‘Sopranos’ Actress Rae Allen Dies at 95

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Tony-winning actor Rae Allen, known for playing Quintina Blundetto on HBO‘s The Sopranos, has died. She was 95.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Allen passed away on Wednesday, April 6. Her death was confirmed by her representative Kyle Fritz, who told THR, “I had the pleasure of representing Rae Allen for over 20 years. She [was] one the most gifted actresses I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I will be forever grateful to have been a part of her incredible journey.”

Born Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo on July 23, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, Allen graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947. She began her career on Broadway, first appearing in the George Abbott directed and written Where’s Charley? Allen would go on to star in several more Abbott musicals, including Call Me Madam in 1950 and The Pajama Game in 1954.

Her big break came in Abbott’s Damn Yankees in 1955, the hit musical in which she played nosy reporter Gloria Thorpe. She would earn a Tony nomination for her performance and later reprised the role in the Oscar-nominated screen adaptation. From there, Allen featured in various TV series, such as The Untouchables and Profiles in Courage, before returning to the movies in Arthur Miller’s The Tiger Makes Out and Carl Reiner’s Where’s Poppa?

Allen would continue her TV work throughout the 1980s, landing a role as Judge Betty Small in the daytime soap opera parody, Soap. She also appeared in The Greatest American Hero, Remington Steele, and Lou Grant. Her later appearances included Seinfeld, Head of the Class, and The Sopranos, where she played the sister of Tony Soprano’s mother, Livia.

In more recent years, Allen has had guest roles in series such as NYPD Blue, Grey’s Anatomy, and Joan of Arcadia. Her last on-screen appearance came in 2011 in the comedy series Vampire Mob.

Allen is survived by her nieces Laura and Betty Cosgrove.

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