Marcy Wudarski: Meet James Gandolfini’s First Wife

Most people know Marcy Wudarski as the first wife of the legendary James Gandolfini.

Despite his humongous success as a film director, James failed terribly when it came to love.  This was especially true of his first wife, Marcy Wudarski. After their divorce, they had difficulty adjusting to the new setting.

However, when all was said and done, the two remained close friends until James Gandolfini died. They also stayed together to nurture their son, but after Gandolfini died, Marcy went off the limelight. 

People were wondering what she does nowadays and her little-known personal life. Well, here are some things you might not have known about James Gandolfini’s first wife!

Who is Marcy Wudarski?

Marcy Wudarski was born on February 6, 1967, in Hudson. She is the eldest of three children born to her parents.

Her father was an Army Lieutenant while her mother stayed at home to take care of the kids. 

Marcy loved being around people and interacting with them from a young age. She also had a passion for writing and was good at it. 

She had written pieces for the school’s newspaper and even won awards for her writing skills.

After her parents’ death, Marcy Wudarski moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in writing.

She started by working as an assistant for several Hollywood directors, including James Gandolfini. 

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During this time, she met and fell in love with James. They soon got married and had a son, Michael.

The two eventually divorced in 2002 after struggling to adjust to the new surroundings but after his death, Marcy revealed one of the main reasons behind their divorce. It was Gandolfini’s substance abuse.

In 2013, Marcy revealed to GQ magazine that James disappeared from The Sopranos set for almost a week because he was constantly “high”. He was so deep into cocaine and alcohol that production was halted on the blockbuster movie The Mexican.

“James Gandolfini couldn’t handle not being in control.” – she said. He had a very dominant personality and often got into fights with Marcy.

In an interview with The Telegraph, she said: He’s very Sicilian – he has a lot of anger there. I’m more Germanic; I like to talk things out. We had very passionate discussions.

The two also had different parenting styles and found it challenging to agree on anything. 

Marcy was more laid-back, while James wanted their son to have a strict upbringing.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, she said: “James was Sicilian, and he wanted Michael to have a rigorous upbringing. I wanted him to be able to run and play.”

After their divorce, James Gandolfini was awarded full custody of their son. He also paid her $500,000 in child support every year. 

Since then, Marcy Wudarski has kept a low profile and is not very active on social media. 

Marcy Wudarski Now

Today Marcy Wudarski is a film producer and a President at St Michael Films LLC. Out of all her social media profiles, she was/is only active on her Twitter account where mostly shares posts that support her son Michael Gandolfini.

Most recently Marcy praised their son’s role as young Tony Soprano: So proud… – she said.