fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
The Many Saints of Newark
''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...
.''
Main characters
Cast table
Main character biographies
Tony Soprano
Jennifer Melfi
Carmela Soprano
Christopher Moltisanti
Corrado "Junior" Soprano
Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero
Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero is played by
Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
, and was once a close friend to Tony's uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano. In the tie-in video game it is revealed he has an illegitimate son named Joey LaRocca. Samson Moeakiola portrays a young Bonpensiero in the 2021 prequel film, ''
The Many Saints of Newark
''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...
''.
The son of Lino Bonpensiero, Salvatore Bonpensiero started out as a
cat burglar
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murde ...
, and was affectionately known as Pussy, in reference to those talents. He was called "Big Pussy" to distinguish from Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malenga. Sal had a wife Angie and three children. He operated an auto body shop with his brother Edward "Duke" Bonpensiero. Sal was a soldier in the Soprano crew, and he backed "Johnny Boy" Soprano's wishes to have Tony Soprano become capo following Johnny's death in 1986.
In order to put his children through college, he dealt
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...
on the side. Sometime between 1995 and 1998, Sal was caught by the FBI and decided to inform against the Soprano crew in order to avoid the possibility of
life in prison
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
. He was assigned Agent Skip Lipari as his handler. He was revealed as an informant in the episode " Do Not Resuscitate". In flashbacks to 1995, it is shown that Sal was instrumental in organizing a sit-down between high-ranking capo Junior Soprano and acting boss
Jackie Aprile Sr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
He traveled to
Boca Raton
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
to persuade Junior to return to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
and settle a trucking dispute with Aprile. However, Sal was suspiciously late for the sit-down and blamed the health problems of his
comare
A mistress is a woman who is in a relatively long-term sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a different woman.
Description
A mistress is in a long-term relationship with her attached mister, and is often referred to ...
's mother.
In 1998, he was arrested at a card game run by Soprano family capo Jimmy Altieri. He tried to escape but threw his back out and was caught. He was quickly
bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countrie ...
ed out, but was confined to his home due to injury. Dirty cop Vin Makazian told Tony he had a rat in his organization and pointed the finger at Sal. Tony assigned
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
to investigate, and to kill Sal, but only if he explicitly saw proof. At a bathhouse with Paulie, Sal refused to undress, blaming high blood pressure and alleging it would be bad for his back, but implicitly suggesting (to the viewer) it could really be because he was wearing a
wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
.
This raised the crew's suspicions further, especially after Sal then disappeared. Paulie took over his collections, and the crew killed Altieri, taking the heat off Sal, as the crew figured the rat was flushed. Sal resurfaced at Tony's home in 2000, claiming to have been in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
receiving treatment for his bad back from an acupuncturist. He started lying to Agent Lipari, showing reluctance to divulge details. Acquaintance Jimmy Bones, who is later murdered at his home for fear of revelation, spots him with Agent Lipari. Sal and his wife Angie begin having marital issues when he returns. Angie discusses leaving him with Carmela, who dissuades her, so she settles for sleeping in separate bedrooms.
When Tony became acting boss, he made Silvio his
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
, and Paulie a capo, with new addition Furio Giunta on equal footing with Sal despite Sal's years of service. Sal wore a
wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
, but he spent most of the time privately counseling A.J., instead of talking business with the crew. Following
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's shooting by associates Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, Sal resumed his loyal soldier role despite his double life as an informant; he tracked down the escaped Bevilaqua, and shot him to death with Tony. Sal eventually gave Agent Lipari information on Soprano's stolen airline tickets scam, leading to Tony's brief arrest.
Tony eventually accepted his suspicions about Sal after a portentous dream where Sal appeared to him as a talking fish, a clear reference to the Mafia-related saying " sleep with the fishes". To be certain, he searched for evidence in Sal's home and found a
wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
in a cigar box. He then organized a hit on Sal, with Silvio and Paulie, on a boat, with one last toast to the good times, and the three shot him to death, wrapped his body in plastic bags, chains, and weights, and dumped it into the ocean.
Sal would make several appearances in the show after his death in dreams and flashbacks.
Jackie Aprile Sr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
, and was a capo in the DiMeo crime family before being sent to prison for ten years. Richie was previously married and fathered a son, Richie Aprile Jr. Richie returned from prison to a very different family, with Tony Soprano as the boss, whom Richie had known since before Tony had become a
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
. Richie feels he is entitled to more control and a higher ranking position in the family for having paid his dues in prison.
Tony promises to give Richie his due, an offer which Richie immediately rebuffs, saying Tony does not have the authority to do it. Richie's tensions with Tony escalate throughout
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
. One of Richie's first actions as a free man is to confront his old partner Peter "Beansie" Gaeta and try to extort money from Beansie's legitimate business investments. Later, Richie waits for Beansie to approach his car in the parking lot, then rams Beansie with his car, crushing Beansie between the two vehicles. Richie then drives over Beansie's legs as he leaves.
Richie dislikes Tony's protégé
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
because of his violent relationship with Richie's niece, Adriana La Cerva, and warns Christopher of the consequences should he ever hit her again. Christopher's two young associates, Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, learn of Richie's dislike for their boss, and shoot Christopher, hoping to impress Richie. The shooting goes wrong, however, and Christopher survives while Sean is killed. Richie had nothing to do with planning the hit, and when he learns of it, he refuses to help Bevilaqua and chases him off his premises.
Richie and
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. In ''The Sopranos'', Janice is portrayed by Aida Turturro who’s the eldest sibling of the ...
, Tony's sister, used to date in high school. When Richie gets out of prison, he and Janice resume their old relationship and eventually get engaged. Janice frequently encourages Richie to defy Tony, because she wants to be married to the boss. In the end, Richie prepares, with the approval of Tony's
Uncle Junior
Corrado John "Junior" Soprano Jr., portrayed by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character from the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle June", he is the official boss of the DiMeo crime family for most of t ...
, to take over the family as
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
. Richie approaches acting capo Albert "Ally Boy" Barese to ask for his support in his takeover bid, but he declines.
After weighing his options, Junior realizes he is better off with Tony in charge and tips him off about Richie's plans.
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
advises Tony that there is nothing to gain from leaving Richie alive, so Tony instructs Silvio to have Richie killed. However, after returning home one night, Richie gets into an argument with Janice over Richie's son's possible
homosexuality
Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...
. Richie is enraged at the thought of his son being gay, but Janice replies that it would not matter. Furious, Richie punches her in the mouth before settling down for dinner.
Janice leaves the room and returns with a gun pointed at him. Calmly, Richie says, "Get the fuck outta here. I'm in no mood for your..." before she shoots Richie twice, killing him. Distraught, she calls Tony, who has Christopher, and Furio Giunta meet him at Livia's (where Janice, Richie, and Livia reside) to remove Richie's body. They bring his corpse to
Satriale's Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. During the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Soprano, a capo in the DiMeo crime family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling ...
to dismember it while Tony sends Janice off to
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region.
Europea ...
to lie low.
Janice Soprano
Artie Bucco
Arthur "Artie" Bucco Jr. is played by John Ventimiglia. Artie is a
restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...
and chef, and childhood friend of Tony Soprano, attending elementary school together. Artie appears throughout the series, from the first episode to the penultimate episode. He and his wife, Charmaine Bucco, have three children Chiara Bucco, Melissa Bucco, and Arthur "Art" Bucco III. Charmaine is frequently concerned about his attraction to Tony's criminal life and often warns Artie about his occasional attempts at involvement.
Despite Artie and Tony's close friendship, their relationship sees several low points. At the end of season 1, Artie learns from Tony's mother,
Livia
Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14.
Livia was the ...
, that Tony was responsible for the arson at his original restaurant co-owned with his wife, Vesuvio, in
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.
. Tony's
Uncle Junior
Corrado John "Junior" Soprano Jr., portrayed by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character from the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle June", he is the official boss of the DiMeo crime family for most of t ...
had planned to stage a hit at Vesuvio on “Little Pussy" Malanga, despite Tony's repeated requests to move the location of the hit. Tony, knowing that the restaurant's patrons would be permanently chased away if a hit occurred there, set the restaurant ablaze so that the hit would be avoided and Artie could rebuild the restaurant with the payout from his insurance policy.
Artie rebuilds the restaurant renaming it, Nuovo Vesuvio. However, Artie had a strong emotional attachment to the old restaurant, which he inherited from his father, and confronts Tony with a hunting rifle in the parking lot of Satriale's when he finds out that Tony was responsible. Eventually, Artie believes Tony's repeated denials of having been the arsonist. There is a brief tension between the two, but by the end of the season 1 finale, they have made up.
In season 3, Artie becomes infatuated with Adriana. When she quits working as a hostess at his restaurant, he unsuccessfully tries to court her. This causes a rift in his marriage to Charmaine and the two separate. In season 4, Artie is approached by Frenchman Jean-Philippe, the brother of the new hostess at Vesuvio, for a $50,000 short-term loan to distribute
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...
in the US. Artie agrees to lend him the money at high interest. He tries to borrow the money from Ralph, who declines but mentions it to Tony, who reminds Artie of their friendship and insists that he accept the loan from him.
Ten days pass and Jean-Philippe is not answering the phone. Artie goes to his home; Jean-Philippe says plainly that the deal has failed and there is no money. Artie attacks him. Jean-Philippe gets the better of him, rips out his earring, and throws him out. At home, Artie overdoses on alcohol and pills and calls Tony to apologize. Tony deduces that his friend is trying to kill himself and calls 911.
At the hospital, Tony says that Artie can clear his $6,000 tab at Nuovo Vesuvio in lieu of payment. Artie expresses admiration that Tony could intuitively foresee that the deal would go bad and so he would be able to profit from it; this makes Tony furious. Someone rings the bell at Jean-Philippe's apartment. He opens the door: it is Furio.
In the third episode of season 5, Tony learns that Artie has been living in a Motel 6 since the separation from his wife. Tony offers to let Artie stay in his mother's old house, where Tony has been living since his separation from Carmela. Artie accepts, and the old friends reconcile. In season 6, Artie and Charmaine reconcile. There is a growing sense of dissatisfaction amongst Nuovo Vesuvio's diners, culminating in the episode " Luxury Lounge".
Artie has hired another young hostess that he lusts after—Martina, an undocumented Albanian immigrant he has been helping through the U.S. government's immigration process. Soprano crew associate Benny Fazio is a regular fixture at the restaurant's bar, flirting with Martina. The restaurant is losing many customers to the new rival restaurant, Da Giovanni's. Nuovo Vesuvio's finances worsen when
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation specialized in payment card industry, payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Man ...
will not let its customers use its cards there, because several account numbers had been stolen and used to run up charges elsewhere. Artie confronts Martina, who instantly breaks, tearfully admitting to stealing, then passing, the charge card numbers to Benny.
Artie is enraged and storms to Benny's house in the middle of the night. Benny tries to deny his involvement, and Artie starts a brawl, knocking Benny unconscious on his front porch. A furious Benny tells Tony he wants Artie dead, but Tony is able to keep him from doing so. Later, Artie appears to restore his business. Artie had also catered
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's belated
bachelor party
A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...
at Nuovo Vesuvio without coming into confrontation with Benny.
Charmaine Bucco
Charmaine Bucco is played by Kathrine Narducci. Charmaine is the wife of Artie Bucco and a childhood friend of Carmela and Tony Soprano. She co-owns the restaurant Nuovo Vesuvio with her husband. Charmaine runs the front of the house, and Artie is the head chef. Charmaine's education is referenced periodically in the series: in '' The Test Dream'' it is revealed that she is a licensed notary public and in '' Everybody Hurts'' it is revealed that she went to the
Wharton School of Business
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university ...
. She and her husband have three children Chiara Bucco, Melissa Bucco, and Arthur "Art" Bucco III.
In season one, Charmaine and Carmela drift apart. Charmaine resents that Carmela enjoys an affluent lifestyle that is only made possible by her husband's criminal activities. She discourages Artie from associating with Tony because of his criminal lifestyle. When Carmela hires the Buccos to cater a silent auction fundraiser at the Soprano home, Carmela treats Charmaine like a servant. This prompts Charmaine to reveal that she dated and had sex with Tony in high school at the same time he was beginning to date Carmela when she was spending the summer with her parents on Long Beach Island.
Following a series of escalating arguments, Artie and Charmaine separate. Artie moves out of the family home, but the two still reluctantly run the business together. Charmaine ultimately reconciles with Artie in season six.
Ralph Cifaretto
Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto is played by
Joe Pantoliano
Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions.
After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...
. Ralph is not present in season 1 or 2, as he spends a prolonged period of time in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
and lived in
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...
. Ralph first appears as a soldier in the Aprile Crew in the second episode of season 3, " Proshai, Livushka". He is characterized as an excellent earner but also unstable and prone to violence. He returned to New Jersey in 2000, following the disappearance of Richie Aprile. As a high-ranking soldier, he tried to take over the crew despite Tony's reluctance to make him captain, and often referred to it as "my crew". Tony viewed Ralph as obnoxious and insubordinate, so he passed Ralph over for promotion, and made Gigi Cestone captain of the Aprile crew. After Cestone dies of a heart attack, Tony reluctantly installs Ralph as capo.
In the episode "
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
", Ralph is involved with a 20-year-old stripper named Tracee, who becomes pregnant with his child. At the Bing, Tracee insults Ralph in front of his friends and makes fun of his perceived lack of masculinity. He follows her outside, where they argue. Ralph sweet-talks Tracee by telling her of a romantic future with their child which makes her happy, only for Ralph to insult her by telling her if their child is a girl, she should name her "Tracee" because she "is going to become a cock-sucking slob, just like her mother." Tracee spits at him and slaps him in retaliation, and he brutally beats her to death. Tony finds out and strikes him repeatedly. Ralph defends himself by shouting, "I'm a made guy!" Tony justifies his actions by saying that Ralph "disrespected the Bing".
Johnny Sack, a high-ranking member in the Lupertazzi family, once ordered a hit on Cifaretto for making an off-color joke about his wife's obesity, although he later cooled down and called it off. Although unknown to Johnny Sack, his own hit was approved by Tony and Carmine in order to protect the highly valuable Esplanade project to which Ralph's involvement was key. Ralph purchases a prize racehorse from Hesh Rabkin named Pie-O-My.
While Ralph only cares about the horse as a means to make money, Tony becomes emotionally attached to the horse. When Ralph's son Justin is accidentally impaled in the chest with an arrow as part of a game, Ralph is devastated and turns to Father Intintola for guidance. After Pie-O-My dies in a stable fire under questionable circumstances, Tony confronts Ralph over the suspicious timing of the fire with the $200,000 insurance payout, which was used for his son's medical expenses. Ralph denies the accusation, and rebukes and mocks Tony for being emotionally attached to the horse.
A fight ensues in Ralph's kitchen during which Tony beats and strangles Ralph to death. Tony calls Christopher to dispose of the body. Chris dismembers Ralph's body in his bathtub with a meat cleaver, after which he and Tony bury Ralph's severed head, toupee, and hands on a farm inside a bowling bag, and sink the rest of Ralph's remains in a flooded quarry after throwing his body off a cliff into the water below.
Eugene Pontecorvo
Eugene Pontecorvo is played by Robert Funaro. Eugene was a made man in the Aprile Crew. Hesh Rabkin mentions to Soprano family members that Eugene's father committed suicide by inert gas asphyxiation in his vehicle at the age of 52. It is implied he is from
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by ...
. Eugene was introduced on the show as an associate in the Soprano crime family in the episode " Proshai, Livushka". Eugene subsequently becomes a
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
in the following episode " Fortunate Son" along with
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
.
In season six's premiere episode " Members Only", Eugene inherited $2 million from his deceased aunt. He begins developing serious stress with his home life due to his wife pushing him to talk Tony into their retiring to
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
. When Eugene discusses this with Tony, he says he would think about it, but he states Eugene took
an oath
An, AN, aN, or an may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Airlinair (IATA airline code AN)
* Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy
* AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey
* Anime North, a Canadian an ...
indicating that it is unlikely he would approve. He attempts to bribe Tony with David Yurman watches for Tony, Carmela, Meadow and A.J. He again tries to coax Tony by handing him over a share of the inheritance.
Christopher Moltisanti assigns Eugene the task of killing Teddy Spirodakis in Boston who owed Christopher money and failed to pay him. Eugene is reluctant but must follow Christopher's order due to his rank of capo. Chris assures Eugene that he will put in a good word for him to Tony as a favor for doing the hit. Eugene drives to Boston and finds Teddy eating dinner at a fast-food restaurant and shoots him repeatedly in the head. Eugene then walks out calmly.
It is revealed Eugene has been an informant and cooperating witness for the FBI, though it is unclear for how long. After Ray Curto dies of a massive stroke while giving potentially damaging information to Agent Robyn Sanseverino about Tony discussing a murder, the FBI informs Eugene they also refuse his notion to move to Florida, as they need him as a material witness in New Jersey to help build a case against Tony in the wake of Curto's death. Silvio informs Eugene that Tony denied his request to move to Florida. With Tony and the FBI both hindering his family's chance to escape the mafia life, coupled with his stress at home and seeing it as the only way to allow his family to move to Florida, Eugene hangs himself in his basement.
Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri
Furio Giunta
Furio Giunta is played by
Federico Castelluccio
Federico Castelluccio (; ; born April 29, 1964) is an American actor and painter. He is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Born in Naples, Italy, Castelluccio moved with his family to Paterso ...
. Furio is an Italian gangster, referred to as a zip, working for Tony Soprano. Furio first appears in season 2 in " Commendatori" as Tony's contact when visiting Italy who speaks both Italian and English. In Italy, Tony negotiates with the
Neapolitan
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
crime boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...
Annalisa Zucca for Furio to be transferred to New Jersey to work for him as part of an international
car theft
Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported ...
operation deal.
In order to get Furio a visa, Tony initially gets him a job as a
mozzarella
Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...
maker in the Nuovo Vesuvio Restaurant, enticing Artie Bucco with the idea that Tony will pay Furio's salary and he does not have to be on the restaurant's payroll. Furio became one of Tony's most feared enforcers, intimidating and beating up multiple people who owed Tony money, as well as acting as Tony's driver and
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...
. Furio's first assignment was to extract payment from a
massage parlor
A massage parlor (American English) or massage parlour (Canadian/British English) is a place where massage services are provided for a fee. In the 19th century, the term began to be used in English as a euphemism for a brothel.
Context
In 1894 ...
owner whose wife had convinced him to withhold payment. He broke the owner's arm with a
baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...
and shot him in the
kneecap
The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...
—all of which made a positive impression on Tony. In season 3 in "
Amour Fou
"Amour Fou" is the 38th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the 12th of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Frank Renzulli from a story idea by series creator, David Chase. It was directed by Tim Van Patten a ...
", Furio is shot in the leg by Jackie Aprile Jr. while Jackie and his friends Dino Zerilli and Carlo Renzi robbed Ralph Cifaretto's card game in an attempt to gain recognition amongst the crime family.
In season 4 in " Everybody Hurts", a sly Frenchman named Jean-Philippe talks Artie Bucco into temporarily lending him $50,000 for a business venture to distribute
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...
in the US. Artie borrows the money from Tony Soprano, but when Artie goes to Jean-Philippe's apartment to collect the money, he claims he does not have it and does not know when or if he is going to get it. Artie and Jean-Philippe scuffle briefly, but Artie leaves bruised and bloodied. Furio is later tasked with reclaiming Tony's assumed debt from Jean-Philippe.
Furio eventually became infatuated with Tony's wife, Carmela, who shares the same feelings. The two never truly became romantically entwined, which creates significant sexual tension between them. Carmela repeatably found excuses to visit Furio including assisting him in buying and decorating a house and planning a house-warming party. At the house-warming they shared a sexually charged dance, Furio later claims he forgot his sunglasses at the Soprano house, just as a ploy to talk with Carmela.
When Furio's father dies, he returned to Italy for the funeral. He sought the advice of his uncle, another Mafia member, telling him that Italy no longer felt like home and that he was in love with his boss's wife, feeling that they could truly communicate. His uncle made it clear he had to move on or kill his boss. In the season 4 penultimate episode " Eloise", Furio witnesses Tony's infidelity firsthand on a night out at a casino. A helicopter had been arranged to take them home and while Tony was urinating on the tarmac, Furio suddenly grabs him by his jacket and contemplates pushing Tony into the rear rotor blades of the helicopter. "What the fuck you doin'?!" exclaimed Tony in a very inebriated voice. Furio then pulls him away and plays it off by telling Tony "You were standing too close...".
Furio, no longer able to bear the burden that the internal conflict is causing him (that of his feelings conflicting with his honor, as well as his respect for the "family" hierarchy), sells his house and moves back to Italy. Carmela was devastated, and eventually revealed her feelings for him in an argument with Tony, to which Tony replies "If certain people see him, he's a dead man". In season 5, it is said that Tony has men looking for him in Italy. However, it is never stated whether Furio was found.
Johnny Sack
John Sacrimoni, better known as Johnny Sack, is played by Vincent Curatola. Johnny Sack was the longtime
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
and later the
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
of the
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
Scaffolding
Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely use ...
(until he is given a
severance package
A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwillfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:
* Any additional payment base ...
) or
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
social Club, and was a major player in the New York crime family formerly led by Carmine Lupertazzi. Johnny was Carmine's
Underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
for many years, handling political payoffs and bid-rigging for the organization.
He ultimately became boss after Carmine's death. Johnny was also a friend of Tony Soprano. His wife Ginny was obese, and he became violently angry when any remarks were made about her weight. He once ordered a hit on Ralph Cifaretto for making one such off-color joke, although he later cooled down and called it off. Although unknown to Johnny, his own hit was approved by Tony and Carmine to hit Johnny in order to protect the highly valuable Esplanade project to which Ralphie's involvement was key.
