Well-known for his pivotal role in the popular HBO series The Sopranos, it will probably come as no surprise to many that some of Pastore's earliest roles were in such films as the Italian wedding comedy True Love (1989) and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.

Born in 1946, Pastore was a well-known nightclub manager in New York for 20 years before friends Kevin and Matt Dillonconvinced him to consider a career in acting. Soon taking acting lessons and turning up in community theater productions, Pastore made his feature debut in the heavy metal horror fiasco Black Roses before gaining ground on the familiar roles that would follow him through to his breakthrough success on The Sopranos. Along the way to that success, Pastore would turn up in numerous popular films including Awakenings (1990), Carlito's Way (1993), and the 1997 television miniseries The Last Don.

Pastore lost 29 lbs on the fourth season of the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club which ran from August 6 to October 1, 2006. On February 20, 2007, the Abctelevision network announced that Pastore would participate in the fourth season of the American version of the competitive dance series Dancing with the Stars. Pastore withdrew from the competition after only one week, however, after finding the necessary training and preparation too physically demanding. John Ratzenbergertook his place in the competition.

Pastore hosts The Wiseguy Show on Sirius Satellite Radio (Raw Dog, channel 104), described as a "weekly three-hour celebration of Italian-American culture." It currently airs on Wednesdays from 6pm-9pm.

Pastore is divorced, having previously been married to Nancy Berke. He became friends with Berke's subsequent husband, Mitchell, and donated the winnings from his stint on the Apprentice to a charity in his name.He still lives on City Island in the Bronx.