Actor Charley Scalies With Roles In ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘The Wire’ Dead At Age 84

Actor Charley Scalies, best known for his roles on “The Wire” and “The Sopranos,” died Thursday at the age of 84.

Scalies’ daughter Anne Marie confirmed the star passed away in a nursing facility in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Scalies appeared as Horseface, an imprisoned former IBS Local 1514 longshoreman from the Port of Baltimore on all 12 episodes of the second season of HBO’s “The Wire” in 2003. The actor played Tony Soprano’s high school football coach, Coach Molinaro, appearing in a dream sequence on “The Sopranos.”

‘Sopranos,’ ‘Wire’ actor Charley Scalies — best known as ‘Horseface’ on HBO crime drama — dead at 84 https://t.co/2Q63PTbXug pic.twitter.com/gxZt8XSZRZ

— New York Post (@nypost) May 4, 2025

Scalies’ character reprimanded Tony (James Gandolfini) for ruining his potential by entering the criminal world.

He had a passion for entertainment that was evident in his youth. In a 2015 interview, he recalled how he and a friend performed comedy back in high school and college, but meeting his wife Angeline changed his priorities. He began dabbling on the live stage once again by the early 1990s, becoming a regular in community and dinner theater productions. He played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in “Guys & Dolls,” Billy Flynn in “Chicago” and the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz” with the St. Francis Players of Springfield, Pennsylvania, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Scalies continued developing his acting career by accepting bit parts in the 1995 films “Condition Red,” “Two Bits” — starring Al Pacino — and “12 Monkeys”. He went on to play a police officer on two episodes of NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” in 1996.

Charley Scalies — a character actor who played tough-talking characters on two of the greatest shows ever — has died 💔

Read more: https://t.co/xK4YFpgbt4 pic.twitter.com/j5ljXNk2TO

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 5, 2025

Other notable credits included “Liberty Heights,” “Jersey Girl” and guest spots on “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Cold Case.”

Scalies is survived by his wife of 62 years, Angeline; their children, Chuck, Angeline, Tony, Christa and Anne Marie; and his grandchildren, Charles IV, Christopher, Domenic and Amelia.

Instead of flowers, the family has asked in his obituary that donations be provided on his behalf to the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Donations can also be sent to the PCS Theater in in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (RELATED: Actress Ruth Buzzi Dead At 88)

In a touching tribute, the Scalies’ family wrote that, “His favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.”