Johnny cultivated a friendship with
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, making use of him as a source of information about the Soprano family business. The relationship began when Paulie felt sidelined by Tony over the Esplanade construction project and proved most fruitful when Paulie was imprisoned in 2002 — a time when he felt particularly neglected by his friends. Johnny lied to Paulie — telling him that Carmine held him in high regard and often asked about him. This encouraged Paulie to place more faith in his friendship with Johnny than in the loyalty of his friends in the Soprano crime family.
Through Paulie, Johnny learned about Tony's Frelinghuysen Avenue property windfall and HUD scam — allowing the Lupertazzi crime family to demand a piece of the action because their mutual interests made both projects possible. It was also Paulie who told John about the insult that Ralphie made about his wife. However, after a chance meeting with Carmine, Paulie discovered that Carmine did not even know who he was. Angered by John's deceit, Paulie became one of his biggest detractors.
Following the death of Carmine in 2004, Johnny's crew engaged in a bitter war over the family leadership with Carmine's son, Little Carmine. More violence was threatened upon Soprano's family following the unauthorized murder of Joseph "Joey Peeps" Peparelli, Johnny's protegè, by Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano's cousin, on Little Carmine's behalf. After both New York factions suffered heavy casualties, the conflict was brought to an end with Little Carmine surrendering control of the family. This was followed by a tentative reconciliation with Tony Soprano, who had personally taken the life of Blundetto to bury the hatchet.
The moment was cut short when Johnny was promptly arrested by the FBI after the family's consigliere,
Jimmy Petrille
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
,
turned state's evidence
A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized C ...
. Even while in jail awaiting trial he remained in control of the Lupertazzi family. In the sixth season, Johnny entrusted Phil Leotardo with the role of acting boss while he was in jail. Johnny's brother-in-law
Anthony Infante
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
acted as a back channel for communications to reach him while he was imprisoned. His wife remained supportive, often visiting him in prison. Johnny was portrayed as becoming more selfish while imprisoned — he commonly disregards the problems of others stating that his "situation" should take precedence.
He ordered Phil to maintain a good relationship with Tony and avoid starting a war over any business disputes, particularly the new office park construction project – another shared venture like the Esplanade project. Johnny was granted release from prison to attend his daughter Allegra's wedding. However, he had to cover the cost of U.S. Marshals and
metal detector
A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...
s for the wedding and would have six hours maximum. When the time came for Johnny to leave the wedding he was reluctant to go — he wanted to wait until his daughter and her new groom left. However, the marshals blocked her limousine and dragged Johnny away in handcuffs, causing him to break down in tears. Johnny used Tony to help plan a hit on Rusty Millio. Johnny again reached out to Tony for help, this time with his financial situation. Johnny elected to use his brother-in-law Anthony as a go-between instead of Phil.
Johnny's efforts to maintain control of his family ultimately proved futile. His lawyer, Ron Perse, floated the possibility of cooperating with the FBI, but John was quick to dismiss this. However, as the trial neared, Ron arranged a deal with the government on Johnny's behalf. Facing a massive asset seizure that would have left both him and his beloved wife destitute and a case he could not possibly beat, Johnny pleaded guilty to 47 RICO predicates for a reduced sentence of 15 years and a fine of $4.2 million, effectively ending his position as boss but still leaving Ginny enough money to live comfortably.
As part of the deal, he was also required to give an allocution admitting his involvement in organized crime (although he did not reveal the names of any associates). Members of both the Soprano and Lupertazzi families were angered by his allocution, believing that John should have stood trial before admitting anything regarding
La Cosa Nostra
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its membe ...
. Johnny was now serving 15 years in federal prison and was considered ''
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution.
Diplomacy
Under Article 9 of the ...
'' among his former associates.
During his incarceration, Johnny developed
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...
not long after receiving a grim prognosis from an oncologist at the
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...
. Phil subsequently took over the Lupertazzi family.
Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore is played by Joseph R. Gannascoli. Vito was a soldier in the DiMeo crime family and a
subordinate
A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...
of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore, who was a second cousin to high-ranking member of the Lupertazzi family, Phil Leotardo, with two children, Vito Jr., and Francesca. In the fifth season, it was revealed that Vito was a
closeted homosexual
''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...
. Gannascoli brought the idea to the writers of making his character gay based on the true story of
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as th ...
member Vito Arena, in the 1993 book ''Murder Machine''. Gannascoli has said he saw the character as "a cross between
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is con ...
and
Liberace
Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
."
Although Vito Spatafore was not introduced on ''The Sopranos'' until the season 2 episode "
The Happy Wanderer
"The Happy Wanderer" ("''Der fröhliche Wanderer''" or "''Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann''") is a popular song. The original text was written by Florenz Friedrich Sigismund (1791–1877).Richie Aprile and cousin to Adriana La Cerva and Jackie Aprile Jr., the actor who plays his role, Joseph R. Gannascoli, appeared in the season 1 episode, " The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" as pastry shop patron named "Gino".
Vito is a member of the Aprile crew upon Richie's release from prison and quickly rises through the ranks to capo after the deaths of capos Richie Aprile, Gigi Cestone and Ralph Cifaretto. In the season 3 episode "
Another Toothpick
"Another Toothpick" is the 31st episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the fifth of the show's third season. It was written by Terence Winter and directed by Jack Bender, and originally aired on March 25, 2001.
Starring
* James Ga ...
", Vito's brother, Bryan Spatafore, is violently beaten with a golf club by Salvatore "Mustang Sally" Intile, and put into a coma. Vito is vindictive and demands someone render Sal's comeuppance. Tony Soprano enlists in the help of Bobby Baccalieri's father, Bobby Baccalieri Sr., to perform the hit on Mustang Sally.
In 2001, in the season 3 finale episode " Army of One", after Jackie Aprile Jr. had gone into hiding because he and his friends robbed Ralph Cifaretto's card game to gain notoriety, Tony and Ralph agree that Aprile Jr. be killed. Vito performs his first on-screen murder by shooting Jackie Jr. in the back of the head. In 2002, in the season 4 episode "
Whoever Did This
"Whoever Did This" is the 48th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the ninth of the show's fourth season. Written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on November 10, 2002.
S ...
", Tony kills Cifaretto after he figures that Ralph was responsible for the death of their prized racehorse Pie-O-My for insurance money. Vito is subsequently promoted to capo of the Aprile Crew, as he was second-in-command. In 2004, in the season 5 episode "
Unidentified Black Males
"Unidentified Black Males" is the 61st episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the ninth of the show's fifth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter, and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on May 2, 2004.
...
", Vito was caught in the car of a security guard giving him oral sex early one morning at the Esplanade construction site by Meadow's boyfriend, Finn DeTrolio. Vito intimidates Finn into silence.
By the season 6 premiere " Members Only" in 2006, Vito has lost over 160 pounds to appear in a weight-loss commercial. In the episode " Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request", during the wedding of Johnny Sack's daughter, Allegra, Vito claimed he was not feeling well, and he and his family left the wedding. Back at home, Vito informed his wife he had to "make some collections." Later, that night, while making a collection at a gay bar, two Lupertazzi family associates saw Vito in leather chaps dancing and kissing a man.
Vito attempted to play it off as a joke, but the two men were not convinced. Petrified of the consequences if his homosexuality were made public, Vito went into hiding. He stayed at a bed-and-breakfast in the fictional town of Dartford,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, and tried to pursue a new life away from the Mafia. Under the alias "Vincent," he claimed to be writing a book. He contacted his family only once during a brief phone call. Discussing Vito with Carlo Gervasi, Tony says that Vito is a top earner for the family, and debates letting him come back to the family.
In New Hampshire, Vito develops a relationship with Jim " Johnny Cakes" Witowski who works as a volunteer fireman and as a short-order cook at a diner. Vito introduces himself initially as a sportswriter named Vincent from
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nic ...
and that he's been divorced for a few years. He also attempted to live a heterosexual lifestyle and fathered one daughter with his wife. Vito and Jim soon form an attraction, though the two got into a fistfight outside a bar when Jim tried to kiss Vito and, still in denial about his homosexuality, Vito violently rebuffed him, calling him a fag.
The two soon reconcile after Vito decides to "stop living a lie" and became Jim's live-in lover. The pair enjoyed romantic dinners, motorcycle rides, and picnicking lakeside. Jim gets Vito a job as a contractor working for some of his friends, a job which turns out to be very slow-paced. Ultimately, Vito missed his family and fast-paced lifestyle back in New Jersey too much to stay with Jim. Vito left Jim's house early one morning to return to New Jersey while Jim was still asleep.
While driving back to New Jersey, a drunk Vito crashed his car into a parked vehicle. When he failed to convince the owner to keep the accident from the police, Vito shot and killed the man. Vito returned home and remained conflicted about whether or not to re-initiate contact with his old mafia family. Vito also later calls Jim, but Jim was still angry over the way Vito had left and wanted nothing more to do with him. Vito eventually approached Tony at a mall, while Vito's brother, Bryan, kept watch. Vito claimed that his homosexual behavior had been caused by medication.
Wanting to "buy himself back" into the business, he offered Tony $200,000 and said he would run the family's Atlantic City prostitution and drug businesses. Tony was tempted by the offer but realized this would bring him into open war with the Lupertazzis. Lupertazzi crime family boss Phil Leotardo, who disliked homosexuals, and who is a second cousin of Vito's wife Marie, demanded Vito's death, so Tony quietly arranged for Carlo Gervasi to make a hit on Vito. Meanwhile, Vito is reunited with his family, explaining his absence to his children by claiming that he was an undercover CIA agent hiding out in Afghanistan and warning them not to tell anybody.
That night, Vito returned to his motel room and was ambushed by Phil Leotardo and two of his soldiers, Gerry Torciano and "Fat Dom" Gamiello. Torciano and Gamiello duct-taped Vito's mouth shut and beat him to death with pool cues while Phil Leotardo watched. It was later revealed that Vito was found with a pool cue inserted into his anus, a message that he was killed because of his homosexuality. Phil's unsanctioned murder of Vito proved to be a serious point of contention in his working relationship with Tony. The relationship was further strained when Phil correctly suspected the New Jersey mob of the disappearance of Gamiello, who had been killed by Silvio and Carlo Gervasi after making repeated wisecracks, in the wake of Vito's death, about the sexual orientation of New Jersey mobsters and Carlo in particular.
Phil Leotardo later told Vito's wife, Marie, that her husband was probably killed by two homosexual transients Vito had picked up at a bar. He told Marie that he loved Vito "like a brother-in-law," and suggested that Vito's death was probably for the best because a homosexual man would have made a poor role model for the children. However, a newspaper reported Vito was killed by mobsters after requesting to live an openly gay lifestyle. Vito's children read the story, destroying the illusion of their father being a CIA agent.
A year later Vito's son, Vito Jr. began to go through a rebellious phase in reaction to his father's murder and cruelty from his peers in light of his father's sexual orientation, entering the Goth subculture and performing various acts of vandalism. His mother, Marie, asked Tony Soprano for money so she could relocate her family to Maine, where no one would know them or what happened to Vito. Tony asked Phil Leotardo to intervene, because of his involvement in Vito's death.
Both paid separate visits to Vito Jr. and told him to start acting more like an adult. Vito Jr. continued to act out, eventually to the point of getting expelled from school, so Tony decided to pay for the Spatafores to move. However, after gambling away most of the money he planned to give them, Tony instead paid for Vito Jr. to attend a boot camp for delinquents in
Boise County, Idaho
Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,610. The county seat is historic Idaho City, which is connected through a series of paved and unpaved roads to Low ...
.
Tony Blundetto
Anthony "Tony B" Blundetto is played by
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...
. He is Tony Soprano's maternal cousin who is released from prison at the beginning of the show's fifth season. Upon release, Tony Blundetto begins to pursue a straight, non-criminal life. His second wife Gwen works in the field of actuarial science. However, he is eventually overpowered by the challenges of civilian life and turns back to crime, dragging the DiMeo crime family into the Lupertazzi crime family's power struggle.
Blundetto is introduced in the second episode of season 5, "
Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...
". Born in 1958, he is a cousin of Tony Soprano and
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
. To distinguish between them, they were called "Tony Uncle Johnny" (Soprano) and "Tony Uncle Al" (Blundetto) when they were kids, after their fathers' first names. Blundetto, Soprano, and Moltisanti all grew up and played on a farm owned by their uncle, Pat Blundetto. Tony tells Blundetto that it was he who built the Soprano home in
North Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
.
Growing up, both Tonys were very close and Blundetto told Moltisanti that he loved Soprano like a brother. The two Tonys would often
bully
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an i ...
Moltisanti. Blundetto is the father of Kelli Blundetto, who is Meadow's contemporary and is said to have run away from home, and identical twin boys Justin and Jason Blundetto, whom he fathered by having Tony Soprano smuggle his semen out of prison nine years before, while still incarcerated. In the episode "
Unidentified Black Males
"Unidentified Black Males" is the 61st episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the ninth of the show's fifth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter, and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on May 2, 2004.
...
", it is also revealed that he has a genius-level I.Q. of 158. He sports a large number of crude
prison tattoos
Prison tattooing is the practice of creating and displaying tattoos in a prison environment. Present-day American and Russian prisoners may convey gang membership, code, or hidden meanings for origin or criminal deeds. Lack of proper equipment ...
, on his forearms, biceps, chest, back, and legs including the name of his daughter Kelli and a tattoo representing the Roman god Mercury. Blundetto had a ruthless reputation in his younger years as an enforcer.
In 1986, at age 28, Blundetto was arrested, tried, and incarcerated for almost 17 years for the armed hijacking of a truck that was attached to a larger RICO racketeering trial. Soprano was supposed to go along with his cousin the night of the hijacking but was not able to make it due to a severe panic attack caused by an argument with his mother, during which he passed out and injured his head. Soprano tells Blundetto he was mugged by a group of black men the night of the hijacking and was knocked unconscious. Soprano strongly believes Blundetto holds some ill-will towards him because Blundetto's life and family fell apart during his incarceration while Soprano grows wealthy and has a family. Blundetto denies this ill will, but Tony still harbors enormous guilt.
In 2004, Blundetto is released from Federal Correctional Complex, Allenwood. After Blundetto's
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
, he decides not to return to a life of crime and has the incentive to stay straight and clean. Instead, he initially decides to go into massage therapy. Tony is seemingly disappointed that Blundetto has decided to pursue a legitimate career after he declines Soprano's offer to get started working with the DiMeo crime family in a stolen airbag scheme, but Soprano respects his cousin's decision. Soprano gets his cousin a job working for a laundry company in
Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 18,834.
Rutherford was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 21, 1881, fr ...
owned by a Korean man named Kim. He later goes into business with him in preparing to open a massage parlor and
day spa
A day spa is a business that provides a variety of services for the purpose of improving health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments such as massages and facials. The number of day spas in the US almost doubled in the t ...
in
West Caldwell, New Jersey
West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's po ...
specializing in Shiatsu and Effleurage. Two days before they open, in an arbitrary fit of rage, he beats Kim. Blundetto then meets Soprano to restart work for the crime family under
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
's crew.
Little Carmine's crew simultaneously begins courting Blundetto through his old prison buddy, Angelo Garepe. Female
loan shark
A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law.
Description
Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
Lorraine Calluzzo and her boyfriend/enforcer are killed by Phil Leotardo, his brother Billy and crew member Joey Peeps for siding with Little Carmine during the Lupertazzi power struggle between Carmine and Johnny Sack. In retaliation, Little Carmine loyalists Rusty Millio and Angelo Garepe offer a contract to Blundetto to murder Joey Peeps ("
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
"). Although he is reluctant at first, he later accepts the contract after he decided that he is not moving up fast enough in the Soprano crime family. Blundetto shoots Joey and a prostitute he was seeing inside his car. Soprano later discovers that Blundetto committed the murder and confronts Blundetto, who claims innocence. Although Soprano knows the truth, he tells Johnny Sack that he does not know who the killer was.
In " The Test Dream", Phil and Billy Leotardo kill Angelo in retribution for Peeps' death. This drives Blundetto into a rage, and he tracks down the Leotardo brothers, wounding Phil and killing Billy. By the end of season 5, Tony Soprano is under heavy pressure to deliver his cousin to Johnny Sack (who has taken over his crime family after Little Carmine's abdication), explicitly so he can be tortured and killed by Phil Leotardo. After one of Soprano's associates is badly beaten by Phil, Tony realizes that he is putting everyone in his crime family in jeopardy by protecting his cousin.
Tony is able to track down Blundetto at their uncle Pat Blundetto's farm and kills him with a shotgun in order to prevent his torture at the hands of Phil. He then gives Blundetto's location to Johnny Sack. Later, Phil arrives to find Blundetto already dead and is furious to be deprived of his vengeance. Tony then tells Christopher to bury Blundetto secretly, and in one piece, off the premises. Tony and Johnny reach an accord over Blundetto's demise, although Phil remains unsatisfied.
Rosalie Aprile
Rosalie "Ro" Aprile is played by
Sharon Angela
Sharon Angela is an American film and television actress, screenwriter, and film director. Angela is known for her portrayal of Rosalie Aprile on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Biography
Angela has appeared in several films such as ''Caba ...
. Rosalie is the widow of Jackie Aprile Sr., who died of cancer, and the mother of Jackie Aprile Jr. and Kelli Aprile. She is good friends with mob wives
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
and Gabriella Dante, to whom she offers characteristically frank advice. One year after Jackie Sr.'s death, she started a relationship with mobster Ralph Cifaretto. Ralph encouraged Jackie Jr. as he became more and more involved in the family business, providing him with a gun, accepting payments from him, involving him in making collections, and offering advice. Jackie Jr. tried to make a name for himself by robbing a card game, but the heist went awry.
Tony and Ralph decided that Jackie Jr. had to be killed, unbeknownst to Rosalie. The hit was carried out by Vito Spatafore, but Rosalie and the rest of the family were told that Jackie was killed by black drug dealers. Following her son's death, Rosalie sank into a prolonged period of mourning. Ralph began an affair with
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. In ''The Sopranos'', Janice is portrayed by Aida Turturro who’s the eldest sibling of the ...
, and Ralph soon broke up with Rosalie, claiming he was tired of her constant grief. Rosalie, angered by his selfishness, ordered him out of her home. Rosalie accompanied Carmela on a trip to Paris in the season 6 episode " Cold Stones". While there, she pursued a brief relationship with a much younger Frenchman named Michel.
Patsy Parisi
Pasquale "Patsy" Parisi is played by Dan Grimaldi. Patsy is a soldier in Tony Soprano's crew, and is often seen calculating the group's finances in the Bada Bing or
Satriale's Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. During the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Soprano, a capo in the DiMeo crime family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling ...
offices. He and Burt Gervasi run the North Ward Emergency Merchants Protective Cooperative: an extortion racket hitting storeowners in parts of Newark.
Patsy had an identical twin brother, Phillip "Philly Spoons" Parisi (also played by Dan Grimaldi), who had a hit taken out on him by Tony, and was killed by Soprano soldier Gigi Cestone. Patsy was born March 4, 1950, 11 minutes before his brother Phillip in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
. At the time, Philly was acting capo of Junior Soprano's crew and Patsy was a member. Patsy never had concrete evidence about his brother's murder, but it occurred soon after a brief and bloody war between Junior and Tony, and Philly was known to be talking about Tony's actions.
It was this killing that prompted Tony to move Patsy to keep an eye on him. Patsy took the killing very hard, which brought on a problem with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
. In 2000, a drunken Patsy was observed by
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...
agents outside the Soprano family home leveling a gun at Tony through his window. He reconsidered though, and only urinated in the Sopranos' pool. Patsy also openly vented his feelings of loss to the Soprano crew in front of the men responsible for his brother's death, Gigi and Tony, at a dinner in the back of Satriale's. He eventually put his grief behind him. Patsy still has questionable loyalties.
When Patsy's then capo
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
was imprisoned in 2002, Tony promoted
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
to acting captain over Patsy. Patsy did not take this well, eventually getting into a fight with Christopher. When Paulie was released and promoted to
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
, Christopher was made capo permanently. In the penultimate episode " The Blue Comet", Patsy is nearly killed by two men sent to murder
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
. Patsy manages to hold them off, but Silvio is badly wounded and put into a coma, while Patsy runs into the woods fleeing for his life. Patsy later celebrates his son's engagement to Meadow Soprano with Tony and his family.
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
(portrayed by real-life husband
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...
). They have a daughter, Heather Dante, who played volleyball and soccer with Meadow Soprano. She is close friends with Rosalie Aprile and Carmela Soprano and can often be seen dining out with them, typically at "Nuovo Vesuvio". In 2006, when Tony was shot, Silvio became acting boss of the family. Gabriella was supportive of her husband in this role and ambitious enough to encourage him to consider the possibility of it long-term.
Angie Bonpensiero
Angie Bonpensiero (née Belfiore) is played by Toni Kalem. Angie is married to Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero whom she married in 1976. They have three children, Kevin, Matt, and Terri. Angie was unaware of her husband's status as an FBI informant. His disappearance when he was afraid Tony Soprano became suspicious, and subsequent erratic behavior, created problems for their relationship. When she and her husband were having marital problems, Angie considered both suicide and divorce.
When her husband returned, she was being tested for
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
. At Carmela's urging to stay true to her
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
faith, Angie decided to move into a separate bedroom rather than end their marriage. In 2000, after Tony Soprano confirmed his suspicions by finding tapes in Big Pussy's cigar box, he is killed. Tony continued to compensate Angie in her husband's absence–but she used the money to buy a new car, but still complained to Carmela about her strained finances, prompting Tony to cease her allowance.
Later, Carmela runs into Angie working at a grocery store after having lost contact. Tony later made Angie the manager of Big Pussy's body shop. After a long period of time without talking, she and Carmela decide to end their quarrel and go out to dinner. Shortly after the reconciliation Carmela learns that Angie is putting money out on the street via Patsy Parisi and Benny Fazio for shylocking and they are using their connections to help her with the body shop.
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, ...
. Butch is a high-ranking member of the Lupertazzi crime family, first appearing in the show as a capo and later being promoted to underboss under Phil Leotardo. He attended Little Carmine Lupertazzi's "meeting of minds" to try to resolve a dispute with the Soprano crime family in 2006 after Tony responded to the murder of Vito Spatafore by blowing up a wire room in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn that was owned by Phil.
