Nancy Marchand: Where You've Seen The Sopranos Actress Before

As Livia Soprano, Nancy Marchand delighted and appalled The Sopranos viewers in equal measure, but that wasn't the only accomplishment the late actress had in her long and impressive career. Playing The Sopranos character viewers loved to hate, Nancy Marchand left an incredibly realized and oftentimes hilariously frustrating mark on the pop culture psyche with her performance as Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) emotionally manipulative mother, Livia Soprano. Those first two seasons of the show may not have been as successful without her incredible performance to help support it.

Nancy Marchand was born on June 19, 1928, and began her career in theater in the 1950s with her Broadway debut in The Taming of the Shrew. Around the same time, she began appearing on television in shows like Westinghouse Studio and Lux Video Theatre and in movies like The Bachelor Party and Ladybug Ladybug. She earned four Emmys, one Golden Globe, one SAG, and was nominated for a Tony before she passed away on June 18, 2000, from lung cancer at the age of 71. Marchand's career spanned decades and resulted in some truly memorable performances.

The Sopranos (1999-2007)

Livia Soprano (22 Episodes, 1999-2001)

One of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Sopranos needs no introduction. It's a story about a New Jersey-based crime family all viewed through the lens of one rage and sorrow-filled man. Along for the hilarious, shocking, and deeply probing ride is a long ensemble of characters, few of which have left as big an impact as Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand). From her brittle voice to her piercing eyes to her long, frumpy dresses, Livia Soprano is the quintessential angry mother character.

Livia can guilt Tony like no one else and her effects on her son are one of the key reasons behind the struggles he faced later in his life and sought therapy for. Marchand is incredible in the role, inhabiting a character never brought so realistically to life and once she was there, it was as if Livia Soprano had been around for ages.

Lou Grant (1977-1982)

Margaret Jones Pynchon (114 Episodes, 1977-1982)

A spinoff of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant is a drama series starring Ed Asner as the titular Lou, a newspaper editor at the fictional Los Angeles Tribune. He is joined by an ensemble of characters who also work at the paper and, together, they cover local news, delve into serious social issues, and face moral dilemmas in their personal and professional lives. The publisher of the paper is Margaret Jones Pynchon, played by Nancy Marchand.

Nancy Marchand Notable TV Shows & Movies
Movie/TV Show	Role	Years
The Sopranos	Livia Soprano	1999-2001
Lou Grant	Margaret Jones Pynchon	1977-1982
Sabrina	Maude Larrabee	1995
The Naked Gun: From The Files Of The Police Squad!	Mayor Lillian Barkley	1988
Brain Donors	Lillian Oglethorpe	1992

Mrs. Pynchon is a patrician woman and the owner of the paper. She has incredible charm and gravitas and is a little eccentric for it. While she can be a gossip, makes odd requests, and behaves somewhat irreverently, she is also committed to keeping the integrity of the paper. Marchand earned five Emmy nominations and won four nominations for her performance and if The Sopranos had never happened, this would be the role she would be best known for.

Sabrina (1995)

Maude Larrabee

Sabrina is a remake of the Billy Wilder movie from 1954, which itself is based on the 1953 play Sabrina Fair. Starring Harrison Ford as Linus Larrabee, Greg Kinnears as David Larrabee, and Julia Ormond as Sabrina Fairchild, Sabrina follows the titular woman who was constantly looked over by the wealthy David when she was young. After returning from an internship in Paris, David sees she's grown up and into her looks, now a fashionable socialite. However, it's David's older, well-known grump of a brother who Sabrina falls for.

In the 1954 film, Humphrey Bogart plays Linus, Audrey Hepburn plays Sabrina, and Nella Walker plays Maude.

Nancy Marchand appears in the main cast of Sabrina as Maude Larrabee, David and Linus' mother, who helps run the Larrabee Corporation alongside Linus. Her most important moment comes toward the end of the film when she encourages her son to chase after Sabrina. She exudes a warmth and kindness that The Sopranos fans may find quite shocking.

The Naked Gun: From The Files Of The Police Squad! (1988)

Mayor Lillian Barkley

The Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad!, often simply called The Naked Gun, is a crime comedy film by David Zucker starring Leslie Nielsen as police lieutenant Frank Drebin, a bumbling detective who uncovers a conspiracy to mind control people and force them to assassinate targets. The Naked Gun is based on the character Nielsen played in the TV series Police Squad! and it's as ridiculously funny as that TV show.

Though she isn't a major character in the movie, she still has some choice scenes, including one during a press conference where Drebin accidentally takes his microphone into the bathroom with him.

Nancy Marchand plays Mayor Lillian Barkley of Los Angeles. Though she isn't a major character in the movie, she still has some choice scenes, including one during a press conference where Drebin accidentally takes his microphone into the bathroom with him. The mayor does her best to keep the conference going, but Drebin's extended urinal break is too much for her. It wouldn't be nearly as funny a scene without Marchand's cross-eyed confusion and embarrassment.

Brain Donors (1992)

Lillian Oglethorpe

Loosely based on the Marx Brothers movies, Brain Donors is a slapstick comedy film that brings vaudeville-style gags to the modern era. When a wealthy tycoon passes away, his widow, Lillian Oglethorpe (Nancy Marchand), opens a ballet company in his name. An attorney, Roland T. Flakfizer (John Turturro), and his two associates, Rocco (Mel Smith) and Jacques (Bob Nelson), set out to take control of the ballet company and wrest control of it away from another interested attorney, Edmund Lazlo (John Savident).

Lillian is not a major part of Brain Donors, but she does appear in some key scenes, such as when Flakfizer attempts to woo her. Marchand is completely game for whatever hijinks director Dennis Dugan has in store. She was a fearless actress and seemed at home in even the most ridiculous of situations, bringing a gravitas to the silliest sequences.

Nancy Marchand's Other Roles

Marchand Appeared In 70 Movies And TV Shows Across Her Career

Beyond her most recognizable roles, Nancy Marchand filled up her portfolio with small parts in both movies and television. On TV, she appeared in Coach as Merlene Watkins, The Adams Chronicles as Mrs. Smith, Cheers as Hester Crane, and Law & Order as Mrs. Barbara Ryder. Her other movie roles include Judge Kits Van Heynigan in Dear God, Madame Abbesse in Jefferson in Paris, Roberta Winnaker in From the Hip, and Mrs. Burrage in The Bostonians.

Nancy Marchand was always a consummate professional, who worked steadily throughout her career, and if she is to be best known for The Sopranos, so be it, because it's one of the greatest TV performances of all time.

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