It's hard to comprehend what modern television would be like without The Sopranos. More specifically, it would be hard to imagine The Sopranos without James Gandolfini. The character actor, aged 51, passed away yesterday afternoon in Rome following a massive heart-attack. He left behind a teenage son and an infant daughter, as well as his second wife and some of the finest acting this generation has ever seen.

Although he is known for his role as Tony Soprano in the hit HBO series, Gandolfini originally began his career on the stage and grew from there. His first well-known role was that of Virgil in Tony Scott's True Romance. Playing a violent gangster with little or no remorse, Gandolfini would continue to play bit-parts, often as gangsters, until he was cast in HBO's The Sopranos.

For some of this generation, it's hard to remember what TV looked like before The Sopranos. Never had a show with this level of depth, production value and quality writing had been attempted. His characterisation of Tony Soprano was incredible. Watching back over the series, you're likely to never see a character so fully realised and fleshed-out as Tony Soprano. This was down to Gandolfini's ability to live and breathe in that character. His physical presence on-screen was terrifying when it needed to be, loving when it was called for. Fans of the show will note that Gandolfini's absence was always felt in lesser episodes.

What was interesting about his role in The Sopranos was that for all of Tony Soprano's terrible fault and crimes, you still felt a certain grudging respect and, in some cases, pity. As well as this, was Gandolfini's ability to portray such vulnerability. No other actor, with his impressive frame, could convincingly seem as broken and damaged as Tony Soprano did. The Sopranos ran for six seasons and earned Gandolfini three Emmys for Best Actor. The show is now a benchmark for quality TV series and the character of Tony Soprano is now a icon.

After The Sopranos ended, Gandolfini moved into feature roles. His role in Armando Lanucci's hilarious political comedy, In The Loop, was short but noticeable. Anyone who's seen the film will specifically remember the 'Squirter' scene with Peter Capaldi's character, Malcolm Tucker. Outside of acting, Gandolfini was also involved in producing two documentaries for HBO. The first, Alive Day, focused on returning veterans from the Iraqi War whilst the second one, Wartorn, dealt with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on soldiers throughout history.

Those who knew him and had interviewed spoke of his quiet, unassuming nature. For such a big man, he was often referred to as a gentle giant. David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos, called him a 'genius'. Steven Van Zandt, guitarist with the E-Street Band and played Silvio Dante in The Sopranos said he 'lost a brother and a friend'.

Here's some of his best scenes (NSFW).