After the effort failed, DeConcini was vocal in his desire to move against Tony. When Phil refused to consider killing a boss, it was Butch who suggested they move on someone else in Tony's family. When Phil ordered a hit on Faustino "Doc" Santoro to take over the Lupertazzi family, it was Butch who oversaw the assassination behind the wheel of one of the getaway cars. Upon Phil's permanent elevation to boss, Butch was made underboss of the family.
Alongside Albie Cianflone, Butch is one of Phil's primary confidants and advisors. Butch fails to eliminate the Soprano family leadership, and he notices Phil's threatening tone regarding his future due to the failure to find and murder Tony. During a sit-down with Tony and
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, he, along with Albie Cianflone and Little Carmine, agree to end the war against the Soprano family. While Butch will not reveal where Phil is hiding, he gives consent on behalf of the Lupertazzi family for Tony to hunt down and murder Phil, which he does.
Benny Fazio
Benito "Benny" Fazio Jr. is played by Max Casella. Benny is a soldier who began working for the DiMeo crime family with
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
under capo
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, and continued to work for Chris after Chris's elevation to
caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...
. Benny debuted in the third episode of season 3, with his release from jail and renewed association with Christopher. He has a no-show job as a
United Association
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association (UA), is a labor union which represents workers in the plumbing and pipefit ...
plumber. He began working for Christopher just after Christopher became a
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
in 2001.
Later, Jackie Aprile Jr. informed Fazio and Moltisanti of an opportunity to rob a Jewel concert at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
. Benny and Chris committed the robbery and made a clean escape with Jackie driving. In 2002, Benny was awarded one of the "no-work" United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America jobs at the Esplanade construction site. He was assigned the task of killing two would-be assassins contracted by Tony to whack New York City boss Carmine Lupertazzi after the hit was called off. Benny and Petey LaRosa ambushed and killed the hitmen—two black heroin dealers, Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson—who were set up by Christopher Moltisanti.
In late 2004, Benny was seriously beaten by Lupertazzi capo Phil Leotardo. The crisis brought on by Tony Blundetto was reaching a breaking point and Phil severely beat Benny to send a message to Tony. Tony, feeling guilty about Benny's fractured skull, offered to give Benny his button when he recovered, meaning he would become a made man.
Benny is married to Jen Fazio, who is pregnant. However, Benny began an affair with Martina, a new hostess at Nuovo Vesuvio, much to the irritation of the owner and head chef Artie Bucco who had his eye on her. Benny was involved in Chris's
credit card fraud
Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The ...
scheme with Ahmed and Muhammad, using his relationship with Martina to get account numbers from Nuovo Vesuvio customers and sell them on through Soprano crew associate James "Murmur" Zancone. Benny gives Tony a tribute payment.
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation specialized in payment card industry, payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Man ...
investigated Nuovo Vesuvio restaurant's role in the credit card fraud and pulled the restaurant's authority to accept American Express cards. Artie is able to figure out that Martina is the criminal in his staff through her relationship with Benny. Artie then angrily drives to Benny's home to confront him; the ensuing fight sent Benny to the hospital. Benny is set on killing Artie, but Tony intervenes, insisting Benny's parents have their anniversary dinner at Nuovo Vesuvio, and that the two make amends. Artie makes a table-side visit during their meal.
In front of Benny's pregnant wife, Artie makes an innuendo to Benny's extramarital affair with Martina by asking Benny if he wants a "Martina," explaining that it is an Albanian martini (Martina is Albanian) and adding "Well, apparently they go down real easy. Right, Ben?" Enraged, Benny follows Artie to the kitchen and holds his arm in a pot of boiling tomato sauce, burning him badly, and also rams his head into the counter. Benny later attended Chris's belated bachelor party, also at Nuovo Vesuvio and hosted by Artie, but the two refrained from initiating further violence.
Benny helped guard Tony while he was in hiding from Phil Leotardo. Benny and several of Tony's other crew members were checking gas stations to find Phil Leotardo after being tipped off by Agent Harris that Phil was using a payphone at a gas station in the area. In the series finale, Benny is last seen acting as the getaway driver when Walden Belfiore shot Phil Leotardo to death at a gas station in Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Little Paulie Germani
Paul "Little Paulie" Germani is played by
Carl Capotorto
Carl Capotorto (born January 16, 1959) is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Little Paulie Germani on ''The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. Th ...
. Germani is thought to be the nephew (later revealed to actually be a first cousin once removed) and right-hand of Soprano family
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
. Germani is an associate and later soldier in the Moltisanti crew. Germani regularly hangs out with Christopher and accompanies him on debt collections visits. In season 4, Germani was tasked with vandalizing Carmine Lupertazzi's restaurant when Tony and Carmine got into a dispute over the HUD scam.
He was responsible for intimidating Alan Sapinsly after Tony's separation caused him to withdraw from a contract to buy property from Sapinsly. Paulie and Benny used Tony's home entertainment system speakers on his boat to blast
Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
recordings at the Sapinsly home at all hours. In season 5, Little Paulie holds a "no work" job at the Esplanade construction site and accompanied Chris when collecting a loan from writer J.T. Dolan.
Early in Season 4, Germani precipitates the crisis between Tony and Johnny Sack, when he hears Ralph Cifaretto make a joke about the obesity of Johnny Sack's wife, and repeats this joke to Paulie Gualtieri, who relays the news of this to Johnny. In the season 6 episode " Walk like a Man", Little Paulie is badly hurt after being pushed out of a second-story window by Christopher during a feud with Paulie. He suffers six broken vertebrae. He helps in the war with the Lupertazzi crime family, disguising himself as a police officer while searching for Phil Leotardo.
Little Carmine Lupertazzi
Carmine "Little Carmine" Lupertazzi Jr. is played by
Ray Abruzzo
Ray Abruzzo (born August 12, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Little Carmine Lupertazzi in ''The Sopranos'', Detective Michael McGuire in ''The Practice'' (1998-2004), and Tony Giuliano in '' Night Court'' (1989-1991). ...
. Little Carmine is a capo and the son of Carmine Lupertazzi, the leader of one of New York's
Five Families
The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War.
Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gangs ...
. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a member of the Lupertazzi family at an early age. Little Carmine also has interests in several legitimate businesses including nightclubs in
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard.
This area was the ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
and a scaffolding contractor company in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
with control of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in addition to receiving proceeds from illicit activities.
He moved with his wife and daughter to Florida in 2000, along with his criminal operations, and splits time between
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...
and New York. While Little Carmine is initially portrayed as a pretentious, spoiled mobster whose constant
malapropism
A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed t ...
s convey poor intellect, he later assumes an elder-statesmen role, frequently mediating disputes that arise in the Lupertazzi crime family. Little Carmine is introduced in season four when Tony Soprano visits him in Miami to seek his counsel in settling a dispute between Carmine Sr. and Johnny Sack.
In the beginning of season five, Carmine Lupertazzi Sr. has a massive stroke and dies a few days later. Little Carmine immediately comes up to New York from Florida to see his father before he passes, and quickly becomes embroiled in a power struggle with Johnny Sack. Since Little Carmine is the son of the former boss, he has ''de facto'' claim to the throne, much to Johnny's anger as he has been Carmine Sr.'s long-time second in command. Even Tony has no faith in Little Carmine's capacity to run New York, jokingly referring to him as "Brainless the Second". Despite his shortcomings, Little Carmine finds backers in Carmine Sr.'s recently paroled former consigliere, Angelo Garepe, and long-time Lupertazzi Capo Rusty Millio. Angelo and Rusty, along with Rusty's right-hand man Eddie Pietro, pull most of the strings during the war between Johnny Sack and Little Carmine.
However, after a cycle of bloodshed that escalates into war, Little Carmine ultimately finds it difficult to stomach the continuing violence and abdicates. His decision is heavily influenced when the Leotardo brothers assassinate Angelo as retaliation for the death of Joey Peeps. With Little Carmine's capitulation, Johnny Sack becomes the boss of the Lupertazzi crime family. After this, Little Carmine keeps a low profile and is no longer seen as a threat. Johnny is arrested soon after by the FBI, who are acting on information given to them by Johnny's trusted ally and long-time Lupertazzi
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Jimmy Petrille
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
.
With Johnny in federal custody during his federal racketeering trial, Phil Leotardo becomes the acting boss in New York. By season six, Little Carmine is brought in as an investor on
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's movie project, '' Cleaver''. Little Carmine is instrumental in organizing a meeting with Sir
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
to court his interest in the project, but Kingsley eventually passes on the lead role. Little Carmine had helped Kingsley's booking agent out of some trouble he had down in the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
.
Little Carmine continues to get involved in crime family affairs. He tries to help resolve a longstanding feud between the Lupertazzi crime family and the Soprano crime family. After Phil becomes boss, tensions escalate between the two crime families and Little Carmine makes a last effort to resolve it. Phil is less generous in business dealings with the New Jersey family and still harbors anger over Tony's cousin killing Phil's brother Billy.
When the conflict eventually escalates into a war between the two families, Little Carmine and Tony both turn to a neutral party, George Paglieri, to broker a negotiation between Tony and Butch DeConcini, the street boss for Leotardo while he is in hiding. At a sitdown with Little Carmine, Butch,
Albie Cianflone
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
, Tony, and
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, everyone agrees that the war has gone too far and that Phil's decisions have led to negative consequences on both sides. Butch agrees to back off while the Soprano family hunts down Phil.
caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...
of James "Little Jimmy" Altieri's crew after Jimmy was murdered on suspicion of being an FBI informant. He was in charge of obtaining grey-market goods from container ships docking at the Newark ports. He is introduced in season 4. In season 6, Carlo begins to emerge from the background and become a more prominent character. Carlo took over Vito Spatafore's construction business in addition to the ports, after the revelation of Vito's homosexuality and his subsequent downfall.
When Tony decided that Spatafore had to be killed to appease acting New York City boss Phil Leotardo, and
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
asked if the hit should be assigned to anyone in particular, Soprano suggested Carlo for the job. However, Spatafore was beaten to death by Phil Leotardo's men Gerry Torciano and Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamiello before Carlo could act. Carlo later avenged his family's honor by stabbing Fat Dom four times with a large chef's knife for making jokes about Spatafore's murder and implying that Carlo was also homosexual. The killing occurred in the back room of Satriale's pork store, with Silvio taking part. Tony Soprano later discovered them waiting to dispose of the body and was angry because of the murder's possible repercussions.
Carlo took charge of disposing of Gamiello's body and drove to
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
to deposit his head in a storm drain, phoning Silvio to confirm that the last part was safely away and to ask about Tony's plans to blow up Phil's wire room. Carlo's son Jason attends
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, where he is involved in gambling and loansharking. Carlo's cousin, Burt, switched sides during the Lupertazzi/Soprano war and was killed for his disloyalty by Silvio Dante.
In the
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
, Carlo's son was said to be arrested by the FBI for drug dealing. Gervasi failed to show up for a meeting with
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, which worried Tony that he may have been cutting a deal with the police. Tony's attorney confirmed that someone was in fact going to testify before a grand jury and that indictments were forthcoming. In the final scene, Tony told Carmela that Carlo was testifying, confirming that he had turned informant, likely in a deal to keep his son out of jail.
Phil Leotardo
Phil Leotardo is played by actor Frank Vincent. Phil is a high-ranking member of the Lupertazzi crime family and the primary antagonist of the final two seasons of the show. Originally a captain, following the death of the original boss, Carmine Lupertazzi, the imprisonment and death of his successor
Johnny Sacrimoni
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
, and a brief power struggle with would-be boss Faustino "Doc" Santoro, Phil becomes the boss of the family. His inability to forgive the death of his brother at the hands of Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto—even after Blundetto's own murder—forms one of the central conflicts of the series, with Leotardo aiming to kill Tony and cripple his entire organization in revenge. Leotardo had an alleged 27 hits to his credit.
He quickly rejoined the Lupertazzi crime family, of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, once he was released from prison. Phil was married to Patty Leotardo and was a second cousin of Marie Spatafore. Phil bears a resemblance to the last Shah of Iran, leading to Tony Soprano and the DiMeo crime family often referring to him as "The Shah". It is revealed in season six that when Leotardo's grandfather immigrated from Sicily, officials changed their last name at
Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
from Leonardo to Leotardo.
Following Carmine Sr.'s death, a power struggle between two factions ensued. One side was led by Carmine's underboss, Johnny Sack, while the other was ostensibly led by Carmine's only son and Miami capo Little Carmine Lupertazzi. Phil became Johnny's right-hand man during the war and carried out murders in order to weaken Little Carmine's resolve. Phil performed a mock execution of Lorraine Calluzzo, while she was tightly taped and gagged, shooting at her while holding a phone book in the path of the bullet, to persuade her to redirect her payments from Little Carmine to Johnny Sack.
When she failed to comply Phil returned with his younger brother, Billy Leotardo, and Joey Peeps, who killed Lorraine. When Peeps was later killed by Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto, Phil and Billy murdered Angelo Garepe in response. Phil became personally involved in the war when his brother Billy was murdered by Blundetto as revenge for the hit the Leotardo brothers carried out on Angelo, who was Blundetto's close friend. Little Carmine ultimately found it difficult to stomach the continuing violence and abdicates.
After Little Carmine's capitulation, Johnny Sack becomes the boss of the Lupertazzi crime family and Phil becomes his underboss. After this, Little Carmine keeps a low profile and is no longer seen as a threat. Johnny Sack was arrested soon after by the FBI who were acting on information given to them by Johnny's trusted ally and consigliere
Jimmy Petrille
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
. With Johnny in federal custody during his federal racketeering trial, Phil Leotardo became the acting boss in New York.
Soprano initially protected Blundetto against Phil. Phil stalked New Jersey looking for Blundetto, hounding
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's mother Joanne and badly beating Soprano associate Benny Fazio. When it became clear that Tony's men would not allow themselves to be imperiled for no good reason, Tony was forced to act. Tony ultimately murdered his own cousin to save his family and give Blundetto a quick and painless death after Johnny Sack had made it clear that Phil would torture Blundetto if he found him. Phil was angered that his opportunity for vengeance was stolen. At a meeting between the two bosses, Johnny and Tony made peace, but the moment was interrupted by Johnny's arrest by the FBI, while Tony escaped. With Johnny in federal custody, Phil became acting boss of the Lupertazzi family.
Phil worked closely with Tony and Vito Spatafore, the husband of his cousin, on the two family's joint construction efforts. When Vito's homosexuality was publicly revealed in season six, Phil visited Marie to try to find out if she knew where Vito was (he had gone into hiding in New Hampshire). When she pleaded for mercy for her husband, he told her they just wanted to get Vito help. Phil also harassed Tony about his efforts to find Vito.
Vito later returned to New Jersey after he could not adjust to life outside of the mob, and met Tony to offer to buy his way back into the family. Tony refused but did not attempt to harm Vito. Tony had arranged for Carlo Gervasi to execute Vito at the mall early in the morning on the pretense that Vito was supposedly meeting up with Tony, to straighten out the situation, however when Vito returned to his motel, Phil's soldiers Gerry Torciano and Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamielleo ambushed him as he walked through the door.
Phil emerged from the closet, slowly walked up to Vito who was being held by Gerry and Fat Dom, and sits down on the bed. He looks Vito in the eye and says, "You're a fucking disgrace." And with that, Fat Dom and Gerry Torciano proceed to beat Vito to death. Subsequently, with having made his cousin Marie a widow, Phil balks when Tony tries to reach out to him for restitution for Marie and refuses. Phil tells Marie that her husband was probably killed by two homosexual transients Vito had picked up at a bar.
Fat Dom was murdered by an enraged Carlo Gervasi during a visit to Satriale's after making repeated wisecracks, in the wake of Vito's death, about the sexual orientation of New Jersey mobsters. Leotardo, while on a date with his Ukrainian housemaid, approached one of his Brooklyn businesses, only to be blown off of his feet by a bomb planted in the building. After an unsuccessful attempt by Little Carmine Lupertazzi to broker peace between the families, Leotardo and his crew plotted revenge.
Although Phil balked at the idea of killing Tony himself, captain Butch DeConcini seemingly persuaded him to target someone important to the DiMeo family. However, their planning was cut short when Phil suffered a late-night heart attack and was hospitalized during Christmas 2006. Once he recovered, Phil decided to step down as boss to make way for his protégé Gerry Torciano in charge. Yet Phil did not strongly back Torciano as successor, and Lupertazzi underboss Doc Santoro soon made his own bid for power by having Torciano murdered.
After deciding to get back in the game, Phil waited, working under Doc Santoro until the old man's arrogance got too much to handle. As Phil sat down to dinner with Doc to acknowledge him as boss, Doc humiliated Phil by literally taking food from his plate. Knowing that he had broad support, including Tony's, Phil ordered a hit on Santoro. Driven by Butch DeConcini, Phil's crew murdered Santoro and an associate outside a massage parlor, leaving him dead on the sidewalk. After the assassination, Phil was permanently elevated to boss of the Lupertazzi family, with Cianflone cemented as consigliere and DeConcini as underboss.
After Tony viciously beats one of Phil's men, Coco, for threatening his daughter
Meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
, Phil refuses to meet with Tony and then launches a war against the DiMeo family, ordering that New York is to "decapitate" New Jersey and do business with what's left, instructing that hits be made on Tony, Bobby Baccalieri, and
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
. Bobby is killed and Silvio is wounded badly and left in a coma. Tony goes into hiding with the remainder of the family.
In the ''Sopranos''
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
Albie Cianflone
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
arrange a sit down with Tony and Paulie, where they express their dissatisfaction with Phil's leadership and agree to a ceasefire of the war. Butchie says he will not reveal the location of Phil but then says, "You do what you got to do"—this following a recent phone conversation with Butchie and Phil, where Phil implies a threat to Butchie over his inability to find Tony Soprano. Shortly thereafter, the location of Leotardo is made known to Tony by information from Agent Harris in exchange for terrorism information on Ahmed and Muhammad.
Hiding in Oyster Bay, Long Island, Leotardo is shown talking to his wife through a car window at a gas station when he is suddenly shot in the head by Walden Belfiore, a soldier in the Gervasi crew of the DiMeo family. Leaving their grandchildren in her
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...
, Leotardo's wife rushes to Phil's side in a panic. Unattended and still in drive with the engine running, the car idles forward, and a tire rolls over and crushes Phil's head. Leotardo's murder was the 92nd and final death in the series.
Recurring characters
The following is a list of characters that are, or at one time were, recurring guests on the series; they are listed in the order that they first appeared on the show. Many characters have had storylines that have spanned multiple seasons, while the others are restricted to arcs that occurred during a single season of the show.
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015 ...
had been originally set to play Hesh, but due to scheduling issues, Adler was cast quickly. Hesh is a
loan shark
A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law.
Description
Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
and advisor to Tony Soprano; the same role he performed for Tony's father, mob captain Johnny Soprano. Hesh is a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
businessman that made his initial fortune in the recording industry, founding "F-Note Records" during the 1950s and 1960s, bringing many young black musicians to prominence, and receiving
royalties
A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...
by being credited as a co-writer on many songs. He first appeared in "
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
" ("Pilot"). Hesh is thought to be a
composite character
In a work of media adapted from a real or fictional narrative, a composite character is a character based on more than one individual from the story.
Use in film
*Several characters in the movie '' 21''.
*The character Henry Hurt in the docudra ...
, inspired by real life music mogul Morris "Mo" Levy, the founder of
Roulette Records
Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...
with connections to the Mafia, who owned a string of
racehorses
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
.
Hesh first appeared while working with Tony on setting up a scam to defraud HMO medical insurance companies through their debtor, Alex Mahaffey. Hesh accompanied Big Pussy to a waterfall to intimidate Mahaffey into participating. Later, Hesh advised Tony against getting involved with the Teitlemanns, a family of Hasidic Jews, in a dispute over ownership of their hotel. Hesh's predictions of their obstinacy proved correct. Hesh was able to help Tony end a particularly arduous "negotiation" with a threat of
castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharm ...
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
to realize his girlfriend, Adriana La Cerva, had little aptitude for work in the music business. Chris made contact with Hesh on behalf of Massive Genius, a rapper who claimed Hesh owed compensation to the widow of a black musician he allegedly defrauded. Hesh also sold Ralph Cifaretto the ill-fated racehorse, Pie-O-My. In the final season premiere, " Members Only," Hesh and his son-in-law, Eli, were attacked by members of Phil Leotardo's crew. They targeted Eli because they thought he was making collections on their turf without permission, so they set fire to Eli's gas tank to get him and Hesh out of the car, and then set about beating Eli. Eli was then seriously hurt in a hit-and-run accident, while trying to escape the mobsters, and Hesh was punched in the face.
In the episode " Chasing It," Hesh gives Tony a $200,000 bridge loan to help Tony cover a string of gambling losses. Tony fails to repay the loan on time and starts berating Hesh about the vig on the loan, which was $3,000 per week. When Hesh's girlfriend, Renata, dies of a stroke, Tony offers brief, impersonal words of sympathy, repays Hesh's $200k loan, and immediately leaves, seemingly signaling the end of their friendship. This is Hesh's last appearance on the show.
Alex Mahaffey
Alex Mahaffey is played by
Michael Gaston
Michael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent Quinn on the show ''Prison Break'', Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series ''Jericho'', and appeared in the first episode of ''The Sopranos'' as Alex Mahaffey, a compulsive ga ...
. He is a "degenerate gambler" in debt to Tony and Hesh Rabkin, an old Jewish friend of Tony's father, Johnny. Tony concocts a scheme for Mahaffey's company to make insurance claims payable to non-existent clinics in order to pay off his debts. Realizing that he would die if he refused, Mahaffey complies with the fraud.
Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile
Giacomo Michael "Jackie" Aprile is played by
Michael Rispoli
Michael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO television series ''The Sopranos,'' but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile, a recurring character in the show’s first season. Ris ...
. He was born in 1955, and rose through the ranks of the DiMeo Crime Family with his older brother
Richie Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname.
