Paul Herman, Actor Who Played ‘Beansie’ on ‘The Sopranos,’ Dies at 76
Paul Herman, an actor known for appearances in mob movies as well as “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 76.
“Sopranos” costar Michael Imperioli announced Herman’s death Tuesday on Instagram.
“Our friend and colleague Paul Herman has passed away,” Imperioli wrote. “Paulie was just a great dude. A first class storyteller and raconteur and one hell of an actor. ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Once Upon a Time in America,’ ‘The Irishman’ and of course ‘The Sopranos’ are some highlights.
“Paulie lived around the corner from me the last few years and I am glad we got to spend some time together before he left us. I’ll miss him,” Imperioli continued. “Lots of love to his family, friends and our community of actors and filmmakers.”
Herman’s career took off after he appeared in “Dear Mr. Wonderful” (1982) starring Joe Pesci. Herman would go on to roles in a long-list of films, including “The Pope of Greenwich Village,” “The Cotton Club,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “The Color of Money,“ “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Irishman.” His television appearances included “Miami Vice,” “Spencer For Hire,” “The Equalizer” HBO’s “Entourage” and of course, “The Sopranos.”
Herman first appeared on “The Sopranos” in 2000 as recurring character Peter ‘Beansie’ Gaeta, club owner and former drug dealer. Gaeta was a friend and associate of DiMeo crime family capo Richie Aprile (David Proval), who — fresh out of jail — attacked Beansie with a pot of hot coffee and then ran him over with a car. Since that incident, Beansie was a paraplegic.
In “Entourage,” Herman played the recurring role of Marvin, accountant for Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier).
Friends and co-stars joined Imperioli in paying tribute to Herman on social media.