Actress Suzanne Shepherd, who famously played Karen’s mother in Martin Scorsese’s beloved classic Goodfellas, died on Friday at the age of 89.
Shepherd reportedly died on Friday morning in her home in New York City, which her agent confirmed to Variety.
Shepherd was born on Oct. 31, 1934. She made her acting debut in the 1988 romcom “Mystic Pizza,” starring Julia Roberts, and appeared in such films as “Working Girl,” “Uncle Buck” and “Second Sight” before working on Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.”
On the television side, she guest-starred in “Law & Order,” “Third Watch,” “Ed,” “Blue Bloods,” “Deadline,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
Shepherd’s role in Goodfellas undoubtedly led her to the role of Mary DeAngelis, the mother Carmela Soprano in HBO’s smash hit The Sopranos. She also starred alongside Ellen Burstyn in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream.
“Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd. A force of nature. Actress, teacher,” fellow Sopranos actor Ray Abruzzo wrote on Instagram upon news of her passing.
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Fans of her work remembered her fiercely memorable screen presence on social media.
BREAKING:⚱️ One of the 27 actors who appeared in both ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Sopranos’ has sadly passed away.
— The Sopranos Club (@TheSopranosClub) November 18, 2023
As the mother of the mobster wife, Suzanne Shepherd suited the role perfectly. She played the overbearing Mom of Karen in ‘Goodfellas’ and Carmela in ‘The Sopranos’. More… pic.twitter.com/HZmNEivOqh
Suzanne Shepherd was perfection in The Sopranos pic.twitter.com/NTXZUvqqtl
— 633 Stag Trail Road 🤌 (@pityforyourself) November 19, 2023