An unlikely leading man and even more unlikely sex symbol, balding, bear-like James Gandolfini was touted as both after his star-making portrayal of mobster Tony Soprano, a family man (in both senses) undergoing a mid-life crisis in the hit HBO drama "The Sopranos" (1999-2007). Although he came to an acting career late in life, he was already a well-respected character player – one whom the audience perhaps recognized by sight if not by name – when he read the script for "The Sopranos.” Sensing the quality of the writing and responding to the well-drawn character, Gandolfini was firmly