First name
*Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame
*Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Austra ...
and close friend Tony Soprano. Jackie was the brother of Liz La Cerva, and the uncle of Adriana La Cerva. Jackie and Tony, along with
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
and Ralph Cifaretto, belonged to a small crew moving weed and stolen goods. Around this time, Jackie had the idea to rob a card game held by capo Michele "Feech" La Manna in order to make a name for themselves.
Jackie's star rose considerably in the intervening years, during which he started a family. He married Rosalie Aprile, and they had three children together. Jackie never wanted his son Jackie Aprile Jr. to get involved in the mob despite his success. He and Richie appointed Aprile crew associate Peter "Beansie" Gaeta to peddle heroin for them, taking the largest cut for themselves. Aprile was the acting boss of the family from 1995, when boss Ercole DiMeo went to prison, until 1999 when he dies of
stomach cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Ly ...
Al Sapienza
Al Sapienza is an American actor who has had numerous roles in television, stage and film productions. He is best known for his role as Mikey Palmice on the HBO series ''The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television se ...
. Mikey starts out as a
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' deri ...
in Corrado "Junior" Soprano's crew as his driver and bodyguard. After Jackie Aprile Sr. dies, Junior becomes boss. He is a very loyal, obsequious minion to Junior. In Tony's brief and bloody war with Junior's crew, following Junior's attempt on Tony's life,
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
is assigned the hit on Mikey, along with
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
. Chris' friend
Brendan Filone
The Soprano family (originally the DiMeo family) is a fictional Italian-American crime family featured in the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' and the prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark''. Based in New Jersey, the family consists of an administra ...
had previously been killed by Mikey while in his bathtub on orders from Junior in retribution for Brendan stealing his merchandise. Tony decides to confront his uncle and Mikey by beating Mikey to the ground and stapling his jacket to his torso. He then goes to have a sit-down with Junior. Later, in retaliation for the attempted hit on Tony, Mikey is killed in the woods after Chris and Paulie chase him down while he is jogging.
In the episode "From Where to Eternity," when Chris becomes
clinically dead
Clinical death is the medical term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing, the two criteria necessary to sustain the lives of human beings and of many other organisms. It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a conditio ...
for a few minutes after his heart stops while in his comatose state, he has a morphine-induced dream in which he visits Hell and sees his deceased father "Dickie" Moltisanti along with his deceased friend Brendan Filone and Mikey Palmice. Chris informs Tony and Paulie that Mikey had a message for them: "Three o'clock".
Paulie subsequently begins to have nightmares of being dragged to Hell and, at the recommendation of his mistress, he goes to see a medium in Nyack, New York. Much to Paulie's chagrin, the authenticity of the medium is confirmed when he apparently begins communicating with people that Paulie has killed, with Mikey apparently giving details of his murder. Paulie remains unsettled and paranoid, as he feels he is being haunted by Palmice and others he had murdered throughout his criminal life.
Agent Dwight Harris
Agent Dwight Harris is played by Matt Servitto. Harris is an FBI Supervisor Agent-in-Charge specializing in the investigation of the DiMeo crime family with the FBI's Newark Organized Crime Division Task Force. After
September 11
Events Pre-1600
* 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. He approaches Christopher, and eventually Tony, for information on terrorism-related organized crime from his criminal connections at the
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
It includes the system of navigable wate ...
in exchange for banking "goodwill" in possible future RICO trials. In the Season 6 episode "
Kaisha
"Kaisha" is the 77th episode of the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and the 12th episode of the sixth season. It served as the midseason finale to the first part of Season 6, which HBO broadcast in two parts. The episode was written ...
", Harris appears at
Satriale's Pork Store Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. During the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Soprano, a capo in the DiMeo crime family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling ...
to inform Tony that someone in his crew could be in danger, although he has no specific details. While investigating the murder of Gilbert Nieves at the Crazy Horse and Matush, with the possible terrorism links, he takes over the investigation from
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,Bada Bing (Ahmed and Muhammad), who had been paying
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
for stolen credit card numbers, were involved in terrorist activity. Tony provides their names and a cell phone number to Agent Harris, who is appreciative. In return, Agent Harris promises to write a letter detailing Tony's assistance that will be placed in Tony's FBI file for a judge to consider in sentencing should Tony ever be convicted of a crime.
Harris later tells Tony at Satriale's that an informer among Phil Leotardo's crew told them that Tony is being targeted by the Lupertazzi family. Agent Harris meets with Tony, and Tony offers him the name of the Muslim men's bank. In return, Harris tells Tony that while in hiding, Leotardo has been making calls from a pay phone in Oyster Bay, Long Island, information he apparently obtains from an agent in the Brooklyn FBI Organized Crime Division Office. When Agent Goddard later reports Leotardo's murder, Harris exults in the success of his ploy, stating "we're gonna win this thing!"
Father Phil Intintola
Father Phil Intintola is played by Paul Schulze and Michael Santoro (pilot episode only). Father Phil is the priest at the Sopranos' local
Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
. Initially, Father Phil and
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
have a robust friendship based on a mutual interest in romance films and Italian culture. Carmela's husband, Tony, finds their friendship—and Father Phil's constant, uninvited visits to their home for Carmela's home-cooked food— irritating. Carmela describes Father Phil as a "spiritual mentor" she utilizes "to become a better Catholic", and the rare male friend who appreciates things that the ultra-masculine Tony finds to be unmanly.
One rainy evening, with Tony and Meadow in Maine and AJ at a friend's house, Father Phil visits a sick Carmela, and the two share ziti and wine together. After much wine and watching a film together, the two come very close to kissing. He sleeps over without having sex with Carmela, resulting in an awkward feeling between the two the morning after. Carmela gets jealous when she makes a surprise visit to the church to bring Father Phil home-cooked food—only to see him already being fed a home-cooked dish by her friend, Rosalie Aprile, and him having the same chemistry with Rosalie that she thought he only had with her. Soon after, Carmela confronts Father Phil and ends her friendship with him, accusing him of developing para-romantic relationships with women parishioners to gain gifts and other favors.
Although Father Phil was mostly seen ministering to female parishioners, he also counseled men. He repeatedly invited Tony to attend church and confession more often in order to reduce his
anxiety attacks
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
by improving his relationship with God. He counseled Artie Bucco when he was told about Tony burning down his restaurant by Livia. Father Phil encouraged Artie to go to the police and to tell Charmaine about the arson, which Artie ultimately didn't do. He counseled Ralph Cifaretto when he came to him devastated and perplexed by his teen son's life-threatening injury after an accident whilst playing bow and arrows with a friend. Father Phil encourages Ralph to view the tragedy as an opportunity to change his life's course; he also gently rejects Ralph's assertion that God allowed his son to be injured in order to punish Ralph for his criminal sins.
Later in the series, Carmela and Father Phil seem to be on good terms again until she confesses an act of adultery to him. He turns cold and is clearly disappointed, as he'd always urged Carmela to work on her marriage and had dissuaded her from considering divorce. He orders Carmela to do a
penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a part ...
by way of doing something nice for Tony, which she later does. In season 6, when Tony is
coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
tose after being shot, Carmela was again dependent upon Father Phil, who comforts her and the Soprano children at Tony's hospital bedside.
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
police detective who worked on narcotics and vice squads and fed information to Tony Soprano. He was raised by an abusive alcoholic father who beat him as a child and his mother. His salary was $40,000 per year and he had two failed marriages. Tony also used Vin as a personal
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
, engaging Vin to find information about his psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi when Tony first started therapy in 1999.
One night he tailed her and pulled her car over under the ruse that the vehicle was seen leaving a crime scene earlier in the day. He then questioned Jennifer's date, a lawyer, under the suspicion that he was driving drunk, and beats him unprovoked. Vin was responsible for informing Tony that Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero was an FBI informant, prompting Tony's suspicions of Pussy. This was later seemingly dismissed when Tony found out Vin owed Big Pussy $30,000 in
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (who were also defending their Super Bowl XXXII championship) and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlan ...
gambling debts with interest payments, and Vin would like to see Big Pussy taken out to absolve him of that debt.
The best man at one of Vin's weddings sits on the
New Jersey State Police
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors.
History
As with other state police organizatio ...
Organized Crime Task Force and gave Vin the initial hint that Big Pussy was an informant. Vin frequented an illegal brothel and had a relationship with the madam there. He was arrested at the brothel along with Soprano crime family capo
Raymond Curto
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
Raritan River
Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...
shortly after he was released from jail and suspended from the police force. Tony later visited the madam Debra with whom Vin had a therapeutic relationship, and she divulges to Tony that Vin viewed him as a friend, and was prone to depression. This leaves Tony with guilt because he had always treated Vin with disdain and never showed him any respect or kindness.
Dick Barone
Dick Barone is played by
Joe Lisi
Joe Lisi (born September 9, 1950), also credited as Joe Lissi, is an American television actor. He appeared in the NBC television show '' Third Watch'' as NYPD Lieutenant Swersky from 2000 to 2005. He also appeared on the NBC television show '' ...
. Dick owned and operated Barone Sanitation, a container and rubbish removal service, and front business for the Soprano crew. The company handled their legitimate garbage hauling routes across New Jersey, including an illegal medical waste dumping site in
Dayton, New Jersey
Dayton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within South Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.asbestos removal
In construction, asbestos abatement is a set of procedures designed to control the release of asbestos fibers from asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos abatement is utilized during general construction in areas containing asbestos materials, ...
project in
Corning, New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...
, a
weigh station
A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection.
Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales, some of which are ...
in
Dayton, New Jersey
Dayton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within South Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...
. Dick is involved in
price-fixing
Price fixing is an anticompetitive agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given ...
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
and New York.
In a discussion with Richie Aprile and Tony, Tony says that all the garbage collection routes north of
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Deer Valley
Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America.
Deer ...
in
Summit County, Utah
Summit County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 36,324. Its county seat is Coalville, and the largest city is Park City.
History
The coun ...
and knew little about the waste management business. In 1999, the lucrative new office parkway, the Triborough Towers in
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Prog ...
route was subject to a bidding war between Barone and Czechoslovakian-based waste management company, Kolar Brothers Sanitation. Dick Barone was part of the crews' discussions about the problem and was at Satriale's when
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
took it upon himself to deal with the issue and murder Emil Kolar.
Chris' action led to the Kolar Bros. withdrawing their bid which Dick was happy to report to Tony. He worried about Richie Aprile due to Aprile's and Junior Soprano's front business, Zanone Bros, carting
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
on his garbage association routes because he could lose his "901", saying that he can handle the Department of Sanitation due to having a contact inside the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...
, but not the
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
. Dick died in 2006 from
Lou Gehrig's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
. His funeral was attended by many members of the DiMeo crime family. Dick was survived by his wife, Helen Barone, and son, Jason.
Following his death, Barone Sanitation was bought out by Lupertazzi crime family firm, Cinelli Sanitation. Tony asked John Sacramoni for 25% of the sale price and a year's salary until retirement plus a skim from the company which is $2,000 a week when the company went up for sale. He agreed to lower the sale settlement by staying on the payroll and lowering the skim profits.
James "Jimmy" Altieri
James "Jimmy" Altieri is played by Joe Badalucco. Jimmy was a capo in the DiMeo/Soprano crime family. In the episode " Nobody Knows Anything", Jimmy was arrested for gun charges while running an illegal card game. The FBI found pool tables full of guns. Big Pussy Bonpensiero was also present and arrested but was already working for the feds at this point. Agent Skip Lipari stated he had been with them since 1998, although Tony thinks Pussy "flipped" in 1995.
Vin Makazian, Tony's inside detective, who works clandestinely for Tony, informs Tony that Big Pussy Bonpensiero is "wired for sound" - that he is an informant. Tony finds this very difficult to believe. Shortly after Jimmy's arrest, he is released. He shows up one night at Tony's home during dinner. He and Tony walk into the basement where Jimmy begins asking Tony a lot of questions, making Tony very suspicious. Tony finds Jimmy's behavior very peculiar and also believes he was released too promptly after his arrest.
Tony then begins to suspect that Makazian mistook Jimmy for Pussy as they are similar in appearance. Pussy abruptly disappears after being confronted by
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
. Earlier in the episode, Vin Makazian, who had chronic depression, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge, so Tony was not able to confirm whether Vin had confused Jimmy and Pussy. Tony decides to go with his instincts and decides that Jimmy is an informant.
At a meeting with other administrators and capos, it is apparent to everyone else Jimmy is acting somewhat odd. As such, Uncle Junior sanctioned a hit on Jimmy and said he wanted a message to be sent. Christopher lured Jimmy to a hotel room using a stripper as bait. Once Jimmy was seated in the room, Silvio entered and put a gun to the back of his head. Jimmy realized what was about to happen and went for a gun in his ankle holster, at which point Silvio shot him in the back of his head. Jimmy's body was found in an alley with a rat stuffed in his mouth. Carlo Gervasi subsequently takes over Jimmy's abandoned crew after Jimmy's death.
Irina Peltsin
Irina Peltsin is played by Oksana Lada and Siberia Federico (pilot episode only). Irina is Tony's 24-year-old Russian '' comàre'' during the first two seasons. Tony broke up with Irina in season 2 because she wanted him to commit to a relationship. Irina then attempted suicide but was found by her cousin, Svetlana. As a sign of friendship, Tony sent Silvio to tell Irina to move on with her life and present her with a one-time payoff of $75,000. In Season 4, Assemblyman Ronald Zellman tells Tony that he has been dating Irina for quite some time, and Tony does not seem to care.
However, Tony later gets jealous and humiliates Zellman in front of Irina by whipping him with a belt. Svetlana later tells Tony the couple had broken up because, after the emasculating attack, Zellman "could not perform." When Uncle Junior's nurse Branca, who works for Svetlana, walks in on Tony and Svetlana just after they had sex, she later tells Irina. Irina calls Tony's house and then tells Carmela that she is Tony's ex-mistress and informs Carmela of Tony's tryst with Svetlana. Carmela warns Irina never to call the house again, but the call prompts Carmela's violent confrontation with Tony and their marital separation.
Frank Cubitoso
Frank Cubitoso is played by Frank Pellegrino. He is an FBI chief of Newark FBI Organized Crime Division Task Force with offices in 11 Center Place
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
who is constantly looking for new insight on the ongoing Soprano/DiMeo case. It was his idea to bug Green Grove Retirement Community when Tony Soprano, Jimmy Altieri, and Larry Boy Barese move their mothers in, despite other agents' skepticism. He successfully coordinates a mission to put the Soprano residence under surveillance though the use of an old lamp in their basement. The operation ends when Meadow takes the old lamp to college. He later pressures Adriana La Cerva into wearing a wire, which leads to her confession and eventual death. When Agent Sanseverino worries after Adriana disappears, Cubitoso decides it is time to move on.
Elliot Kupferberg
Elliot Kupferberg is played by
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian.
One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...
. Elliot is the therapist of Jennifer Melfi, who is the psychiatrist of Tony Soprano. Elliot tries to convince her numerous times to refer Tony to another colleague. Elliot calls her "Jen" during their sessions. Vin Makazian, Tony's inside cop, reveals to Tony when he is asked to survey Jennifer that she sees her own psychiatrist, Kupferberg, which surprises Tony. Elliot has a daughter, Saskia. Saskia, a butch lesbian, was an upperclassman at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
when Tony's daughter, Meadow Soprano, was a freshman and gave a presentation that led Meadow to join the South Bronx legal clinic that eventually put Meadow on the path to law school.
Elliot once unknowingly encountered Tony in the parking garage at Columbia University, while both were visiting their daughters. He followed Tony in his car in the hopes of taking Tony's parking space when he left but annoyed Tony by driving too closely. In the episode " Employee of the Month", Elliot urges her to cease treating her gangster patient, whose name she inadvertently reveals to Elliot. In 2007, following Tony's shooting by Junior and the rise of his media profile, Melfi accuses Elliot of directing their therapy towards discussing "Patient Soprano" because of his desire for gossip and continuous shows of interest in the Mafia.
In the episode " The Second Coming", he tells Melfi of a study that concludes that talk therapy enables sociopaths. In the episode " The Blue Comet", he further presses Melfi about Soprano at a dinner party, where he reveals to guests that Soprano is Melfi's patient, to her embarrassment, a serious breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, although he dismisses her protests casually, saying everyone at the table is a professional. However, she later reads the study at home and is convinced of its findings. At her next session with Tony, she permanently ends further sessions.
Elliot frequently drinks from a very large reusable water bottle during therapy sessions, which Bogdanovich claims was his own bottle at the time.
Hugh DeAngelis
Hugo "Hugh" DeAngelis is played by Tom Aldredge. Hugh is Carmela's father who is in his mid-70s. Hugh has been married to Mary for over 40 years and is a resident of
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.
. He is a former
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and spent time in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...
at
CFB Halifax
Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax is Canada's east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), that forms part of the formation Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT).
I ...
during the war. Although he is semi-retired, Hugh had worked as a contractor, and he built Tony and Carmela's house. Hugh has a brother named Lester and a sister named Lena, who is the mother of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's father Dickie, thus making Hugh Chris's great uncle.
During Carmela and Tony's separation, Hugh was eager to see Tony whenever possible and often took Tony's side in family discussions. He did not want to be present at a family gathering if "the man of the house" was not there, in the episode "
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
". Hugh became involved in a real estate investment with Carmela involving a spec house. However, construction of the spec house was halted after a building inspector found that low-quality wood had been used. Carmela blamed her father for the setback and Hugh became angry that Carmela was treating him as a subordinate rather than a partner. Carmela and Hugh reconciled enough for him to attend Christmas celebrations at the Soprano home later that year – after Carmela's spec house started to go ahead again.
Mary DeAngelis
Mary DeAngelis (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Pellegrino) is played by Suzanne Shepherd. Mary is Carmela's mother who is in her mid-70s. Mary has been married to her husband Hugh DeAngelis for over 40 years. Shortly after Carmela began dating Tony Soprano, she became extremely protective of her daughter and tried to prevent her from marrying him. After Carmela got married, the De Angelises met Tony's mother, Livia Soprano, with whom they became very angry after Livia told Carmela that "Tony would get bored of her." Mary also has
psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to comple ...
.
Agent Skip Lipari
Agent Skip Lipari is played by
Louis Lombardi
Louis Lombardi (born January 17, 1968) is an American actor known for his roles in ''The Sopranos'', ''Fantasy Island'', and ''24''.
Early life
Lombardi was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Louis Lombardi Sr.
Career
On telev ...
. Skip is an FBI agent who handled
Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
. When Sal begins to confide more and more to Skip as a friend, Skip tries to tell him that he is not his friend and he is there to help the federal government. Pussy tells Skip that he lost all respect in Tony when Tony sent him out to look for AJ's science teacher Mr. Miller's Saturn that had been stolen. During a meeting at a party store, Sal coincidentally is seen by mob associate Jimmy Bones and introduces Skip as "Joe from
Dover, Delaware
Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part o ...
" without much success in holding up the story.
This later leads to Sal murdering Jimmy to cover up his connection with the FBI. Sal tries to trap Christopher in a RICO predicate with Tony by offering to get his girlfriend a
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986.
The initial mode ...
convertible and give the information to the FBI. Sal fails to follow Moltisanti to a hijacking job when he hits a bicyclist. In the season 2 finale, Sal is murdered by Tony, Paulie, and Silvio after they discover he is an informant.
Matthew Bevilacqua
Matthew Bevilacqua is played by Lillo Brancato Jr. Matthew was Sean Gismonte's partner-in-crime from
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.
and an associate working under Christopher Moltisanti in the Gualtieri crew. Born in 1977, he was 23 years old when he was killed, in "From Where to Eternity." In "Mr. Ruggiero's Neighborhood", Bonpensiero is overheard on an FBI wiretap that Bevilaqua's family is involved in the construction business and that the family saw him as a scion. Matthew also mentions that he, Sean and Bear Iyer attended the Lubin School of Business at
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
and are licensed stock brokers and Webistics jobbers. He bought marijuana from a drug dealer at The Bada Bing.
Matt worked with Christopher in various aspects of organized crime, including the Massarone construction site, a
pump and dump
Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price. Once the operat ...
stockbroking scheme at an
over-the-counter
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...
brokerage house
A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be conf ...
in
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As ...
involving an internet company called Webistics, assisting with Junior Soprano's executive card game, and some
burglary
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murd ...
jobs with Chris and Sean. When Chris leaves work early to go to the Jersey Shore with Adrianna, he leaves Matt in charge of the brokerage. They stole a
Porsche Carrera Carrera (''Spanish'' for "race" and "career") is a brand of Porsche automobile. The name commemorates the company's success in the Carrera Panamericana race.
The following vehicles have been called ''Carrera'':
* Porsche 356
* Porsche 904
* Por ...
from the office building that they were running the pump and dump stock scam from and beat up a stockbroker for suggesting a different stock.
Matt threatened to stab the office manager of the brokerage in the throat with a letter opener if he told Chris Moltisanti about their actions. The office manager reported them anyway. Silvio referred to Matt and Sean as, " Chip n' Dale" after the cartoon because of their ineptness. Matt tells Christopher that he sees no point in getting married because he can get all the women he wants and always hire someone to wash his dishes and iron his shirts. He drives a Buick Regal that he abandons after Sean is shot and killed in the passenger seat during the failed mob hit on Christopher Moltisanti.
Despite their general lack of talent, the duo desperately wanted to move up in the ranks of the family. They tried to impress Tony whenever possible but eventually angered him by attempting to directly discuss criminal activity with him at the toilets in a men's room, unaware of the threat of
wiretapping
Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...
. Then, hoping to gain favor with Richie Aprile, Matt and Sean decided to make an assassination attempt on Christopher, who they knew Aprile disliked. Attempting a
drive-by
A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
ambush in the parking lot outside the stock brokerage firm, they hit Christopher twice but were unable to kill him. Before collapsing from blood loss, Christopher was able to return fire, killing Sean.
