Charley Scalies, the actor known for playing dockworker Thomas “Horseface” Pakusa in The Wire and Coach Molinaro in The Sopranos, died on May 1, 2025, at age 84. The Television Academy lists his birth date as July 19, 1940, and his birthplace as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Who Charley Scalies played in The Wire and The Sopranos
Scalies appeared in the second season of The Wire as Thomas “Horseface” Pakusa, a dockworker and cargo checker who was also a union member. The character belonged to the show’s story of the Baltimore docks and the people whose livelihoods depended on them. The Independent and UPI identify the role.
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Wire, The: The Complete Series (DVD/RPKG) | $27.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Wire, The: Complete Series (Repackage/2018/DVD) | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Wire: The Complete Series | $65.49 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Wire - The Complete Series [DVD/RPKG] | $109.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Wire: The Complete Series | $26.99 | Buy on Amazon |
In The Sopranos, he played Coach Molinaro in the Season 5 episode “The Test Dream,” appearing in a sequence set within Tony Soprano’s dream. The role was brief, but it placed Scalies in another celebrated drama whose characters and performances remain familiar to television audiences.
A later-life move from business to acting
Before his screen career, Scalies worked as a business executive. TheWrap reports that he was Director of Sales and Contracts at Clifton Precision and later established a consulting firm. He also performed in stage productions including Guys and Dolls, Chicago and The Wizard of Oz.
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He began performing in community theater in the early 1990s, according to The Independent. His film debut came in Two Bits (1995), followed by television and film work that included Homicide: Life on the Street, 12 Monkeys, Jersey Girl, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Cold Case. The Television Academy’s biographical record also lists Two Bits, Homicide: Life on the Street, 12 Monkeys and Jersey Girl.
How Scalies remembered his work
Scalies spoke warmly about the chance to leave a record of his performances for his family. “But the thing that really makes me smile is knowing my great grandkids, and beyond, will get to see what Poppi looked and sounded like,” he said in an interview quotation reproduced by TheWrap.
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TheWrap also quoted a family statement describing him as an actor and former business executive whose life combined professional achievement with creative passion, and saying that his favorite audience was always around the dinner table.
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The Independent, citing his obituary, reported that Scalies was survived by his wife, Angeline, five children and four grandchildren.
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- Factory sealed DVD
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- The Wire
- The Complete Series
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