Liliana Gandolfini is the 11-year-old daughter of The Sopranos star, James Gandolfini. She is but a celebrity child at the moment and has a very promising future because she gets to enjoy part of her father’s wealth.
Liliana lost her iconic father before she turned a year old. Her mother, Deborah Lin, who is a former entertainer, decided to shield her away from the spotlight. She currently lives with her mother in California but still has family in the ‘Big Apple’.
Here are 10 Things to Know about Liliana Gandolfini
1. She is of Mixed Ancestry
The young celebrity child was born and named Liliana Ruth Gandolfini on October 10, 2012. Her birth was announced by her father’s manager who said that she was born in good health and that both she and her mother were doing alright.
She is of mixed ethnicity as her parents are from multiple backgrounds. Her father, James Gandolfini is of Italian-American ancestry while her mother, Deborah Lin has Chinese roots.
2. Her Father is a Renowned Actor in Hollywood
James Gandolfini has been referred to as one of the most decorated TV and Film actors in America. His most notable role is as Tony Soprano in the HBO series, The Sopranos. He was featured in the series for 8 years beginning in 1999 to 2007.
However, James’ debut role was in 1992 after taking a series of courses in acting. He was cast in a Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ drama A Streetcar Named Desire.
From his many years of acting, James has won several awards including Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors awards, to name a few.
3. Deborah Lin, Liliana Gandolfini’s Mother, was a Model
She is a celebrity child all right and it’s not just from her father’s status. Liliana’s mother is a former model and actress whose birthplace is traced to Honolulu, Hawaii. She was a great model who later broke into the movie industry.
In 1993, Deborah Lin appeared in the movie Red Shoe Diaries. She was also featured in the movie The Bold and The Beautiful.
4. Liliana Ruth was Born from her Father’s Second Marriage
James’ daughter was born from his second marriage which happened in 2008. His first marriage was to actress Wudarski Marcy which lasted only 3 years, from 1999 to 2002.
A couple of years after the actor got divorced from Marcy, he began a relationship with the mother of his daughter. After dating for about 2 years, the couple got engaged in 2007 and got married a year later.
James Gandolfini married Deborah Lin on August 30, 2008, in Honolulu, Hawaii, his wife’s hometown. 4 years into the marriage, they welcomed their child and the actor’s only daughter into the world.
5. She has an Older Step-brother who Follows her Father’s Footsteps
From the aforementioned first marriage of the legendary The Sopranos actor, he had a son. Michael Gandolfini is the first son and child of James and Wudarski who was born on May 10, 1999.
Michael is currently 25 years old and has followed in his father’s footsteps. He is an actor and a producer just like his father.
Initially, James did not want his son to be an entertainer like he was. In fact, he encouraged Michael to be more active in sports and take them seriously. However, fate took a different turn and the boy decided to walk in his father’s shoes.
Michael was opportune to play the younger version of his father in the prequel of The Sopranos titled The Many Saints of Newark.
His family and stepmother were very proud of his achievement in this role.
6. Liliana Gandolfini’s Father Died During a Vacation with her Step-brother
The 11-year-old celebrity child, unfortunately, did not get to know her father well enough. When she was but 9 months old, the actor, James Gandolfini passed away while on vacation in Rome.
He was on a vacation with his first child, Michael, when the unfortunate incident happened. It was reported that the father and son returned from having a meal together and were in their hotel room when James passed out.
Michael who had just graduated from junior high school found his father lying on the floor and called for help. The hotel workers tried to resuscitate the actor but all efforts proved abortive and so they had to call for an ambulance.
Although James Gandolfini was still alive when they got to the hospital, he died a few minutes later.
His death was announced on June 9, 2013, at 10 pm and an autopsy revealed that he died of a heart attack.
7. Liliana Gandolfini Enjoys Her Father’s Wealth
At the time of his death, James Gandolfini was worth $70 million which he shared amongst his family and close friends. It was stated that the actor made considerable adjustments to his will just a few months after the birth of his daughter.
In his will, James gave 20% of his wealth to his daughter and her mother. Asides from this, he also gave his sisters, Leta and Johanna 30% each of his assets.
His son, nieces, friends, and workers also got something from his wealth.
In addition to the fortune divided, the actor also started a trust, responsible for safeguarding the lands and houses bought in Italy, his home country.
These assets were to be divided amongst his 2 children, Michael and Liliana when they were both 25 years old.
Gandolfini also made it clear that he hoped his children would be able to keep his legacy alive by passing down said properties through generations. The property has been in the family lineage for years as even James inherited it from his ancestors.
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8. Where is she Now?
Liliana Ruth Gandolfini, the celebrity child has been off the radar and under media scrutiny for a long time now. In the wake of her father’s death, the girl and her mother relocated from New York to California.
Despite Deborah’s stint in the entertainment world, she preferred to be away from the public and she took her daughter with her.
Now, it is known that she lives in California with her mother, but that’s just about all the information readily available about James Gandolfini’s daughter.
9. Is James Gandolfini’s Daughter an Actress?
So far, she hasn’t had any known movie credit or stint to her name. However, Lilian might just be like her older step-brother and follow in their late father’s footsteps.
In 2019, the young girl was accompanied by her mother to ‘The Sopranos Convention’. The convention was in honor of her father who died 7 years prior.
Fans and lovers of the series were elated to have seen Liliana and her mother at the convention and they dropped several lovely messages.
Deborah Lin confessed that she was overwhelmed by the show of love. She also hoped that her late husband would continue to be remembered for years to come.
10. Liliana Gandolfini’s Mother May Have a New Man in Her Life
In 2020, Liliana and her mother were seen running errands in California. This, asides from their appearance at the convention a year ago, was the first time they were making a public appearance.
Something else stood out for the media this time, though. An unknown man accompanied the mother and daughter and he is believed to be Deborah’s new love interest. The cherry on top of this speculation was the fact that James Gandolfini’s widowed wife wore matching black shirts with said man.