Matthew fled to seek protection from Richie Aprile, who reacted angrily and chased him away by throwing a
baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...
at him. When Tony Soprano and Big Pussy Bonpensiero found him hiding in Hacklebarney State Park, they interrogated him before they emptied their guns into him in one of the park's concession stands. Before he is killed, Bevilacqua pleads to Tony that it was all Sean's idea to shoot Moltisanti. There was a witness in the park who connected the murder to Tony, although the witness retracted his statement upon learning that one of the shooters may have been Tony Soprano. The newspaper identified Matthew as a Soprano crime family "associate."
Jackie Aprile Jr.
Giacomo Michael "Jackie" Aprile Jr. is played by Jason Cerbone. Jackie Jr. was born 1978 into a North Jersey mafia family and raised in
Lincoln Park, New Jersey
Lincoln Park is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,521,Jackie Aprile Sr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
, was once the acting boss of the DiMeo crime family, and his uncle Richie Aprile was a long time capo in the same crime family. Despite attempts to succeed at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, Jackie Jr. drifted towards a life of crime after his father's death, and began helping his uncle Richie in his crew when Richie was released from prison.
His mother Rosalie Aprile began a romantic relationship with Ralph Cifaretto. Ralph was more of a mentor in Jackie's attempt to follow in his father's footsteps. It was Ralph's bad influence, Jackie Jr.'s own faults, and finally Tony's insistence that Jackie Jr. not become involved in organized crime, that were the contributing factors that propelled Jackie Jr. into a brief, humiliating and fatal career as a criminal.
Working alongside his friend and Rutgers fraternity brother Dino Zerilli, he began selling ecstasy to college kids. He was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for his football team at
Boonton High School
Boonton High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Boonton, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Boonton Public Schools. The school ...
and was All-State by the end of his semester. Jackie planned the robbery of a Jewel-
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
and Benny Fazio. While waiting in the car, Jackie urinates himself.
Jackie Jr. had dated Tony's daughter,
Meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
. Jackie tried to maintain the appearance of a respectable college student dating Meadow while drifting further into the Mafia life. Tony's interest was further increased because he had been a close friend of Jackie's father and had promised that he would keep Jackie Jr. away from organized crime. Tony began to see through Jackie's facade when he caught him at the casino on Bloomfield Ave in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
and then later at the Bada Bing. Ralph gives Jackie Jr. a .38 revolver at his request. Tony was furious because he had tried so hard to keep Jackie straight, beating him up in the bathroom of the club after catching him there getting a lap dance.
Things came to a head after Jackie Jr. flunked out of
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
after he was caught cheating during an exam. Meadow suggested that he enroll in the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
because he said he has a passion for designing men's suits. Meadow later broke up with Jackie after she found him cheating on her. Resentful of Tony's hypocrisy, Jackie began working directly for Ralph, forming his own minor crew in the process.
Upon hearing Ralph tell the story of when Jackie's father and Tony robbed a card game held by Feech La Manna, Jackie became inspired to follow in his father's footsteps. Using his dim-witted crew of Carlo Renzi, Dino Zerilli and Matush, Jackie attempted to hold up a card game run by Aprile soldier Eugene Pontecorvo, which Jackie had almost decided not to go through with. At the card game, Jackie killed "Sunshine" the dealer and
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
Furio Giunta was shot in the leg. Carlo was killed at the scene by Christopher, and Matush fled in the getaway car upon hearing gunshots. Jackie escaped by jacking a car. He sped past Dino, who is killed by Christopher and Albert Barese.
In " Army of One," Jackie hides at a
Boonton
Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (− ...
housing project
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...
. Jackie called Tony and begged for help, saying that he was imitating Tony and his father when they were younger. Tony rebuffed Jackie, saying that they were different scenarios with different results. At a meeting between Tony and Ralph, they talked about what to do about Jackie. Largely because of his feelings toward Jackie Sr., Tony suggested to Ralph that Jackie should be given a pass for the failed robbery. Ralph gave the order to murder Jackie to Aprile crew soldier (and Jackie's cousin) Vito Spatafore. Outside the Boonton Projects, Vito shot Jackie Jr. in the back of the head as he was out for a walk. Rosalie, Meadow and the rest of the family were told that Jackie was killed by black drug dealers in a drug deal gone bad.
Gloria Trillo
Gloria Trillo is played by Annabella Sciorra. Gloria is a car saleswoman for Globe Motors, a
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarte ...
dealership in Fairfield, New Jersey. Like Tony, she is a patient of Jennifer Melfi's. She meets Tony at Melfi's office due to a scheduling mix-up. There is an immediate attraction between the two and within days they are having an affair. She tells Tony that she has "murdered" seven relationships to date. Although she presents the facade of a strong and independent woman, Gloria is mentally unstable and exhibits signs of
borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong ...
, which leads to occasional violent arguments and physical altercations with Tony, bouts of
severe depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...
, and frequent suicidal thoughts.
She nearly drives Tony to kill her at one point before he stops himself and leaves her house. One such incident occurs after Gloria sees Tony's wife Carmela at her dealership, getting her car serviced, and offers to drive her home. Tony calls it quits and cuts off all contact with her and orders Patsy Parisi to threaten Gloria into staying away from him. Patsy accomplishes this by posing as a customer at the dealership and going on a test drive with Gloria.
When they are out of the city, Patsy pulls out a gun and tells a horrified Gloria to shut up and listen to him: if she ever contacts Tony or his family again, he will murder her, and "it will not be cinematic", destroying her delusion that she will ever die at Tony's hands. This unbalance eventually leads Gloria to suicide, and she hangs herself in her home a year later. Tony later goes back to Globe Motors and inquires after her to another salesman, who confirms her death. Tony later initially blames Melfi for Gloria's death, claiming that she did too little to save Gloria, before blaming himself.
Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.
Carmine Lupertazzi Sr. is played by Tony Lip. Carmine was an old-school boss of the Lupertazzi crime family. He kept a low profile for most of his criminal career while operating out of his social clubs and restaurants in New York City. He lives in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. Carmine was arrested and acquitted of labor
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and ...
charges in the 1980s. It was around this time that Carmine's longtime
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
, Angelo Garepe and longtime Lupertazzi family
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Phil Leotardo, were convicted of various racketeering charges and sent to prison, Angelo for 18 years and Phil for 20 years. During Carmine's tenure, his family was the largest and wealthiest of the
Five Families
The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War.
Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gangs ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. They maintained close ties to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
's DiMeo crime family.
Carmine groomed his son and namesake Little Carmine Lupertazzi, by making him a captain in the crime family that bears his name. He had a sometimes contentious relationship with his
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
Johnny Sack. During various episodes in the fourth season, Johnny and Carmine each authorized Tony Soprano to put a "hit" on the other, although they were both called off at the last minute. In 2004, Carmine's health began to fail and he suffered a massive stroke while having lunch with Tony, Johnny, and Angelo Garepe at a country club, and soon after died in hospital. This left a large power vacuum in the Lupertazzi family.
The
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
for his position was his son Little Carmine, a fact that became a point of consternation for Johnny Sack. Johnny did not think much of Little Carmine and felt as Carmine's underboss, he was next in line to be boss. Even Tony has no faith in Little Carmine's capacity to run New York, jokingly referring to him as "Brainless the Second". Despite his shortcomings, Little Carmine finds backers in Carmine Sr.'s recently paroled former consigliere, Angelo Garepe, and long-time Lupertazzi Capo Rusty Millio.
Angelo and Rusty, along with Rusty's right-hand man Eddie Pietro, pull most of the strings during the war between Johnny Sack and Little Carmine. After a cycle of bloodshed that escalates into war, Little Carmine ultimately finds it difficult to stomach the continuing violence and abdicates. His decision was heavily influenced by the murder of Angelo Garepe. After Little Carmine's capitulation, Johnny Sack becomes the boss of the Lupertazzi crime family.
Rusty Millio
Rusty Millio is played by
Frankie Valli
Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.
...
. He is a Mustache Pete capo in 2004 when he first appears in the series. He is a capo that controls territory for the family in the Crown Heights, Flatbush,
Park Slope
Park Slope is a neighborhood in northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park and Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush A ...
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, as well as territory in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. He is a close associate of Little Carmine and considered to be one of the instigators in Little Carmine's power-play following the death of his father and boss, Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.
Rusty helps Angelo Garepe orchestrate a hit on Joey Peeps with Tony Blundetto as the hitman, but Tony hesitantly turns the offer down, having not made up his mind on his future. While in prison, Johnny Sack orders a hit on Rusty, whom he referred to as the "Mayor of
Munchkin
A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city i ...
land" due to his 5 ft 5 in height, through Tony, because he anticipates Rusty is likely to wrest power away from him. In the episode " Luxury Lounge", Rusty and his driver Edward "Eddie" Pietro are assassinated in Rusty's driveway by Italian hitmen contracted by Tony.
Michele "Feech" La Manna
Michele "Feech" La Manna is played by
Robert Loggia
Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...
made
Made or MADE may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom
* ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music
* ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016
* ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013
* ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007
*''M.A.D.E.' ...
" in
Southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the pe ...
. Feech moved to the US in the 1950s and settled in Hamilton Park, Jersey City. He became involved with the DiMeo crime family in bookmaking and loansharking, then under the leadership of boss Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo. He also operates a bakery that makes Taralli, a pastry from the region.
A young
Jackie Aprile Sr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
and Tony Soprano robbed his floating high-stakes card game, thereby solidifying their status as rising mobsters in the organization. Despite Feech's anger at having been robbed, Jackie's older brother, Richie Aprile, then a high-ranking earner and soldier in the family, intervened on Tony and Jackie's behalf and got them both a pass.
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
reveals they were also helped because both Johnny Soprano and Junior Soprano were powerful capos under DiMeo.
When he was released and introduced in season 5, Feech went to see Tony Soprano, the new boss of North Jersey, where he was given permission to get back in the action. After a power struggle with Paulie Walnuts over landscaping territory, Feech stole cars from the valet at Ira Fried's daughter's wedding in
Ringwood, New Jersey
Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decline of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228,Newburgh, New York
Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...
. Tony had previously made it clear that Fried was a friend and was not to be touched, but Feech went ahead with his plan anyway.
Tony realized that Feech still thought of him as a youngster and saw Junior as the boss, paying his respects and going to Junior about complaints instead of Tony. As a result, Tony instructed
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
and Benny Fazio to convince Feech to keep a truck of stolen plasma screen televisions in his garage. When a parole officer suddenly appears at his home and discovers the televisions, Feech was arrested, and sent back to prison.
Minor characters
Soprano crime family
*Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo: a.k.a. "Old Man", is the founder and the longtime
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
unseen character
An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...
in the series but is portrayed by the series creator David Chase in ''
The Many Saints of Newark
''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...
'', in an uncredited cameo appearance. By the events of season one, he is boss in name only and never demonstrates any influence over the family due to being incarcerated since 1995, held at United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...
.
*Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti: Former soldier in the Soprano crew who lived in
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...
next to the
Westfield Garden State Plaza
Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and located at the intersection of R ...
, "the largest mall in New Jersey" with his family. He is an unseen character in ''The Sopranos''. Born before 1959 (when Tony was born) and died in the mid-1970s, married to Joanne Moltisanti née Blundetto, father of Christopher and cousin to
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
. Hugh DeAngelis, Carmela's father, has a sister Lena who is Dickie's mother, thus making Hugh DeAngelis a great uncle to Christopher Moltisanti. Dickie was in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
(as was Hugh) stationed at
Naval Weapons Station Earle
Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heavi ...
and saw action in the naval battles of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and later served time in prison, making it unlikely that he spent much time with his family when he was alive. It is suggested from his Navy photograph that he was in the
Fleet Marine Force
The United States Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) are combined general- and special-purpose forces within the United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Flee ...
. Dickie was killed during Christopher's infancy, outside the house while bringing TV trays home. In 2002, Tony Soprano told Christopher that Dickie's killer was
Clifton, New Jersey
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. A ...
Detective Lt. Barry Haydu, who had just retired from the force. Tony delivered Haydu to Christopher Moltisanti as a part of his process of bonding Chris to him and slowly easing him up the family hierarchy. When confronted by Christopher, Haydu initially denies having heard of Dickie Moltisanti. Moltisanti is played by Alessandro Nivola in the 2021 film ''
The Many Saints of Newark
''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...
''. In the film, Moltisanti and his crew fight with black criminal Harold McBrayer. In the early 1970s, Moltisanti is shot in the back of the head by an unknown assailant, under the orders of Junior Soprano after Moltisanti had laughed at Junior when he slipped and fell on the steps at a wake, angering him.
* Joseph Siravo (''The Sopranos''), Jon Bernthal (''
The Many Saints of Newark
''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...
'') as Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano: he is Tony Soprano's deceased father, the former captain of the Soprano crew. He was the son of Corrado Soprano Sr. and Mariangela D'Agostino from Ariano in the
Province of Avellino
The Province of Avellino ( it, Provincia di Avellino) is a province in the Campania region of Southern Italy. The area is characterized by numerous small towns and villages scattered across the province; only two towns have a population over 20,0 ...
who immigrated to the United States in 1911; he was a master
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, ...
who helped to build a church in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
. Johnny was married to Livia Pollio and they had three children: Janice, Tony, and Barbara. Johnny worked closely with his older brother Junior during Tony's childhood. Johnny was sent away to prison, for a short while when Tony was young, and the family members said Johnny Boy was in
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
working as a cowboy. Johnny and Junior both went on to become capos in the DiMeo crime family. Johnny was well-liked in the organization – before his death, boss Ercoli "Eckley" DiMeo was thought to have been considering having Johnny take over. Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Paulie Gualtieri were both in Johnny's crew. Bonpensiero stood up for Johnny in the unrest of '83, and Johnny's leadership led to Sal's becoming a
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
shortly afterward. Both Sal and Paulie followed Johnny's wishes and supported Tony's becoming capo after Johnny's death of
emphysema
Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alv ...
. Johnny took Tony and his friend Silvio Dante under his wing and brought them up in the organization as part of his crew. Johnny was only seen in flashbacks to Tony's childhood or in Tony's dream sequences. In 1969, Tony witnessed Johnny cut off Francis Satriale's pinky finger while Junior held him in place; Satriale owed gambling debts and was avoiding giving Johnny payment. This event contributed to Tony's first panic attack at the kitchen table that evening. Tony also saw his father and Junior attack Rocco Alatore over a debt, then recalled his father's discussing a possible move to
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
in 1967 to manage a
supper club
A supper club is a traditional dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image ...
for Alatore (who was restored to good terms with Johnny since the debt was repaid) and his mother's refusing, which move Livia would later sweep under the rug when Mr. Alatore later became a billionaire with his investments. It is revealed in the episode " A Hit Is a Hit" that Johnny was a silent partner in Hesh Rabkin's record company "F-Note Records". Tony also witnessed Johnny plotting a scheme in 1967 at a children's carnival by bringing Janice along. Tony had originally thought his father favored Janice over him but later learned the truth: that mobsters brought their daughters to their meetings as a ruse. When Janice recalled the time Johnny shot through Livia's beehive hairdo while they were driving home, Tony thought the anecdote was shameful and made their family look "dysfunctional". Tony described his mother's relationship with his father as wearing Johnny down to "a little nub"; for her part, Livia tearfully remembers Johnny as "a saint" several times. Johnny kept a mistress named Fran Felstein, whom he had met during Tony's childhood. In 1976, when Tony was 16, Johnny stayed all night at her home when his pregnant wife was in the hospital. The next morning Johnny and Tony went to the hospital, and Tony lied to his mother saying they went to a New York Yankees baseball game and stayed in New York. Livia saw through Johnny's lie and lost the baby due to bleeding. In September 1982, when his son Tony was 22 years old, and just two weeks before the birth of his granddaughter
Meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
, Johnny ordered his son to murder a local bookie: Willie Overall. This was Tony's first murder, and it helped hasten his climb toward becoming a made man. Johnny died of emphysema in late 1986, aged 62. Not long before his death, he saw the incarceration of many of his fellow mobsters due to Fabian "Febby" Petrulio's becoming a government witness. Johnny never recovered from the news of Febby's betrayal, and it may have hastened his demise.
*Ercole "Eckley" Soprano was an unseen character. Ercole was Tony Soprano's late uncle, the middle son of Corrado Sr. and Mariangela D'Agostino, and brother of Junior and Johnny. He was born between 1924 and 1928 in
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...
. Tony never met him and finds out about his existence from Junior in "The Happy Wanderer". Junior Soprano tells Tony that he and Johnny Soprano started the high-stakes $5,000-buy in "executive" Five-card stud
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game wa ...
card game over 30 years before 1999 to help financially support Ercole that brought in big-time players like
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...
intellectual disability
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signif ...
assisted living
An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is si ...
institution early in his life by his mother and his existence concealed because of the stigma of having a mentally handicapped child at the time. In "Do Not Resuscitate" while Junior is trying to feign mental incompetence during his RICO trial he remembers how people in the neighborhood used to mock and make fun of Ercole. He was "strong as a bull" and looked like
George Raft
George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...
. In the episode house arrest after Livia finds out about Tony seeing a psychiatrist, she mentions to Junior that Tony might be on his way to be institutionalized at
Essex County Hospital Center The Essex County Hospital Center, also known as the Overbrook Hospital, the Overbrook Asylum, or simply the Overbrook, was a psychiatric hospital that was located around 125 Fairview Avenue in the Township of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. It was used as ...
"(Cedar Grove Mental Hospital)" in
Cedar Grove, New Jersey
Cedar Grove is a township in north central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,411, reflecting an increase of 111 (+0.9%) from the 12,300 counted in the 2000 Census, w ...
. Junior explains that society did not understand these things back then and nowadays they would have enrolled him in a trade school, but praises his mother for making sure Ercole was taken care of at a home in
North Jersey
North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrati ...
. Junior also boasts to Tony that Johnny paid for his care with their criminal proceeds. Tony recalls listening to Johnny Boy and Livia argue and she would mention a " feeble-minded brother" who at that time Tony always assumed she was referring to Junior Soprano.
*George Loros as Raymond "Buffalo Ray" Curto: he was a capo in the DiMeo crime family. A capo in the DiMeo/Soprano crime family before season 1, Curto is approached by fellow capo Tony Soprano and asked to replace
Jackie Aprile Sr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
as boss of the DiMeo Crime Family, due to his age and experience, as Jackie is dying of cancer in the hospital. Curto declines, and insists, along with the other capos, that Tony should take over instead, fearing Tony's uncle and fellow capo Corrado "Junior" Soprano would step up as the new boss. However, Curto is also an FBI informant, as revealed in the episode, " Proshai, Livushka". It has never been disclosed when or why he became an informant, although he is briefly seen in the episode " Nobody Knows Anything" being busted at a brothel along with Detective Vin Makazian. In 2006, Curto unexpectedly dies of a
stroke
A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...
in his FBI handler's car. Curto was handled by both Agent Robyn Sanseverino and Agent Frank Grasso.
*
Anthony DeSando
Anthony DeSando (born December 4, 1965), also known as Anthony Joseph De Santis, is an American actor. DeSando often portrays a joker or dapper villain in mob films such as ''New Jack City''.
Early life
DeSando was born in Jersey City, New Jer ...
as Brendan Filone: he was
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's friend and partner in crime and a low-level associate of Tony Soprano. Brendan was addicted to
crystal meth
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...
, and often used it with Chris. In the episode " 46 Long", Brendan and Chris hijacked a
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey, and is located from New York City.
As of the 2 ...
Comley Trucking truck and stole a number of DVD players. Comley Trucking was under the protection of Junior Soprano, who demanded restitution. At a sit-down, Junior tells Tony to keep Brendan and Christopher's "loose cannon" behavior under control. In a nightclub, Brendan tries his best to convince Chris to defy Tony and Uncle Junior since both Chris and Brendan were getting nowhere by following the rules. Early the next morning, Brendan urges Chris to get ready for the next heist, a truckload of high-end Italian suits. Christopher tells him that he has decided that he would not participate. Brendan, this time without Christopher, hijacks another Comley truck with two others. In the process, the driver of the truck is accidentally shot and killed by a ricochet bullet when one of Brendan's men drops his gun. Tony is angry when he learns about the hijacking and orders Chris and Brendan to return the truck to Comley. However, Junior is not satisfied. Junior's trigger man Mikey Palmice and sister-in-law Livia Soprano, both give Junior advice on the matter. Junior orders that Chris undergo a
mock execution
A mock execution is a stratagem in which a victim is deliberately but falsely made to feel that their execution or that of another person is imminent or is taking place. The subject is made to believe that they are being led to their own execution ...
and that Brendan be killed. Brendan is killed while in his bathtub by Mikey, while Junior waits outside in the hall. In the aftermath, Chris and his girlfriend Adriana La Cerva find Brendan's body in his bathtub, and Chris calls for harsh retaliation against Mikey. Tony decides to confront his uncle and Mikey over their severe punishment by beating Mikey to the ground and stapling his jacket to his torso. He then goes to have a sit-down with Junior for his orders. Later, in retaliation for the attempted hit on Tony, Mikey is killed in the woods after Chris and
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
chase him down while he is jogging. In season two, after Chris is shot by Sean Gismonte and Matthew Bevilaqua, he has a near-death experience in the hospital where he goes to say he went to Hell and explains that he saw Brendan and Mikey playing cards with a bunch of Roman soldiers and Irishmen. Chris also mentions that Brendan and Mikey are friends in Hell. Hearing this, Paulie becomes obsessed with his own fears of ghosts.
*
Tony Darrow
Tony Darrow (born Anthony Borgese; October 1, 1938) is an Italian-American actor.
Darrow was born in the East New York section of Brooklyn. He had plenty of opportunity to observe would-be mobsters and their attitudes while growing up in his ne ...
as Lawrence "Larry Boy" Barese: he is the
caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...
of his own crew which is the biggest in the DiMeo crime family. His cousin, Albert "Ally Boy" Barese, is his second in command and he is also the godfather of Soprano associate Benny Fazio. In the season 1 episode " Pax Soprana," Larry, along with Jimmy Altieri and Raymond Curto, met with Tony after Junior had Mikey Palmice murder Larry's top earner, Rusty Irish, for selling ecstasy to the grandson of one of Junior's friends; the grandson committed suicide while high. Larry and the other capos considered this to be a sign of Junior abusing his power as boss. Larry found out from an FBI secretary that an indictment was going to be issued against the crime family in the
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pr ...
