Charley Scalies, best known for appearing in The Sopranos and The Wire, has died aged 84.
The actor’s death was announced in an online obituary, which explained how he ‘passed away peacefully after a long battle with Alzheimer’s’ on Thursday, May 1.
The tribute read: ‘[He was] best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. Professionally, Charley Scalies was an American actor and former business executive whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion, and a true joy for life. His favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.’
Born in 1940 in Philadelphia, Scalies most notable roles came in two of HBO’s most critically acclaimed dramas.
In 2003 he appeared in all episodes of the second season of crime drama The Wire, playing Thomas ‘Horseface’ Pakusa, an imprisoned Baltimore longshoreman.
The following year he appeared in an episode of The Sopranos in its fifth season.
In The Test Dream he played Tony’s high school football instructor, Coach Molinaro, who appears in the Mafia boss’ dream and screams at him for throwing away his life to become a criminal.
As his obituary detailed, Scalies grew up over his father’s pool hall in South Philadelphia, ‘entertaining patrons with impressions and jokes from a young age’.
A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, he initially worked as a director of sales and contracts at a company known for precision manufacturing.
In the early 1990s he began performing in community theatre productions, including as Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, Billy Flynn in Chicago, and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
His silver screen debut came in the Al Pacino film Two Bits in 1995.
Throughout his career, Scalies also appeared in other TV shows including Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Cold Case.
He also featured in films including Condition Red, Two Bits, 12 Monkeys, Liberty Heights and Jersey Girl.
He is survived by his wife and ‘the true love and joy of his life’ Angeline M. Scalies, and his five children – Charles Scalies III, Angeline Kogut, Anthony Scalies, Christa Ann Scalise and Anne Marie Scalies.
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