibal" and "Brooklyn's Finest."

MacVittie's most widely recognized role was as Danny Scalercio on "The Sopranos," and more recently as Detective Hartigan in the Emmy Award-winning Netflix limited series "When They See Us."

"I loved Bruce MacVittie," Pacino told the Times. "His performances were always glistening and crackling; a heart and a joy to watch. He was the embodiment of the struggling actor in New York City, and he made it work. We will miss him."

Evan Handler, who starred in "Sex and the City," also paid tribute to his former co-star.

"I met Bruce MacVittie more than forty years ago. We worked and played together repeatedly, as actors, and as friends, throughout the ensuing decades," he wrote in a Twitter thread. Handler remembered how MacVittie stood by his side as he fought a life-threatening illness in the 1980s.

"The hrs he spent at my bedside throughout my life-threatening illness in '85-'89, the months he spent caring for ill & dying friends throughout '21, & the unflinching presence he granted anyone in need, no matter how dire or terrifying their circumstances," he recalled. "Please let your friends know you love them, and let them know you're as available as Bruce always was."