. Soon after, along with Junior and
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
Joseph "Beppy" Sasso, he was arrested and charged with violations of
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and ...
and
fraud
In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compen ...
and sent to Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, New York. While being held without bail in prison, Larry promoted his cousin Albert Barese to acting caporegime of his crew. Three years after the indictments, Larry was released following a mistrial and put under
house arrest
In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if al ...
. However, he took control of his crew back from his cousin. At the premiere of the fictional slasher film '' Cleaver'' that
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
had produced, Larry was arrested by federal marshals for violating his house arrest. He was in jail awaiting a retrial at the end of the series.
* Val Bisoglio as Murf Lupo: Elderly soldier and former capo of Junior Soprano's old crew, who is starting to mumble and show signs of
Dysarthria
Dysarthria is a speech sound disorder resulting from neurological injury of the motor component of the motor–speech system and is characterized by poor articulation of phonemes. In other words, it is a condition in which problems effective ...
when talking and is starting to show the early signs of dementia that worries Junior. Junior also notices that he is starting to look unkempt, with food on the front of his shirt when he goes out and he goes to bed early.
* Dan Grimaldi as Phillip "Philly Spoons" Parisi: Phillip is a soldier/acting capo and Patsy Parisi's
identical twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...
brother born March 4, 1950, who was born eleven minutes after him in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
. He was killed on Tony's orders by Gigi Cestone in retaliation for spreading rumors about Tony, shortly after the conflict between him and Junior.
*Louis Gross as Perry Annunziata: also known as "Muscles Marinara," is from
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
He serves as a bodyguard and
chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.
Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to special ...
for Tony Soprano during his recovery from a gunshot in 2006. Tony calls him "Penne Arrabiata" (as in the pasta dish penne all'arrabbiata), on account of his road rage (Italian: ''arrabbiato'') towards a rude driver while driving Tony.
*
Vitali Baganov
Vitali Aleksandrovich Baganov (russian: Виталий Александрович Баганов; born 6 September 1952) is a Russian actor of film and television currently based in the United States who guest starred as Valery the Russian gangste ...
as Valery: Valery was a "Bratok" in the Russian mob, acquainted with Tony Soprano through his business association with the organization. Valery's friend and boss Slava Malevsky revealed to Tony that they served together in the
Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
where he worked with the
Russian Airborne Troops
The Russian Airborne Forces (russian: Воздушно-десантные войска России, ВДВ, Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, VDV) are the airborne forces branch of the Russian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1992 from units ...
during the
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the First Chechen Campaign,, rmed conflict in the Chechen Republic and on bordering territories of the Russian FederationФедеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995 (в редакц ...
in
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
. Valery had personally killed 16
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (; ce, Нохчийн Республик Ичкери, Nóxçiyn Respublik Içkeri; russian: Чеченская Республика Ичкерия; abbreviated as "ChRI" or "CRI") was a ''de facto'' state that ...
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
visited Valery at his apartment to collect payment. Valery readily handed over the envelope of money, but Paulie responded to a perceived slight by being intentionally careless with Valery's entertainment system. In the ensuing brawl, Christopher and Paulie believed they had killed Valery. They drove out to the Pine Barrens to dispose of him, but when they arrive, find him alive. They marched him into the snow to dig his own grave, but he attacked Paulie and Christopher with the shovel and ran. Christopher and Paulie gave chase, firing as they ran. Paulie seemingly hit Valery in the head, leaving a trail of blood. The two men continued looking for him but eventually gave up, and realized they were lost in the wilderness in the middle of winter. Chris and Paulie then spent a miserable night in an abandoned van in the Pine Barrens. On rescuing the pair, Tony made it clear that if Valery makes it back to North Jersey alive, it would be Paulie who would have to deal with Slava, not him. Valery's fate after this point is unclear; Valery's body was never found, and Paulie's car was stolen from the remote location where it was parked in the wilderness. An HBO promo shows notable characters who have been murdered over the course of the series and does show Valery as having died in this episode, but with a question mark, indicating some doubt. David Chase said in an interview at the Writers' Guild:
*
Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (; born 27 July 1968) is an Italian actress who has featured in films and television series since 1990. She has also worked as a film producer, screenwriter and model. Internationally she is best known for her roles in ' ...
as Isabella: Appears in " Isabella" as a figment of Tony Soprano's imagination. Soprano sees a beautiful Italian woman in the Cusamanos' garden next door. Isabella tells him she is a foreign exchange dental student from Avellino, staying there while the Cusamanos are away. He takes her out to lunch. As she describes the beauty of Avellino, where Tony's grandfather came from, he has a drug-induced daydream from the
Lithium
Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense soli ...
. Isabella is in a village house, in a rocking chair, nursing a baby named Antonio. Then Isabella is no longer there. When the Cusamanos return and he asks about her, Tony realizes she never existed: it was a delusion. Dr. Melfi instructs him to cease taking lithium and theorizes that Isabella was an idealized maternal figure.
* Sofia Milos as Annalisa Zucca: Daughter of Zi Vittorio, head of a Neapolitan
boss, Mauro Zucca, who is currently serving a life sentence, and a distant cousin of Tony Soprano. When Tony took over Junior's luxury car hijacking business, he went to visit "Zi" (Uncle) Vittorio in Naples to discuss the parameters of their arrangement. When he finally meets Zi Vittorio, Tony finds out that he is a senile, wheelchair-bound old man, and that it is Annalisa who runs the organization now. Tony finds this hard to accept at first, but eventually works out a deal with Annalisa—he would cut the price of the cars he supplies to Naples, in exchange for her to supply him with members of her organization. This resulted in Furio Giunta being sent to the United States, and later, in season six, Tony being supplied with the hitmen to take care of the hit on Rusty Millio, and Philip "Phil" Leotardo.
* Chris Tardio as Sean Gismonte, an associate of the DiMeo crime family from
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.
in
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.
. He was Matthew Bevilaqua's partner in crime and an associate in the Gualtieri crew in 2000. He was born and raised in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...
. Sean was convicted of an undisclosed crime and had spent time in
county jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...
and it is implied that, unlike Matt, Sean has worked
pump and dump
Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price. Once the operat ...
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
with Matt but wanted to pursue a life in crime, considering themselves more intelligent but underappreciated considering their skill set by Chris. Sean and Matt worked with Christopher at various aspects of organized crime including the Massarone Construction site, an
over-the-counter (finance)
Over-the-counter (OTC) or off-exchange trading or pink sheet trading is done directly between two parties, without the supervision of an exchange. It is contrasted with exchange trading, which occurs via exchanges. A stock exchange has the ben ...
brokerage house
A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be conf ...
in
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As ...
that was responsible for a
Pump and Dump
Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price. Once the operat ...
on the website Webistics, Junior Soprano's executive card game held in a hotel by
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Cou ...
and some burglary jobs with Matthew and Chris. He was reprimanded for beating a stockbroker and stealing a
Porsche Carrera Carrera (''Spanish'' for "race" and "career") is a brand of Porsche automobile. The name commemorates the company's success in the Carrera Panamericana race.
The following vehicles have been called ''Carrera'':
* Porsche 356
* Porsche 904
* Por ...
from the parking lot of where the stock brokerage is. Looking to move up in the ranks, Sean and Matt attempted a hit on Christopher as an attempt to win favor from Richie Aprile. The hit was botched and Sean was killed by Christopher in the ensuing gun battle.
*
Frank Albanese
Frank Albanese (May 16, 1931 – October 5, 2015) was an American actor known for playing mobsters, notably on the HBO hit series ''The Sopranos''. He also appeared in gangster films like ''Goodfellas
''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') ...
as Patrizio "Uncle Pat" Blundetto: a former soldier in the Soprano crew who worked alongside Johnny Boy Soprano. Chris compares his ruthlessness to Jake LaMotta. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was able to retire from "the business". Pat is the uncle of Tony Blundetto and Chris Moltisanti, and the father of Louise Blundetto. Tony Soprano calls him Uncle Pat but they are not blood relatives. Pat's brother Al Blundetto married Quintina Pollio, Livia Soprano's sister. Pat owns a farm at
New York State Route 146
New York State Route 146 (NY 146) is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It extends for from Gallupville at NY 443 to near Mechanicville at U.S. Route 4 (US 4) and NY 32. N ...
, Route 9a, Kinderhook, Upstate New York that his nephews used to visit in the summers of their youth. In the episode "All Due Respect," Tony Blundetto hides out at Pat's now empty farmhouse from the Lupertazzis after shooting Phil Leotardo's brother Billy Leotardo.
*
Edoardo Ballerini
Edoardo Ballerini (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor, narrator, writer, and film director. On screen he is best known for his work as junkie Corky Caporale in ''The Sopranos'' and the hotheaded chef in the indie film ''Dinner Rush'' (20 ...
as Corky Caporale: an associate of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
and a heroin addict. Christopher enlisted him to accommodate the Italian hitmen provided to Tony for the hit on Rusty Millio. Corky was chosen primarily because he speaks Italian and would therefore be able to communicate effectively with the hitmen. Christopher paid him for the job with heroin. Corky performed well, delivering weapons and instructions at a remote spot without revealing much about himself, and the hit went smoothly. Christopher delivered the second half of Corky's payment at the Feast of St. Elzear and included more heroin as a substitute for some of the money. Corky injected the drug in Christopher's car, which initially prompted Christopher to encourage him to get into rehab. However, Christopher was eventually tempted into joining him. In 2007, in the episode "The Blue Comet," now after Christopher's death, the Soprano Family used Corky again through Patsy Parisi. The target this time was Phil Leotardo. Fluent in Italian, Corky assigned Neapolitan hitmen, Italo and Salvatore to the Leotardo hit, but was botched when they mistake the father of Leotardo's Ukrainian mistress for Leotardo and are both killed instead. When Corky heard from the hitmen that the man spoke Ukrainian to his daughter, he mumbled "whatever." However, he did ask Patsy Parisi if Phil spoke Ukrainian.
* Tony Siragusa as Frankie Cortese: he served as a driver and bodyguard for Tony as a soldier of the Soprano crime family in 2004.
*Jeffrey M. Marchetti as Peter "Bissell" LaRosa. Bissell, also known as Petey, was part of the group Little Paulie took to vandalize Carmine Lupertazzi's restaurant in the HUD dispute. Petey made his bones (along with Benny Fazio) by killing Stanley Johnson and Credenzo Curtis, on orders from Christopher Moltisanti.
*Frank Santorelli as George "Georgie" Santorelli: a bartender at the Bada Bing. He is frequently the target of Tony Soprano's sudden and violent tantrums due to his clueless and annoying behavior.
*
Lenny Venito
Lenny Venito (born May 10, 1969) is an American actor, who has made appearances in movies such as '' Gigli'', '' Men in Black 3'', and '' War of the Worlds''. He also starred as Marty Weaver in the ABC comedy '' The Neighbors'' and James "Mur ...
as James "Murmur" Zancone: a friend and AA sponsor of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
. Murmur made Christopher's rounds while Christopher was in Los Angeles, California – buying credit card numbers from Beansie Gaeta's pizzeria and from Hillel Teittleman at the Teittleman's Fly Away Motel, then selling the numbers to Mohammed and Ahmed at the Bada Bing. Murmur also went out to LA to meet Christopher because Christopher was "chipping" (relapsing). While there, Murmur and Christopher tried to intimidate
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...
and robbed
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary ...
of a gift basket she received at an awards ceremony. Murmur later attended Christopher's belated bachelor party at Nuovo Vesuvio and continued to hang out with the crew at Satriale's. Murmur was skeptical of the benefits of Christopher's relationship with fellow addict
Julianna Skiff
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
, warning Christopher that it could be enabling as
codependency
In sociology, codependency is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced relationships where one person enables another person's self-destructive behavior such as addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achiev ...
(to relapse into substance abuse), and of the possibility of Tony finding out about his recent slip at the Feast of St. Elzear. He was also responsible for informing Tony that Phil Leotardo had a heart attack – Tony had warmed to him a little by this point and rewarded him with a club soda. In 2007, in the episode "The Blue Comet," Murmur (unknowingly) informed Paulie and Silvio, by showing them a newspaper article on the murders of two civilians, that Phil Leotardo is still alive and the job to kill him failed because the hitmen had misidentified their target.
*John Cenatiempo as Anthony "Tony Black" Maffei: a soldier in Bobby Baccalieri's crew. Alongside his captain, he collected proceeds from John Stefano's (Joey Perillo) illegal asbestos-dumping
asbestos abatement
In construction, asbestos abatement is a set of procedures designed to control the release of asbestos fibers from asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos abatement is utilized during general construction in areas containing asbestos materials, ...
operation in
Steuben County, New York
Steuben County (stu-BEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American ...
,
Corning, New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...
, and delivered them to Tony Soprano.
*Joe Pucillo as Giuseppe "Beppy" Scerbo: Beppy is an elderly soldier in the Junior Soprano crew, full name Giuseppe Scerbo.
*Sal Ruffino as Charles "Chucky" Signore: Chucky is a soldier in Junior Soprano's crew and a friend of Mikey Palmice. He was taken by surprise at a marina, while in his small runabout Villain III, and killed by Tony when he reveals a hidden gun in a fish he was carrying and shoots Chucky several times in the chest. Tony and
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
take Signore's corpse out on his runabout and dispose of it.
*John Fiore as Gianluigi "Gigi" Cestone: he is involved in the garbage waste business to some capacity and at the time of his death was involved in a very large
freon
Freon ( ) is a registered trademark of the Chemours Company and generic descriptor for a number of halocarbon products. They are stable, nonflammable, low toxicity gases or liquids which have generally been used as refrigerants and as aerosol prope ...
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
in the Junior Soprano crew, defected to Tony Soprano's crew in 2000 after he murdered Philly Parisi (the acting capo of Junior's crew while Junior was incarcerated). The hit was ordered by Tony as revenge for Philly spreading rumors about Tony's mother with regard to Tony and Junior's feud. Gigi was quickly made part of the inner circle of Tony's crew unlike fellow new member Patsy Parisi. Gigi made a final transition in the fall of 2000 when he was promoted to the position of capo over the Aprile crew, following Richie Aprile's "disappearance" making him the only
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
in the DiMeo crime family to serve in three different crews. Ralph Cifaretto was angered as he had hoped to receive the promotion himself. Gigi died in the episode " He Is Risen", after he had a fatal heart attack while constipated on the toilet in his social club. Ralph was subsequently made the captain of the Aprile crew.
*
Paul Herman
Paul Herman (March 29, 1946 – March 29, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for playing Randy in David O. Russell's dramedy '' Silver Linings Playbook'' (2012) and Whispers DiTullio in Martin Scorsese's crime epic ''The Irishman ...
as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta: a former associate of Richie Aprile from Elizabethtown, New Jersey, supervising a drug operation in New Jersey for him. Upon Richie's release from prison, he tracked down Gaeta at his pizza parlor and demanded payment that he allegedly still owed to him. His pizzerias are used by the DiMeo crime family for
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdicti ...
. After Gaeta denied the validity of the debt, Richie first broke a coffee pot over Beansie's head, beat him, and later ran him over with his car, rendering Beansie hospitalized and
paraplegic
Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek ()
"half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
from his injuries (in " Toodle Fucking-Oo"). After this, Beansie began using a wheelchair and moved to
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...
.
*
Anthony J. Ribustello
Anthony J. Ribustello was an American actor and Republican politician. He was best known for his role as Dante Greco, Tony Soprano's driver on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
In April 2009, Ribustello ran for Bronx Borough President as the Rep ...
as Dante "Buddha" Greco: a soldier in the Aprile crew, first seen taking delivery of cigarettes from
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
on his return from
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...
. Dante accompanied Benny Fazio and Terry Doria to look for Vito Spatafore at his goomah's beach house following the revelation that Vito was possibly homosexual. In the final season, Dante had been acting as Tony's personal driver and bodyguard. He was last seen driving Tony and guarding the safe-house door in the final episode, " Made in America".
*
Kevin Interdonato Kevin Interdonato (b. April 5, 1979) is an American actor. He began his career on the East Coast, an Actor known for his work on the rising Indie film scene in NYC, Philadelphia and NJ. From 2001, his Television roles on The Sopranos, Law And Order, ...
as Kevin "Dogsy" Interdonato: an associate/soldier in the Aprile crew. Dogsy helped Vito Spatafore beat up the Soprano family's appraiser on the HUD scam restoring his loyalties to them.
*Raymond Franza as Donald "Donny K." Kafranza: a soldier of the Aprile crew from
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.
. He was first seen in 2000 introducing Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte to Richie Aprile.
* William DeMeo as Jason Molinaro: a member of the Aprile crew.
*Vincent J. Orofino as Bryan Spatafore: he is the younger brother of Vito Spatafore, and partner in Spatafore Bros Construction. Bryan was put into a coma by Mustang Sally, in "
Another Toothpick
"Another Toothpick" is the 31st episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the fifth of the show's third season. It was written by Terence Winter and directed by Jack Bender, and originally aired on March 25, 2001.
Starring
* James Ga ...
", when Sally's girlfriend had turned to him for help after she and Sally had fought, he was beaten mercilessly with a golf club.
*Andrew Davoli as Dino Zerilli: a childhood friend of Jackie Aprile Jr. and partner in crime and an associate in Ralph Cifaretto's crew. He was a classmate of Jackie Jr. at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
. It was his idea to extort protection money from a coffee house at Rutgers and rob the Jewel concert being held at the university, but he was arrested for drug possession and in jail when the robbery was actually pulled. Jackie Jr. and Carlo Renzi feel that Ralph Cifaretto is holding them back from their full potential. He looks up in admiration to
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
who was at that point in time a rising figure in the DiMeo crime family. He was involved in Jackie Jr.'s scheme to rob Eugene Pontecorvo's low-stakes card game to make names for themselves and gain the respect of the higher-level mobsters. They team up with Carlo Renzi, who wields a heavy shotgun. Things do not go their way when "Sunshine" the card dealer gets whacked during the robbery, triggering a barrage of gunshots from both sides. This scuffle leaves Carlo dead and Furio wounded. Dino and Jackie Jr. run for the street, but their getaway wheelman, Matush, had fled out of fear after hearing the gunshots. Jackie boosts an oncoming car and quickly speeds out of the area, leaving Dino to face an angry Christopher Moltisanti and Albert Barese. Dino tries to save himself by mentioning he's with Ralph, but that does not help. Chris and Albert promptly shoot Dino in the face, killing him.
*Richard Maldone as Albert "Ally Boy" Barese: a paternal cousin of Larry Boy Barese; acting capo of the Barese crew when Larry Boy was in jail; soldier in the Barese crew. Larry is involved in
price-fixing
Price fixing is an anticompetitive agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given ...
and bid rigging of waste hauling contracts in New Jersey and New York. In a discussion with Richie Aprile and Tony, Tony says that all the garbage collection routes north of
Frank John Hughes
Frank John Hughes (born November 11, 1967) is an American film and television actor, and screenwriter. Hughes is best known for his portrayals of "Wild Bill" Guarnere in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', Tom Fox in ''Catch Me If Yo ...
as Walden Belfiore: a soldier in the Gervasi crew of the DiMeo Crime Family. He reveals he was named after singer
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music.
He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...
(born Walden Robert Cassotto). Walden was a bodyguard at the safe-house when Tony goes into hiding after the death of Bobby Bacala and the incapacitation of
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
. In the final episode, Benny Fazio and Belfiore locate Phil Leotardo and Belfiore shoots Phil in the head and chest before making a getaway with Fazio.
*Ron Castellano as Terrence "Terry" Doria: a soldier of
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
's crew.
*Artie Pasquale as Burt Gervasi: a younger paternal cousin to
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
and uncle to Carlo's sons Jason and Justin Gervasi. Burt was made a formal member of the Soprano crime family in 2006, at the same time as Phil Leotardo's soldier Gerry Torciano was made a capo in the Lupertazzi family. He lives with his wife Lorraine and toy terrier Spencer. He and Patsy Parisi run the North Ward Emergency Merchants Protective Cooperative: an extortion racket hitting storeowners in New Jersey. As revealed in the episode "The Blue Comet," according to
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
, Burt was eventually swayed to take the side of the Lupertazzi Family and went to Silvio to convince him to go along in a coup d'état, but Silvio instead responded by garroting him to death in his home the next day.
* Robert Desiderio as "Black" Jack Massarone: he is the owner of Massarone Brothers Construction in Fairfield, New Jersey. In 2004, Jack had become a federal informant and wore a wire concealed in a baseball cap to several meetings with Tony. In a discussion between Frank Cubitoso and the District Attorney at FBI headquarters, it is said that Massarone is offering information on the stolen airline tickets case involving Livia Soprano in 2002, the jury-tampering investigation of Junior Soprano's RICO trial, and the Matthew Bevilaqua murder in 2000. But the D.A. tells Cubitoso that even if Massarone and a hundred other snitches were called to testify against Tony Soprano it would not be enough to convict him in a trial. Tony realized something was off when he was tipped off by Patsy Parisi that the FBI had staked out one of his meetings with Massarone at the "Neapolitan Diner" in Fairfield, New Jersey. Raising Tony's suspicions further was the fact that Massarone gave him a framed picture of the
Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...
at that meeting, and later asked him if he had lost weight. Jack was murdered and found in the trunk of his car with a golf club cover stuffed in his mouth.
* Sig Libowitz as Hillel Teittleman: a
Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...
Jew and co-owner of a motel with his brother-in-law Ariel who worked there with his father-in-law. In 1999, his brother-in-law Ariel used his ending marriage to negotiate a share in the Teitlemann's motel. However, Hillel's father Shlomo contracted the Soprano family to intimidate Ariel against Hillel's advice. In 2006, Hillel was involved in Benny Fazio's credit card number scheme – selling card information to Soprano crew associate Murmur.
