Pastore wins $50,000 on 'Apprentice'

BETHPAGE , N.Y., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Vincent Pastore won $50,000 for The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research on the TV series "The Celebrity Apprentice."

Pastore, who is best-known for his work on the recently wrapped TV mob drama "The Sopranos," won a challenge on the NBC reality series that pitted two teams against each other to see who could sell the most tickets to a hit Broadway show.

The Lustgarten Foundation said Pastore chose it as his charity out of respect for a close friend, Mitchell Berke, who died last year due to pancreatic cancer.

"Vincent has 'gone to the mattresses' in the fight against this dreaded killer. We are confident his work on 'The Celebrity Apprentice' will drive increased public awareness and giving, which are two of our most valuable weapons in the battle against pancreatic cancer," Kerri Kaplan, the Lustgarten Foundation's executive director, said in a statement.

The Lustgarten Foundation said it has awarded grants totaling more than $18 million in support of pancreatic cancer research.