Quintina Blundetto: Last News

confirmed the news of her passing in a statement to People.Born in 1926 in Brooklyn, NY as Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo, Allen got her start on Broadway after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947.The thespian earned her first of three Tony nominations for Best Featured Actress for playing nosy reporter Gloria Thorpe in the 1955 stage musical “Damn Yankees,” a role she would reprise in the 1958 movie of the same name.The veteran performer received a second nod in the same award category for “Traveler Without Luggage” in 1967, and finally took home the coveted statuette in 1971 for “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little.”Perhaps best known for TV roles, Allen appeared in a slew of iconic series from the 1960s, including “The Untouchables,” “Car 54,” “Where Are You?” and “All In the Family,” on which she portrayed Edith Bunker’s cousin Amelia DeKuyper.The Brooklynite continued to have success on the small screen into the 80s, 90s and 2000s with roles in “Soap,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NYPD Blue,” “Reign Over Me” and “Seinfeld.” On the latter, Allen played Mrs. Sokol in Seinfeld’s 1992 episode “The Boyfriend.” She also appeared in “The Sopranos” as Quintina Blundetto, the aunt of Tony Soprano’s cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi).Her last credited TV appearances were in two episodes of “Vampire Mob” in 2011.

The Sopranos and All In The Family star was described by her representative Kyle Fritz to The Hollywood Reporter as “one the most gifted actresses” he’s ever worked with, as he confirmed that she died yesterday (April 6).“She [was] one the most gifted actresses I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I will be forever grateful to have been a part of her incredible journey,” he said.Allen won a Tony Award for best actress in 1971 for And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little, and also appeared in A League Of Their Own, Stargate, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, Grey’s Anatomy, among many other TV series.The actress played Tony Soprano’s aunt, Quintina Blundetto, in the HBO series, who was the mother of Tony’s cousin, Anthony “Tony B” Blundetto (played by Steve Buscemi).News of her death follows that of her Sopranos co-star Paul Herman, who passed away last month.