James Gandolfini 'digs out snowbound driver'

James Gandolfini has helped a snowbound motorist free his car from a New York City street.

The former Sopranos star shovelled snow away from the vehicle which was trapped on Bedford Street in the largely unplowed West Village neighbourhood, reports the New York Post.

After helping to free the driver, he then entered a nearby bar to get change for a $100 bill to give to others who had helped complete the job, impressing the establishment's owner with his generosity.

"Bedford Street didn't get plowed until late Monday night, and the whole street was a three-foot drift of snow. Somebody driving down the street got stuck in their car around 8pm - and the next minute, James Gandolfini appeared from another car behind and offered to help out," owner of Daddy-O restaurant Phil Casaceli told the publication.

"It took him 45 minutes to get the car unstuck. Some offered to help, and others just watched because you don't often see Tony Soprano digging people out of the snow. It was a real New York moment. Somebody had the luck of the draw, and it was James Gandolfini who came to their rescue."

Casaceli added: "He was a real gentleman."