Nancy Marchand Biography: Prior to her role in the popular series The Sopranos, Nancy Marchand was best remembered for her Emmy award-winning role as Mrs. Pynchon in 1970s TV series, Lou Grant. The veteran theater actress, who was born on June 19, 1928 in Buffalo, New York, had a distinctive career in Broadway and off-Broadway. She died of emphysema on June 18, 2000. Livia Soprano is portrayed by Nancy Marchand on HBO's hit drama series The Sopranos. Livia is the crime family's matriarch, the mother of Tony and Janice. She is forever bitter over her sufferings in life, she was not contented by the efforts of her husband Johnny Boy, and she adapted a suspicious attitude towards her children. She went so far as to order the execution of Tony, but did not succeed with it.