Born in Brooklyn to an Italian-American family, Sirico had a tumultuous early life marked by multiple arrests and periods of imprisonment for crimes including robbery, assault, and extortion.

Aside from his film career, Sirico made notable contributions to television and animation, voicing characters in The Fairly OddParents.

Sirico's life off-screen was marked by his service in the United States Army, and his philanthropic efforts, including USO visits to Southwest Asia.

[7] Sirico was convicted of several crimes and was arrested 28 times, including for disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery, before taking up acting.

[14] Sirico played gangsters in a number of films, and made-for-TV films, including Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, Innocent Blood, Bullets over Broadway, The Pick-up Artist, Gotti, Witness to the Mob, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, Cop Land, Turn of Faith, Hello Again, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Wonder Wheel.

[5] Sirico's most acclaimed acting job was that of Paulie Gualtieri in David Chase's Emmy award-winning drama The Sopranos.

David Chase instead offered him the role of Paulie Gualtieri; Sirico agreed under the condition that his character "would not become a rat".

[21] Sirico's funeral mass was held at the Basilica of Regina Pacis, and he was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.