As soft-hearted mob foot soldier Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri on the acclaimed HBO series, “The Sopranos,” Steven R. Schirripa may have found his true calling as an actor through unusual circumstances, but his larger-than-life personality and undeniable natural skills assured him a home in his current profession. Born Sept. 3, 1958 in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood, the 6’1” Schirripa earned his education at Brooklyn College before making a living as entertainment director for the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas – a job that, in some ways, would foreshadow his future roles. His interaction with comedians who performed on stage and who also filmed various cable specials while in Vegas, led to him taking on small, often uncredited on screen roles. His interest piqued, Schirripa began auditioning for film and television roles, and within a relatively short period, managed to rack up a considerable amount of credits for an unseasoned performer. Granted, Schirripa landed a good many roles due to his size and heritage(in light of his later “Sopranos” success, Schirripa was once turned down for a TV commercial for The Olive Garden restaurant chain because he appeared “too Italian” for the Italian-themed company), but he took something away from each gig, no matter the size of the part. Some of these included an uncredited role as “Man at Bar” in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” (1995), a “goon” in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998), and “Beefy Jerk #2” in “Detroit Rock City” (1999). Thankfully, the mood was occasionally lightened by making supporting appearances on "The King of Queens" (CBS, 1998- ), "Chicago Hope” (CBS, 1994-2000), and “Angel” (Fox, 1999-2004). In the meantime, the cautious actor continued to work at the Riviera. While back in his native New York for a wedding, Schirripa auditioned for “The Sopranos,” and landed the role of Bobby 'Bacala' Baccalieri in 2000. Initially a comic foil for Tony Soprano(James Gandolfini and his crew, the show’s creators tapped into Schirripa’s inherently likable qualities and built Bobby into the most loyal and sensitive member of the Soprano crew – a man unafraid of getting his hands dirty but who was also a gentle soul, easily wounded by words. His Bobby sought nothing more than approval from Tony and especially Junior Soprano (Dominic Chianese), for whom he served as right hand man and wet nurse. Toward the end of the series’ run, Bobby suffered some immeasurable losses – first his father, Robert Sr. (Burt Young), and then his beloved wife, Karen. The shattered mobster fell into the clutches of Tony’s sister Janet (Aida Turturro), eventually marrying her, much to Tony’s consternation. In all of these occurrences, Schrippa essayed the role of a gentle giant with considerable skill and subtlety. While he maintained his role on “The Sopranos,” Schirripa also made numerous film appearances and gained status as a favored guest on television talk shows. His movies included “Joe Dirt” (2001); “High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story” (2003), opposite his “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli “Duane Hopwood,” and the short, “What Are the Odds” (2004), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor award at the New York Independent Film Festival. He also appeared with a number of his “Sopranos” castmates in the comedy “Johnny Slade’s Greatest Hits,” written by John Fiore, who played Gigi Cestone in the series. On TV, Schirripa’s credits included more substantial roles, such as on a two-part episode of “Enterprise” (UPN, 2001-05), “Ed” (NBC, 2000-04), “Law and Order” (NBC, 1990-), and “Joey” (NBC, 2004-). He has also served as host for the Spike TV series “Casino Cinema” (2004) and the Discovery Channel miniseries, “Mob Story” (2004). Not content to just act, Schirripa also contributed humorous film reviews to “The Showbiz Show with David Spade” (Comedy Central, 2005-), and has served as special correspondent on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (NBC, 1992). And if he was not busy enough, Schirripa authored three books, including the best-selling “Goomba’s Guide to Life,” and a children’s book, “Nicky Deuce.”