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Charley Scalies, who starred in the second season of The Wire and also appeared on The Sopranos, died May 1 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 84.
Scalies died in a nursing facility in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, his daughter Anne Marie Scalies confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, a public obituary for the actor states. “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.”
Scalies played dockworker and union member Thomas “Horseface” Pakusa in The Wire’s second season, appearing in all 12 episodes in 2003. He returned to HBO for the fifth season of Sopranos, where he portrayed Coach Molinaro in “The Test Dream.” He starred opposite James Gandolfini’s Tony in a dream sequence located in a school locker room, where they confront one another over the past and Tony’s squandering his potential as a youth in favor of turning to crime.
A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, Scalies was born on July 19, 1940 in Philadelphia. In his youth, he entertained patrons of his father’s pool hall, with impressions and telling jokes. After he graduated from St. Joseph’s College, he worked in sales and started his own consulting firm.
In the Nineties, he performed onstage in community theater productions, starring in productions of Guys and Dolls, Chicago, and The Wizard of Oz. He made his big screen debut in 1995 in the James Foley-directed Two Bits starring Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Jerry Barone.
His film credits include parts in 1995’s 12 Monkeys, 1999’s Liberty Heights, and Kevin Smith’s 2004 film,Jersey Girl. Beyond his appearances in The Wire and The Sopranos, he also had guest spots in television shows Homicide: Life on the Street,Law & Order,Law & Order: SVU, andCold Case.