*Taleb Adlah and Donnie Keshawarz as Ahmed and Muhammad:
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
associates of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. They are frequent customers at the Bada Bing!. They steal money via the Internet with acquired credit card information from customers of various businesses, as per the scam of Christopher and "Murmur". They later seek help from Christopher in purchasing
TEC-9
The Intratec TEC-9, TEC-DC9, KG-99 and AB-10 are a line of blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols. They were developed by Intratec, an American subsidiary of the Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Introduced in 1984, the TEC-9 w ...
semi-automatic pistols, which they claim they need "for a family matter". In the episode "Walk Like a Man," Tony passed their names and Ahmed's cell phone number to the FBI. The FBI agents do not recognize them at first, but later tell Tony they may be involved in
Terrorism financing
Terrorism financing is the provision of funds or providing financial support to individual terrorists or non-state actors.
Most countries have implemented measures to counter terrorism financing (CTF) often as part of their money laundering la ...
. In the series finale "Made in America," Tony passes details of their Mitner First Merchants' Bank to Agent Harris hoping to gain information on Phil Leotardo's location in return.
* Nick Tarabay as Matush Giamona: an ecstasy dealer who has had some association with the Soprano/DiMeo business over the years. He was often found in and around the West Long Branch, New Jersey
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
Crazy Horse nightclub owned by Adriana LaCerva, and initially, Furio and Chris were hostile to him and threw him off the premises. With the reassurance of Jackie Jr., he returned to dealing outside the club and was put in the hospital by Furio, in traction with his jaw wired shut. Chris did not want Matush dealing inside The Crazy Horse because ecstasy was a class A narcotic and would bring the attention of drug task forces. Matush was later recruited as a driver in Jackie Junior's failed robbery of a card game in 2001. He bolted with the car as soon as the robbery went awry leaving Dino Zerilli to be caught and killed and forcing Jackie Jr. to improvise his own escape. In 2004, Matush had returned to dealing at the Crazy Horse – Adriana's drug habit and Furio's disappearance made the club more welcoming. He murdered an upset customer, named Gilbert Nieves, in Adriana's office, and forced her to help him dispose of the body. Another dealer, Kamal, was also involved. This was recorded by FBI surveillance outside and was instrumental in Adriana's attempt to flip Christopher which resulted in her death.
*
Gregory Alan Williams
Gregory Alan Williams (born June 12, 1956) sometimes credited as Gregalan Williams, is an American actor and author. He is best known for portraying LAPD Officer Garner Ellerbee in '' Baywatch''. From 2011 until 2013, Williams portrayed the rol ...
as Reverend Herman James Jr.: he is from
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
and his heritage can be traced back to
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical iss ...
, when his grandfather was a slave on a plantation. His father was
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran and a
United Association
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association (UA), is a labor union which represents workers in the plumbing and pipefit ...
plumber and belonged to the same union as the one they were extorting. Herman arranged a secret deal with Tony, assisting in a shakedown of a Massarone Brothers construction and real estate development company: James organized a group of
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
union plumbers to argue about being paid low wages because of perceived racial
employment discrimination
Employment discrimination is a form of illegal discrimination in the workplace based on legally protected characteristics. In the U.S., federal anti-discrimination law prohibits discrimination by employers against employees based on age, race, ...
by Black Jack Massarone at a job site. The Soprano associates Sean Gismonte, Matt Bevilaqua and Bobby Baccalieri Jr. then attacked with baseball bats, adding drama to the protest and causing a riot. James and Soprano then split the earnings. He is a friend of Assemblyman Ronald Zellman.
* Richard Portnow as Harold Melvoin: he is Junior Soprano's lawyer from 1999 to 2004. Following Junior's arrest on Federal Racketeering charges, Mel allows him to use his office to conduct business as it is one of the few places he is allowed to visit while under house arrest. He allows Junior and Tony to use his office to meet with Angelo Garepe and Lorraine Calluzzo. It is also one of the places that the FBI is not allowed to wiretap. He conducts Junior's defense throughout his first RICO trial and helps Junior with such schemes as hiring an
audio engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction ...
expert witness
An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...
and
sound engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...
minimization expert to dispute what is recorded on the tapes from Green Grove Retirement Home, getting him released from house arrest so he can attend several funerals including Jackie Aprile Sr., Jackie Aprile Jr.,
Bobby Baccalieri Sr.
"Another Toothpick" is the 31st episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the fifth of the show's third season. It was written by Terence Winter and directed by Jack Bender, and originally aired on March 25, 2001.
Starring
* James Ga ...
benign
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
malignant
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
growth on Junior's body to get him a
compassionate release
Compassionate release is a process by which inmates in criminal justice systems may be eligible for immediate early release on grounds of "particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by t ...
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 20 ...
has affected his
cognitive ability
Cognitive skills, also called cognitive functions, cognitive abilities or cognitive capacities, are brain-based skills which are needed in acquisition of knowledge, manipulation of information and reasoning. They have more to do with the mechanisms ...
to stand trial. Hal charges Junior $1,000,000 for his RICO trial. Following his stroke, it is predicted that it will be nine months to a year before he will be able to work a full schedule again and that they will have to postpone Junior's trial. After having a stroke that affects his ability to speak, Melvoin is fired by Junior, who considers his attorney's weakened condition a reminder of his own mortality.
*
David Margulies
David Joseph Margulies (February 19, 1937 – January 11, 2016) was an American actor.
Early life
Margulies was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Runya ('' née'' Zeltzer), a nurse and museum employee, and Harry David Margulies, a ...
as Neil Mink: he is Tony Soprano's lawyer. He advises Tony to stay off the street and distance himself from the day-to-day work of his crew – this contributes to Tony's insulating himself by communicating through closely trusted friends whenever possible. He also advises Tony to spend more time in his legitimate businesses, such as Barone Sanitation, instead of the Bada Bing. When Janice Soprano attacks another soccer mom at Sophia Baccalieri's soccer game in
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.
at Summit Avenue Park in The Palisades, Janice wants to sue the Essex County Sheriff's Office for
wrongful arrest
False arrest, Unlawful arrest or Wrongful arrest is a common law tort, where a plaintiff alleges they were held in custody without probable cause, or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. Although it is possible to sue ...
. But Tony demands that Janice see Neil and plea the charges down so as to not increase media attention and not make it a
cause célèbre
A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...
. In the final episode, " Made in America", Mink informs Tony that the government most likely will indict him on federal weapons charges stemming from the arrest made in "
Soprano Home Movies
"Soprano Home Movies" is the 78th episode
of the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and the 13th episode of the sixth season. It served as the midseason premiere to the second part of Season 6, which HBO broadcast in two parts.
The epi ...
" at the beginning of the season, and it is strongly implied that he could consequently be facing a prison sentence for
Criminal possession of a weapon
Criminal possession of a weapon is the unlawful possession of a weapon by an individual.
Many societies both past and present have placed restrictions on what forms of weaponry private citizens (and to a lesser extent police) are allowed to purc ...
. He also says that the
Essex County Prosecutor's Office
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office (ECPO) is the largest and busiest county prosecutor's office in the State of New Jersey. It consists of approximately 140 assistant prosecutors (attorneys at law), 160 detectives licensed to carry arms, and 1 ...
has a witness testifying for a
grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
, but whose identity is unknown, although it is believed to be
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
.
*
Peter Riegert
Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in ''Animal House'' (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in '' Local Hero'' (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner in '' ...
as Ronald Zellman: an Assemblyman (member of the lower
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
Four Corners (Newark)
The Four Corners Historic District is the intersection of Broad and Market streets in Newark, New Jersey. It is the site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown Newark that at one time was considered the busiest intersection ...
,
Five Corners, Newark
The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was cal ...
,
Gateway Center (Newark)
The Gateway Center is a commercial complex in Newark, New Jersey. Located downtown just west of Newark Penn Station between Raymond Boulevard and Market Street; McCarter Highway runs through the complex. Skyways and pedestrian malls interconnect ...
and
The Ironbound
The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was call ...
and acted as a political operative on behalf of the Soprano crime family. He aided them in securing the Esplanade
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
construction contract and the mixed commercial real estate and condominium development at
Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...
that was developed by Black Jack Massarone. Zellman was a friend of the Reverend Herman James Jr. and helped Tony set up the HUD scam by introducing him to Maurice Tiffen, a friend of Zellman's from his days at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. His influence later allowed A.J. to be released from police custody, with no charges filed, following his failed attempt to kill his great-uncle Junior, in the Wycoff Rehabilitation Clinic in
Wyckoff, New Jersey
Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585. At the time of the 2010 census, the township's population was 16,696, reflecting an increase of ...
.
Lupertazzi crime family
*
Patti D'Arbanville
Patricia D'Arbanville is an American actress known for her appearance in Andy Warhol projects.
Career
After ''Flesh'', D'Arbanville performed in Warhol's '' L'Amour'' (1973), and as the title character in the David Hamilton film '' Bilitis'' ...
as Lorraine Calluzzo: an associate of the Lupertazzi crime family, known as "the lady
shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...
second cousin
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, " ...
. Phil Leotardo roughed her up and even shot at her (using a telephone directory to stop the bullet) during a shakedown, warning her to stop cutting in Little Carmine. Lorraine sought a sit down with Tony Soprano through Angelo Garepe to ask him to intercede in the Lupertazzi infighting. During a sit-down, Christopher suggests that John asks for a share of Little Carmine's nightclub businesses in
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard.
This area was the ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
and let him keep Lorraine under his crew, something John turns down saying if he wanted Little Carmine's businesses he'd move to Miami. Tony suggests that John Sacrimoni, Angelo Garepe, and Phil Leotardo operate the family under a
triumvirate
A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...
to help keep the peace with Lorraine because Carmine Sr. did not name a successor. Lorraine and her lover are eventually murdered at her home by Phil, his brother William "Billy" Leotardo, and associate Joseph "Joey Peeps" Peparelli.
*Michael DeNigris as Charles "Chucky" Cinelli: he is the owner of Cinelli Sanitation – the Lupertazzi crime family's waste management front in
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...
where John Sacramoni works. He was involved in a dispute with Jason Barone over
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
-based Barone Sanitation following the death of Dick Barone in 2006 which ended with his buying the company and merging. While going over the payroll he finds discrepancies with consultant Tony Soprano, Paulie Gualtieri, and Johnny Sack, but is told to mind his own business by a savvy employee who is in the know. Cinelli agrees (as dictated to by John Sacrimoni) to keep Tony Soprano employed until 2009 (this is later extended to 2015) as a waste management consultant and to keep his
health insurance
Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
package and
Form W-2
Form W-2 (officially, the "Wage and Tax Statement") is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax form used in the United States to report wages paid to employees and the taxes withheld from them. Employers must complete a Form W-2 for each employee ...
, plus 5% (later increased to 12%) of Barone Sanitation sale price, in exchange to give up his share of skimming profits ($2,000 a month), and that Cinelli leases him a new car. A Barone Sanitation employee is badly beaten by mob-associated Cinelli Sanitation workers over the dispute. John Sacrimoni is on the payroll as a waste management consultant at Cinelli Sanitation, even after his incarceration. Jason tries to convince Charles to compensate Tony Soprano and Paulie Gualtieri in the sale of Barone Sanitation, something that Cinelli is adamant against, telling Jason it could come out of his end. Jason tells Chuckie that he wants to redefine the deal and open up the sale to other potential buyers.
*Armen Garo as Salvatore "Coco" Cogliano: he is a soldier in the Lupertazzi crime family. While inebriated from drinking
Sambuca
Sambuca () is an Italian anise-flavoured, usually colourless, liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as ''white sambuca'' to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue (''black sambuca'') or bright red (''red sambuc ...
with Albie Cianflone, he makes aggressively lewd remarks to Meadow Soprano while she is on a dinner date with
Patrick Parisi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
(son of Patsy Parisi) in
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
. Shortly after the date, Meadow tells Tony of the incident but he brushes it off as
public intoxication
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in some countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness. Public intoxication laws vary widely by jurisdiction, but usually require an ...
pistol-whip
Pistol-whipping or buffaloing is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as an improvised club. Such a practice dates to the time of muzzle loaders, which were brandished in such fashion in close-quarters combat once the wea ...
s and
curb-stomp
A curb stomp, also called curbing, curb checking, curb painting, or making someone bite the curb is a form of assault in which a victim's mouth is forcefully placed on a curb and then stomped from behind, causing severe injuries and sometimes dea ...
s him in his restaurant, knocking his teeth out in the presence of Butch DeConcini. This leads Phil Leotardo to shut down a
United Association
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association (UA), is a labor union which represents workers in the plumbing and pipefit ...
plumber's strike, for which Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. has the
scaffolding
Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely use ...
contract. Carmine Jr. says that in attacking Coco he was being prudent. Carmine Jr. brokers a meeting with Butch DeConcini and Phil and offers Phil a palette of
Makita
() is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools. Founded on March 21, 1915, it is based in Anjō, Japan and operates factories in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Romania, the United Kingdom, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Canada and the U ...
drills as a peace offering over the attack on Coco. Phil mentions the attack on Salvatore, the
forced disappearance
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
and murder of Dominick Gamiello in "Cold Stones" and the murder of his brother Billy Leotardo in "Long Term Parking" as a reason to murder the entire upper management of the DiMeo crime family. Butchie says that "Coco" is an okay guy which suggests that he has good standing in the Lupertazzi crime family, but Tony suggests that, possibly, he is a borderline alcoholic. His name could have been taken from former
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...
Carmine Tramunti
Carmine Paul "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti (October 1, 1910 – October 15, 1978) was an Italian-born American mobster who was the boss of the Lucchese crime family.
Biography
Operating in Harlem
Carmine Paul Tramunti was born October 1, 1910, in Napl ...
.
*Dominic Chianese Jr. as Dominic: he is a member of the Lupertazzi crime family.
*Frank Fortunato as Jason Evanina: he is a partner of Lorraine Calluzzo. During the infighting following boss Carmine Lupertazzi's death, Lorraine kicked up to Little Carmine. When Lorraine does not comply with Phil Leotardo's orders, Phil returns with Billy Leotardo and Joe Peeps. Jason is killed off-screen, as Lorraine tries to escape, she is killed by Billy not far from where she discovers Jason's dead body.
*Tony Cucci as Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamiello: he is a
made man
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...
of the Lupertazzi crime family under Phil Leotardo. Gamiello joined with Gerry Torciano in murdering Vito in a hotel in Fort Lee, New Jersey because of Vito's homosexuality, while Leotardo watched. He commented to Phil Leotardo that Vito was "a disgrace" to organized crime. He runs a high-stakes card game in
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Aven ...
. Later, Dom visited Satriale's to deliver money to
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
and Carlo Gervasi. Although Fat Dom starts passive-aggressively insulting Vito and crudely implies that Gervasi is homosexual, Silvio silenced him with a blow to the back of the head with a
dustbuster
The Black & Decker DustBuster (now stylized as DUSTBUSTER) is a cordless vacuum cleaner that was introduced in January 1979.
Mark Proett and Carroll Gantz are listed as the inventors on the utility and design patents, respectively, assigned to B ...
. Silvio told Carlo to just "hit him" but Carlo repeatedly and fatally stabbed Dominic in the stomach with a butcher knife. Dominic's murder infuriated Tony Soprano and Silvio and Carlo closed Satriale's to dispose of the body. Carlo and Silvio first planned to dismember his body but finally decided to bury it at a construction site and ditch the car somewhere along the
U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a United States highway which parallels the East Coast of the United States, running from Key West, Florida in the south to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canada, Canadian border in the north. Of the entire length of the route, ...
. They
decapitate
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
Dom off-screen when dismembering his corpse. Carlo was seen disposing of Dom's severed head (which he was keeping in a
deep freezer
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
at his house on the Jersey Shore) at the beginning of the next episode, by shoving it down a storm drain along
Connecticut Route 3
Route 3 is a route connecting Middletown to the Glastonbury-East Hartford town line. It passes through the towns of Cromwell, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Glastonbury. The northernmost of Route 3 is an expressway that was original ...
.
*
Joe Santos
Joe Santos (born Joseph John Minieri Jr.; June 9, 1931 – March 18, 2016) was an American film and television actor, best known as Sgt. Dennis Becker (later Lieutenant), the friend of James Garner's character on the NBC crime drama ''The R ...
as Angelo Garepe: he is
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
to Carmine Lupertazzi for 30 years (1956 to 1986) before his incarceration at
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a medium security U.S. penitentiary with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Unite ...
where he served 18 years. Infighting occurred amongst the members of the Lupertazzi crime family following Carmine's death. Angelo chose Little Carmine's side along with capoRusty Millio. During the infighting, Angelo recruited his old friend, Tony Blundetto, to murder Joseph "Joey Peeps" Peparelli—an associate of Johnny Sack and member of Phil Leotardo's crew. Following this, Phil and his brother, Billy Leotardo, killed Angelo. Angelo's murder had two major repercussions—it caused Little Carmine to forfeit, making Johnny Sack the undisputed successor to Carmine, Sr. It also provoked Tony Blundetto to pursue the Leotardos, shooting and killing Billy Leotardo while wounding Phil. This nearly started a war between the New York and New Jersey crews, and anger from this conflict remained until the conclusion of ''The Sopranos''.
*Lou Martini, Jr. as Anthony Infante: he is Ginny Sacrimoni's brother and Johnny Sack's brother-in-law. Infante is an
optometrist
Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care.
In the Uni ...
, but also serves as a reluctant back-channel through which Tony Soprano and Johnny Sack communicates while Johnny is in federal detention.
*Greg D'Agostino as Jimmy Lauria: he is an associate of the
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
Leotardo crew. Takes part in the
beat down
Beat Down is a song by music producers Steve Aoki and Angger Dimas, featuring vocals from Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. The song was included on the re-release of Aoki's debut studio album, entitled '' Wonderland (Remixed)'', which was release ...
on Hesh's son-in-law Eli in Mill Basin, Brooklyn with Gerry Torciano. Phil thought that Eli was an independent loanshark who was lending out money without making payments to Gerry. Later attends the meeting with Tony, Hesh, Phil Leotardo and Gerry Torciano to make restitution for Hesh's son-in-law's injuries from a
hit and run
In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions.
Additional obligation
In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
that happened when Eli tried to run from Jimmy and Gerry. They agree to pay $50,000 for pain and suffering.
*Chris Caldovino as William "Billy" Leotardo: he was a soldier in Phil Leotardo's
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
crew and Phil's younger brother. Billy killed Lorraine Calluzzo and Jason Evanina with his friend
Joe Peeps
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
. Following Carmine Lupertazzi's death, a power struggle between Johnny Sack and Little Carmine ensued. One side was led by Carmine's underboss, Johnny Sack, while the other was ostensibly led by Carmine's son and Miami capo, "Little Carmine" Lupertazzi. Joe Peeps was killed soon after and Billy took part in the response – a hit on Angelo Garepe in "The Test Dream". Billy himself was killed in "All Due Respect," by Tony Blundetto in revenge for the death of his friend Angelo, causing lasting distress to his brother Phil, who was wounded in the attack. He is cremated and his urn is kept on a shelf behind the bar of Phil Leotardo's Little Italy social club.
*
Joe Maruzzo Joe Maruzzo is an American actor known for his roles in ''Unsub'', ''The Sopranos'', ''The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and ...
as Joseph "Joey Peeps" Peparelli: he is an associate in Phil Leotardo's crew and an aide-de-camp to Johnny Sack, often going to high-level sit-downs with him. Joey had contacted an Asian hitman "Jerry from
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
" that Johnny ordered to kill Ralph in
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...
, and subsequently tells the hitman to call off the murder when Johnny decides against it, agreeing to pay him half for his trouble. During the infighting amongst the Lupertazzi crime family, Joey and Billy Leotardo kill lady shylock Lorraine Calluzzo, and her partner Jason Evanina, for kicking payments up to Little Carmine instead of to Johnny Sack. In retaliation, Soprano family member Tony Blundetto is hired for a hit on Joey, who is shot to death along with a prostitute in the front seat of his
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to ...
when leaving a Manhattan
brothel
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...
that he collects protection money from. At Joey's funeral, Tony Soprano is aghast that his crew had a formal headstone carved with the name "Peeps," instead of his proper surname "Peparelli."
*
Vinny Vella
Vincent Frank Vella (January 11, 1947 – February 20, 2019) was an American actor, talk show host and comedian. He acted in more than forty films often in the role of a gangster. He was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorses ...
as James "Jimmy" Petrille: he is a friend of Johnny Sack's from Brooklyn who became his
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
once Johnny took over as boss of the family. When Billy Leotardo is shot dead by Tony Blundetto, Jimmy is the one that calls Tony Soprano and tells him. Later, he sits in on one of the discussions with Tony and Phil over the Tony Blundetto situation and tells Phil that he gets emotional when he drinks wine. He is also the one that notifies Tony Soprano by telephone from a deli in
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...
in code that John Sacrimoni took over the reign of the family from Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. in a bloodless coup. However, it is revealed in " All Due Respect" that Petrille had been a cooperating witness with the FBI and gave up information on transport truck hijacking and drug dealing going back to Sacrimoni's criminal activities in 1981, which was instrumental in Johnny's arrest by the
Brooklyn District Attorney
The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the District attorney, district attorney's office for Kings County, New York, Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of Brooklyn, in New Yo ...
and the FBI.
*Nick Annunziata as Eddie Pietro: he is a soldier in Rusty Millio's crew and his right-hand man. Eddie was shot in the head multiple times alongside Rusty by Italo and Salvatore while backing out of Rusty's driveway.
*Daniel P. Conte as Faustino "Doc" Santoro: he is an aging Mustache Pete in the Lupertazzi crime family. Santoro ordered a hit on Gerry Torciano. Torciano was the perceived successor to Phil Leotardo. Doc had him brazenly murdered while he ate dinner with
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
. Phil avenges his long-felt humiliations and has Doc murdered, along with his bodyguard, outside a massage parlor and brothel in
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown () is a Neighborhoods in Manhattan, neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy, Manhattan, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center to its ...
