Another of NJ's favorite on-screen tough guys is being remembered. Frank Vincent has died after complications during open-heart surgery in New Jersey. The actor already had quite a mob film legacy, before joining The Sopranos as Phil Leotardo. Though his HBO role was rooted 'across the river', Vincent was a NJ guy for most of his life.

Frank Vincent grew up in Jersey City and remained a north Jersey resident until his passing. As Stephen Colbert joked during his Comedy Central days, the actor & author was "so manly that he lives in a town called Nutley."

Long before their infamous Goodfellas scene together, Vincent and fellow NJ native Joe Pesci had a shared passion as working musicians. They even played in a band together before Raging Bull clinched their next career phase as actors.

Vincent admitted in a PROFILES tv interview in 2013, he couldn't have known how iconic his Goodfellas scene would become. But, he quickly learned to capitalize on it, selling enough merchandise to buy 'a new Mercedes'.

Lots of his best film & TV moments are curse-laden and not safe for work. That's a big part of his appeal to many New Jersey fans. We'll always remember Frank Vincent as one of the 'old school' crew, who brought Jersey swagger into homes far and wide.

Proud Jersey Girl Erin Vogt’s first reporting gig involved her Fisher Price tape recorder. As a wife and momma of two kiddies, she firmly believes that life’s too short to drink bad coffee.  A fan of the beach, Dave Grohl and karma, in no particular order.

Follow her on Twitter and on Facebook as ProudJersey.

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