Gay ‘Sopranos’ mobster finds a bit of fame

It’s also allowed Gannascoli to buy his house (“which coming from a rent-controlled apartment all my life was a huge step up”), get his novel published (“A Meal to Die For,” loosely based on his life in the restaurant business) and develop a signature line of food (olive oil, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, salsa and wine).

“While I’m not going to be cheffing anymore, I’m going to be still involved in food. Which is one of my passions.”

He considered becoming a lawyer like his older brother but dropped out of St. John’s University after two years. He did well the first year but by his second year, “I had a huge Quaalude business” that sidetracked him. (“I was hustlin’, you know.”)

He then bounced around, working at various New York restaurants and becoming a “self-taught” kitchen magician. He even headed to New Orleans and learned Cajun cooking in the ’80s.

He owned all or part of a few restaurants over the years, but disliked the “day-to-day machinations” of keeping it going.

It was during one of his numerous food-service jobs when acting felt like the dish of the day. A waiter-friend (who, like so many in New York, also was an aspiring actor) urged him to audition for a play. He got the role and started taking acting lessons.

But he soon found himself pushing an ice-cream cart on Wall Street before eventually opening another eatery. He got burnt out from working 9 a.m. to 2 at night and started gambling heavily.

On the last day of the 1990 pro football regular season he was in a hole. Like any desperate gambler, he tried to win it back fast.

“Cody Carlson is responsible for my acting,” Gannascoli joked, able to laugh about it now.

The backup Houston Oilers quarterback started in place of injured Hall of Famer Warren Moon and had a great game against betting favorite Pittsburgh. The Steelers lost, and Gannascoli was out $60,000.

Gannascoli paid off his debts with equity from his restaurant, thus avoiding a real-life leg-breaking — or worse — and then decided to head to L.A.

On the West Coast, he met Benicio Del Toro, which led to an audition and small role in the 1993 feature “Money for Nothing” — and a meeting with Georgianne Walken (Christopher Walken’s wife) and Sheila Jaffe.

Both Jaffe and Walken are casting directors who’ve chosen actors for roles in scores of films and TV shows — including “The Sopranos.”

Gannascoli underwent hip-replacement surgery last week and hopes the increased mobility will help him exercise and lose more weight. But while controlling his Falstaffian appetites, he’d loved to develop a hybrid cooking/sports show. He’d have a famous athlete as a guest and they’d cook up one of star’s favorite dishes while talking about his career and showing clips.

He’d like to call it “Food Bowl.”

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