Skip to main content
Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Robert LuPone, who starred as Dr. Bruce Cusamano on The Sopranos, has died. He was 76.
LuPone, who played next-door neighbor to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) in the hit HBO series, died after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his rep told TMZ.
The off-Broadway theater company MCC, which LuPone co-founded, also confirmed his death in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection, and a whole lot of heart,” MCC shared. “We will miss him deeply and always.”
LuPone, the brother of Broadway star Patti LuPone, was born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Juilliard. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1968, the same year he graduated, when he appeared in Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato, according to THR.
While LuPone began his career onstage and studied dance at Juilliard, he also had plenty of screen credits to his name. Over the years, the actor appeared in All My Children, Another World, Guiding Light, Sex and the City and Ally McBeal. His turn in All My Children earned LuPone a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in 1985.
His other credits include Law & Order, Crossing Jordan and Royal Pains, but his most famous TV role came in 1999 with The Sopranos, in which he portrayed Tony’s straight-laced neighbor, Bruce Cusamano, a role he played until 2007.
More recently, LuPone appeared in The Affair, Billions and Odd Mom Out. His final acting credit was in a 2019 episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Lupone is survived by his wife, Virginia; his son, Orlando; as well as his sister, Patti; and his brother, William, according to TMZ.
