John A. Costelloe was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 best known for his role as Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski, the gay fireman lover of Vito Spatafore

Vito Spatafore

Vito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual...

, in the HBO TV

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 series The Sopranos

The Sopranos

The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

.

Costelloe, a former FDNY

New York City Fire Department

The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...

 firefighter, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on December 16, 2008, at the age of 47. His body was found two days later at his home in Sunset Park

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Sunset Park is a neighborhood in the western section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Greenwood Heights to the north, Borough Park to the east, Bay Ridge to the south, and Upper New York Bay to the west...

, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

. Friends and family were surprised by his death, and at a loss for answers about its cause.

Shortly before his death, Costelloe had been playing a hustler in the hit ensemble play Gang of Seven.

Selected filmography

• Last Exit to Brooklyn
  Last Exit to Brooklyn
  Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby, Jr. The novel has become a cult classic because of its harsh, uncompromising look at lower class Brooklyn in the 1950s and for its brusque, everyman style of prose....
  
  (1989) as Tommy
• Black Rain (1989) as The Kid
• Die Hard 2
  Die Hard 2
  Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
  
  (1990) as Sgt. Oswald Cochrane
• Billy Bathgate
  Billy Bathgate (film)
  Billy Bathgate is a 1991 American crime film directed by Robert Benton, starring Loren Dean as the titular character and Dustin Hoffman as gangster Dutch Schultz. The film co-stars Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, and Bruce Willis. It is based on the novel of the same name by E.L....
  
  (1991) as Lulu
• Who Do I Gotta Kill?
  Who Do I Gotta Kill?
  Who Do I Gotta Kill? is a 1992 film directed by Frank Rainone. It is written by James Lorinz, Tom Klassen, and Frank Rainone.-Cast:*Sandra Bullock as Lori*Sandy Colosimo as Agency Receptionist...
  
  (1992) as Bink-Bink Borelli
• Kazaam
  Kazaam
  Kazaam is a 1996 comedy film directed by Paul M. Glaser and stars Shaquille O'Neal as the title character Kazaam, a genie who appears from a magic boombox to grant a boy three wishes.-Plot:...
  
  (1996) as Travis
• Law & Order
  Law & Order
  Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
  
  (2000) as Colin Parnell (1 episode)
• The Sopranos
  The Sopranos
  The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
  
  (2006) as Jim Witowski (4 episodes)
• Doubt (2008) as Warren Hurley

External links