The Tragic Death Of Sopranos Star Rae Allen

Veteran actor Rae Allen died April 6 of natural causes at the age of 95, per People. Allen had an expansive film and television resume that included the memorable role as Aunt Quintina Blundetto on "The Sopranos," plus appearances on "Seinfeld," and other hit shows including "Hill Street Blues" and "Remington Steele," per IMBd. Her breakout role was the Tony Award-nominated part of Gloria Thorpe in the musical "Damn Yankees," which she took on again for the film version in 1958. 

Allen continued to make an impact on the screen in the '90s when she appeared as Barbara Shore, Ph.D. in "Stargate," and Ma Keller in "A League of Their Own." When news of the actor's death broke, fans and former co-stars took to social media to pay their respects.

Lori Petty gushed over her "A League of Their Own" co-star on Twitter. "Great artist, dear friend and momma #RaeAllen has gone on home. What a joy of a being! I love you always. I bet you're dancing," Petty wrote. "The Closer" actor Jonathan Del Arco paid tribute with a humorous anecdote about Allen. "I once put my drink down on a coaster while visiting her and noticed it was her Tony! She quipped 'I really gotta get that thing fixed, in the meantime it's useful don't you think?'" he tweeted. Allen's first foray into movies was also filled with funny stories, which she openly shared later in life.

Although Rae Allen's work as Gloria Thorpe in the play "Damn Yankees" earned her acclaim in the theater world, she was ready to branch out and used the exposure as a career stepping stone. "I was dying to get out of the theater then and into the movies. So that was my emergence," Allen said while filming an interview for the 2015 documentary "Tab Hunter Confidential." When "Damn Yankees" was being turned into a movie, Allen was more than suited for the part, but was unfamiliar with the movie-making process. "[Director George Abbott] said to me wear your prettiest dress and go do a screen test. I said, 'What's that?'" Allen recalled.

Producers decided to cast Allen in the film, but she was uncomfortable with the makeup department. "I think what I did was I got there early and they put all this makeup on me," she said filming the "Tab Hunter" documentary. "And I screamed ... 'They're trying to make me look different,'" Allen added. Prior to the "Damn Yankees" movie, Allen was denied a role in another film for a rather funny reason. "They gave my part to somebody who had very large breasts," she recalled.

Not only was Allen a seasoned stage actor, but she was an accomplished theater director as well. Allen continued to direct late into her career, as she helmed the stage production of "Italian American Princess" in 2009, per Broadway World.