, cementing his own claim to be the boss. One of the gunmen shoots out Santoro's right eye. Butch DeConcini is one of the getaway drivers. Tony Soprano and the crew learn of Santoro's murder from watching a televised news report at the Bada Bing.
*John Bianco as Gerardo "Gerry The Hairdo" Torciano: he was a protégé of Phil Leotardo. Torciano and
Jimmy Lauria
Jimmy may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy
* ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma
* ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...
got into an altercation with Hesh Rabkin and his son-in-law Eli over extortion money collections being done on the crew's territory in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. Torciano's men burned them out of his car, beat up Eli, and slugged Rabkin. As Eli fled he was hit by a taxi cab in a
hit and run
In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions.
Additional obligation
In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
and hospitalized. Later, Torciano apologized to Tony, claiming that he thought Eli was a civilian, and paid Eli $50,000 in restitution for his injuries. He was made official captain in 2006. Dominick "Fat Dom" Gamiello and Torciano murdered Vito Spatafore in his motel room while Leotardo watched. When Santoro took over from Sacrimoni, Gerry told Silvio Dante that he was surprised that Phil Leotardo seemed to have lost his drive to become boss of the Lupertazzi family. On April 15, 2007, Gerry died at the hands of a hitman (on orders from Faustino "Doc" Santoro) in a
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York restaurant while dining with Soprano family consigliere
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
who was used as a diversion and their respective dates. John Sacrimoni hears about Gerry's death from an orderly in the prison hospital.
*John "Cha-Cha" Ciarcia as Albert "Albie" Cianflone: he is the reputed
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
to Phil Leotardo. Albie is a former
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
in the Leotardo crew and has worked for Phil Leotardo since the 1980s. After Johnny Sack was arrested and indicted on various charges, Phil was promoted to acting boss, and Albie was made new consigliere. Albie helped mediate the Barone Sanitation dispute with the Soprano crime family. Alongside newly made underboss Butch DeConcini, Albie was one of Phil's most trusted advisors and confidants. After Phil hatches the plot to kill the entire regime of the Soprano crime family, Albie first protests in shock that taking out an entire family is impossible, however, he later agrees with Phil's decision. Along with Butch, Albie plans the executions of Tony Soprano,
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
, Little Carmine, Butch DeConcini, and George Paglieri, in New York, where the Lupertazzis agree to end their war with the Sopranos.
Islamabad, Pakistan
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
. Along with Harris, he approached Tony at his home, requesting that Tony inform them should he come across any terror-related information in his line of work with his connections at the
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
It includes the system of navigable wate ...
.
*
Frank Pando
Frank Pando is an American actor. Pando's screen acting career debuted in 1999 in the TV series ''The Sopranos'' as Agent Frank Grasso. He has since acted in several television shows, movies, and plays, including roles as policemen in '' The Vi ...
as Frank Grasso: he is an FBI agent who was with the Newark FBI Organized Crime Division Task Force with an office in 11 Center Place
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
. He handled mob capo and
informant
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
Raymond Curto who was planning to have him testify as a cooperating witness against Tony Soprano and Ralph Cifaretto among others. During a raid on the
North Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
Soprano residence, Grasso broke a bowl from the kitchen refrigerator. Immediately after, he and Tony developed a grudge when Tony noted his last name and insulted him in Italian. He is an homage to famous New York City Detective
Sonny Grosso
Salvatore Anthony Grosso (July 21, 1930 – January 22, 2020), known as Sonny Grosso, was an American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective, noted for his role in the case made famous in the book and film versions of the ''French ...
who helped reveal the
French Connection
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada, sometimes through Cuba. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and ...
. Tony says that if it weren't for Grasso's last name they'd have him sweeping up at the office, and implies that the other FBI agents probably search him before he leaves work to go home every day. Tony thinks that Grasso is arresting "his own people", fellow Italian-Americans, to get promoted.
* Karen Young as Robyn Sanseverino: she is an FBI agent who handled Adriana La Cerva after she became very resentful against Agent Ciccerone. She also handled capo
Raymond Curto
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
just before his death from natural causes. Adriana blames her
ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and a ...
on the pressure being placed on her to be a cooperating witness by Robyn and the FBI. She hints to Adriana that Richie Aprile and
Pussy Bonpensiero
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
are dead and not in the
Witness Protection Program
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
, despite what Tony Soprano and the others say.
*
Lola Glaudini
Lola Glaudini (born November 24, 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Elle Greenaway on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' and for her role as Deborah Ciccerone-Waldrup on HBO's ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Glaudini was bo ...
as Deborah Ciccerone-Waldrup: she is a special agent who went undercover as "Danielle Ciccolella from
Whippany, New Jersey
Whippany is a unincorporated community located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area. Whippanong meant "place ...
" to befriend Adriana in order to uncover information about Christopher Moltisanti's relationship with Tony Soprano. She is married to FBI Special Agent Mike Waldrup and has a child with him. She poses as a wealthy woman and makes contact with Adriana in a
Nutley, New Jersey
Nutley is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 30,143.
What is now Nutley was originally incorporated as Franklin Township by an act of the New Jersey Legisla ...
dress shop. Her usefulness as an undercover agent ended after four and a half months when Christopher tried to seduce her, causing Adriana to break off their friendship. However, Deborah did uncover drug use at Adriana's club which the FBI hangs over her head to motivate her to become an informant. She later meets Adriana at a bakery in
East Hanover Township, New Jersey
East Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 11,157, reflecting a decline of 236 (−2.1%) from the 11,393 counted in the 2000 Census, whic ...
after her Danielle identity is dropped. Tony later asked Adriana about her friend Danielle, and she awkwardly tells him that she drowned, hence her disappearance. In the episode "
Long Term Parking
"Long Term Parking" is the 64th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the 12th of the show's fifth season. Written by Terence Winter and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on May 23, 2004.
Starring
* James Gandolf ...
," Adriana finally tells Christopher about Danielle's true identity, after revealing her own involvement with the FBI to him. The first appearance of Deborah Ciccerone in " Army of One" was initially aired with
Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Influential in popular culture, Balk is known for her portrayals of distinctive " goth-girl" characters, often with a dark edge. She has appeared in numerous in ...
in the role until she was recast, and the scene replaced with Glaudini.
Rae Allen
Rae may refer to:
People
*Rae (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Rae (surname), including a list of people with the surname Nicknames for
*Rachel (given name)
* Rachelle
*Raquel
*Raven (given name)
*Reema
* Reena (di ...
as Quintina Pollio Blundetto: she is
Livia
Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14.
Livia was the ...
's younger sister and had been married to Al Blundetto, a widow, and the mother of Tony Blundetto.
*
Matthew Del Negro
Matthew Del Negro (born August 2, 1972) is an American actor.
Life and career
Matthew Del Negro was born in Mount Kisco, New York, as the youngest of three children. He grew up in Westchester County. He is a graduate of Boston College, where h ...
as Brian Cammarata: he is Carmela's cousin and a financial advisor.
*
Nicole Burdette
Nicole Maria Burdette (born December 24, 1963) is an American playwright and actress. She is also an assistant professor at The New School for Drama.
Early life and education
Burdette was born in San Francisco, the first of two children of Elle ...
and Danielle Di Vecchio as Barbara Soprano Giglione: she is the youngest child of
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
and Livia Soprano, and sister of Tony and Janice.
*Ed Vassallo as Thomas Giglione Sr.: he is Barbara's husband and Tony and Janice's brother-in-law.
*Harpo "Hal" is an
unseen character
An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...
: he is the estranged
Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
-
French Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
,
Quebec French
Quebec French (french: français québécois ), also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in educa ...
speaking son of
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. In ''The Sopranos'', Janice is portrayed by Aida Turturro who’s the eldest sibling of the ...
born in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
. Janice said he was named after the song "Harpo's Blues" by
Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited g ...
. His father, a French-Canadian from
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
named Eugene, took him back to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and Janice states that she tried to petition the State Department to have him returned to her. He did not see much of his mother Janice. Janice attempted to send Harpo to military school in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.step-brother until Tony brought it up during a family dinner. In the episode "Proshai, Livushka," Janice mentions that Harpo had become homeless when Tony proposes flying him in for Livia's funeral. In season 5, she says she mentioned Harpo to Bobby once, but that the topic of him is never brought up in the family again. She tells Tony that he now goes by "Hal" instead of "Harpo."
*Nancy Cassaro (one episode, 2000) and Marianne Leone Cooper (2002–2007) as Joanne Blundetto Moltisanti: she is the widow of Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti and the mother of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
.
*Ariel Kiley as Tracee: she is a 20-year-old stripper who worked at the Bada Bing. She had a son Daniel, who was taken by Child Protective Services after she burnt him with cigarettes. She later began a relationship with Ralph Cifaretto and got pregnant with his child. She contemplated having an abortion. Tracee later met Ralph at the Bada Bing lounge, where she insulted him in front of the other associates and capos. Ralph followed her out to the deserted parking lot, where he teased her into thinking he would actually marry and support her. He then abruptly changed his tone and gleefully made snide remarks that her daughter would end up as a "cocksucking slob" just like her. Outraged, Tracee slapped him and insulted his masculinity, which led to Ralph brutally beating her to death. An enraged Tony assaulted Ralph due to his "disrespect of the Bing".
*
Alla Kliouka Schaffer
Alla Kliouka (born 18 February 1970) is a Belarusian-Russian actress best known for her role as Svetlana Kirilenko on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She was previously married to Ken Schaffer Ken Schaffer is an American inventor and former pub ...
as Svetlana Kirilenko: she is a cousin of Tony's ex-mistress, Irina, and is manager of a home health/nursing business. During her childhood, Svetlana developed an
osteosarcoma
An osteosarcoma (OS) or osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) (or simply bone cancer) is a cancerous tumor in a bone. Specifically, it is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that arises from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin (and thus a sarcoma) a ...
in her leg, which had to be amputated soon afterward. Svetlana's first appearance is after Tony's breakup with Irina; Svetlana contacts Tony after Irina's suicide attempt. Shortly thereafter she appears as the last in a series of home health nurses the Sopranos hire to care for Livia Soprano, after her primary caregiver and daughter, Janice, suddenly flees town in the aftermath of Richie Aprile's death. After Livia dies, Tony allows Svetlana to continue living in Livia's house, until she can find her own place to live. She later works as a temporary replacement for Uncle Junior's nurse, Branca (who works for her), after he falls at the courthouse. One afternoon while Uncle Junior is asleep, Tony has sex with Svetlana on Junior's sofa. Irina soon finds out about this and informs Carmela about the affair, prompting Carmela's violent confrontation of Tony and their ultimate separation.
*
Leslie Bega
Leslie Rae Bega (born April 17, 1967) is an American former actress.
Early life and education
Bega was born in Los Angeles to a Sephardi Jewish father and Russian Jewish mother. Her paternal grandparents came to the United States from Spain. ...
as Valentina La Paz: she was Tony's mistress during seasons 4 and 5. She is of
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
and Italian-Americans, Italian descent. She was originally Ralph Cifaretto's girlfriend but was drawn to Tony after they met at Hesh's horse stable. The following day, Tony and Valentina have sex in a hotel room. Subsequently, after not being able to bear any more of Ralph's wikt:masochistic, masochistic inclinations, she breaks up with Ralph and begins dating Tony exclusively, which Tony later reveals to Ralph. As Ralph is rather preoccupied at that time with his son Justin's severe medical condition, he shrugs it off and is seemingly indifferent about it. In the Season Five episode " The Test Dream", after she pushes Tony to make a decision about staying with his wife or being committed to her, her robe catches fire while trying to cook for Tony. Tony quickly extinguishes the fire, but Valentina sustains second degree burns on her scalp. Although it is soon discovered that Valentina will fully heal from the wounds without the need for skin grafts or any scarring, Tony breaks the news to her that he is going back to Carmela. He tells her that he will pay for the doctor's bills and also pay for a wig for her to wear until her hair grows back.
*Julianna Margulies as Julianna Skiff: she was a realtor working for Century 21 Real Estate, Century 21 and trying to purchase a building owned by Tony, Caputo's Poultry, around the corner from Satriale's, for $330,000. It is a poultry hatchery that the prospective buyers want to turn into a Jamba Juice. She was persistent in pursuing the deal, contacting Tony at Satriale's and the Bada Bing and over the phone. At the Bada Bing, Tony seduced Julianna but she told him she was going to exercise self-control and decline because she was engaged. Despite Tony's initial misgivings, her third offer was high enough for him to accept the deal. Tony met her at her home to sign the papers, and they started kissing and began to undress one another, but Tony abruptly ends the encounter and walks out. Following her rejection by Tony, Julianna went to an AA meeting. There she met
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
who was also in attendance and who remembered her from when she first approached Tony at Satriale's. He introduced himself after the meeting and invited her for coffee, which prompted the beginning of an extramarital affair. Tony reinitiated his pursuit of Julianna when they met to close the Caputo's Poultry real estate deal and she was initially polite in declining any further contact with him. Ignoring warnings from both of their sponsors that Christopher and Julianna's relationship would be enabling for the two recovering addicts, they began smoking
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...
together.
*David Strathairn as Robert Wegler: he is AJ's guidance counselor who had a sexual relationship with
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
while she was separated from her husband Tony. Carmela discussed AJ's ADHD with Robert. Wegler later ends the relationship after he feels that Carmela was sexually manipulating him to improve AJ's college prospects by getting his English teacher to give him a higher grade.
*Turk Pipkin as Aaron Arkaway: is a singer, songwriter, and keyboardist boyfriend of Janice Soprano in 2001. Aaron was a devout evangelical Christian.
*Robert LuPone as Dr. Bruce Cusamano: he is Tony Soprano's neighbor and family physician in
North Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
. He once invited Tony to play golf with him and some friends but Tony was annoyed that they only seemed interested in his mafia stories and if he ever met John Gotti, head of the
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as th ...
. Tony later pranked Bruce by asking him to hold onto a package filled with sand for him, for an unspecified length of time, without telling Bruce what was in it. Bruce and his wife were tempted to open the package but terrified to know what it held. Heroin or a gun were their guesses.
*Saundra Santiago as Jeannie Cusamano: she is Dr. Cusamano's wife who is a stay-at-home mom in
North Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
. She is a neighbor of Carmela, but embarrassed and intimidated by the Soprano family's mafia connections. In "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano", Tony told Dr. Melfi he had fantasized about Jeannie during a dream. She helps get Carmela's daughter Meadow a recommendation letter for her Georgetown application through her identical twin sister, Joan, who is an alumna. Joan is also played by Saundra Santiago.
*Robert Patrick as David Scatino: Having lived in New Mexico until age 11 and having spent years in the famous casino town of Baden-Baden, Germany, he was a friend of Tony Soprano and Artie Bucco from tenth grade on. He runs the local sporting goods store, Ramsey Sports and Outdoors, which his wife had inherited from her father. His son, Eric, was a good friend of
Meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
. Reluctantly, Tony allowed David to participate in a high-stakes
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game wa ...
game with full knowledge that he did not have the financial assets or poker savvy to win or break even. David quickly became heavily indebted to Tony. Tony took over his business and took David's son's car as a down payment. The car was given to Meadow, but she quickly rejected it when she realized it once belonged to her friend. David loses his business and life savings, including his son's college fund. His wife also divorces him, and he moves west to work on a ranch grazing livestock near Las Vegas. Meadow later reveals that David currently resides in a mental health facility in Nevada.
*Angelo Massagli as Robert "Bobby" Baccalieri III: he is the son of Bobby Bacala and Karen Baccalieri, brother of Sophia Baccalieri.
*Lexie Sperduto (2002) and Miryam Coppersmith (2004–2007) as Sophia Baccalieri: she is the daughter of Bobby and Karen Baccalieri, sister of Bobby Baccalieri III.
*Dennis Aloia (Justin) Kevin Aloia (Jason) as Jason and Justin Blundetto: are Tony Blundetto's
identical twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...
sons he had with Nancy.
*Dane Curley as Justin Cifaretto: he is the son of Ralph Cifaretto. He is impalement, impaled with a bow and arrow while playing with a friend. Ralph became very distraught over his son's serious injury. It is implied that Ralph had arranged to have the stables which held his and Tony's prized racehorse Pie-O-My, set ablaze to receive insurance money to pay for his son's hospital bills, although Ralph denies this when Tony confronts him. Justin does not fully recover from the hospital before his father's murder and subsequent disappearance. When Tony visits Ralph after the stable fire though, Ralph mentions that only Justin's speech will be affected and that he will have to learn how to talk again.
*Joseph Perrino as Jason Gervasi: he is the son of Soprano capo
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
. He is in a fraternity and is seen in the second half of season 6 participating in a sports gambling ring at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, along with Patsy Parisi's youngest son, also named Jason. In the series finale, Jason Gervasi is arrested for selling ecstasy, forcing his father to turn against Tony Soprano and cut a deal with the FBI.
*Frances Ensemplare as Marianucci "Nucci" Gualtieri: she is introduced as
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
's elderly mother who is very nervous and protective of her son. She has two sisters, Dorothy (Dottie) and Mary. When Paulie was younger, Nucci was always there to bail him out of jail. Paulie put Nucci in the Green Grove retirement home in Verona, New Jersey. Unlike Tony's mother though, Nucci was grateful for Paulie for doing this for her. However, her old friends, Cookie Cirillo and Minn Matrone, were far from friendly and tried to exclude her from social activities. To avenge his mother's honor, Paulie sent Benny Fazio, Benny and her grandson Little Paulie Germani, Little Paulie to badly beat Cookie's son, after which the two were forced to include her. Paulie later murdered Minn Matrone for her money. Paulie learns from his aunt Dottie, a nun, on her deathbed that she is his biological mother and that Nucci adopted him to hide the scandal. When Paulie hears this, he cuts off all contact with both of them, refusing to attend Dottie's funeral or pay for Nucci's accommodation at Green Grove. Later, Paulie visited her at Green Grove (now paid for by her biological son) and they had a silent reconciliation. In the episode "Kennedy and Heidi", she died on a chartered bus of a stroke while returning from a production of ''Jersey Boys, The Jersey Boys'', however, her funeral was poorly attended, as a majority of the people went to
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's concurrent funeral, much to Paulie's ire as he felt Christopher always out-shined him in life, and even manages it in death.
*Michele Santopietro as JoJo Palmice: she is the wife of Mikey Palmice.
*Anna Mancini (and Donna Pescow in "Made in America") as Donna Parisi: she is married to longtime Soprano soldier Pasquale "Patsy" Parisi and sister-in-law to Phillip Parisi.
*Michael Drayer as Jason Parisi: he is the younger son of Donna and Patsy Parisi and nephew of Phillip "Philly Spoons" Parisi. He is seen in the second half of Season 6, participating in an elusive professional sportsbook gambling ring and extorting an on-campus coffee house for protection money at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, along with
Carlo Gervasi
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...
's son, also named Jason. In "Made in America" it is said that Jason is arrested for selling ecstasy.
*Suzanne DiDonna as Deanna Pontecorvo: she is the wife of Eugene Pontecorvo who pushes for a move to Florida, but when the move is not granted by Tony Soprano, Eugene kills himself.
*Elizabeth Bracco as Marie Spatafore: she is married to Vito Spatafore and mother of their two children, Vito Jr. and Francesca, who live in Belleville, New Jersey. Marie is loyal to her husband even after his
homosexuality
Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...
is discovered. When Vito was killed, Marie, now widowed, was distraught again, insisting to Phil that Vito was a good father and a good man. After the murder of his father for his homosexuality, Vito Jr. became increasingly isolated and hostile and started to dress and hang around with kids in the Gothic subculture. Both Tony and Phil sat down with Vito Jr. trying to set him straight, but he continued to act out. He is forced into a boot camp for delinquents in
Boise County, Idaho
Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,610. The county seat is historic Idaho City, which is connected through a series of paved and unpaved roads to Low ...
by his mother at a suggestion from Tony Soprano.
*Paulina Gerzon as Francesca Spatafore: she is the daughter of Vito Spatafore and Marie Spatafore and the younger sister of Vito Spatafore Jr.
*Frank Borrelli, Brandan Hannan as Vito Spatafore Jr.: he is the son of Vito Spatafore and Marie Spatafore and the older brother of Francesca Spatafore. After the murder of his father for his homosexuality, Vito became increasingly isolated and hostile and started to dress and hang around with kids in the Gothic subculture. Both Tony and Phil sat down with Vito trying to set him straight, but he continued to act out. He is forced into a boot camp for delinquents in
Boise County, Idaho
Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,610. The county seat is historic Idaho City, which is connected through a series of paved and unpaved roads to Low ...
by his mother at a suggestion from Tony Soprano.
*John Costelloe (actor), John Costelloe as Jim " Johnny Cakes" Witowski: he was Vito Spatafore's lover, who works as a volunteer fireman and as a short order cook at a diner in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. Vito met Jim at the diner he worked at in New Hampshire while on the run after his crew discovered his homosexuality. Vito introduces himself initially as a sportswriter named Vincent from
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nic ...
and that he's been divorced for a few years. He also attempted to live a heterosexual lifestyle and fathered one daughter with his wife. Vito and Jim soon form an attraction, though the two got into a fisticuffs, fistfight outside a bar when Jim tried to kiss Vito and, still in denial about his homosexuality, Vito violently rebuffed him. The two soon reconcile after Vito decides to "stop living a lie" and became Jim's live-in lover. The pair enjoyed romantic dinners, motorcycle rides, and picnicking lakeside. He gets Vito a job as a contractor working for some of his friends, a job which turns out to be very slow-paced. Ultimately, Vito missed his family and fast-paced lifestyle back in New Jersey too much to stay with Jim. Vito left Jim's house early one morning to return to New Jersey while Jim was still asleep. Vito would later call Jim, but Jim was still angry over the way Vito had left and wanted nothing more to do with him. Vito was violently murdered soon thereafter.
*Geraldine LiBrandi as Patty Leotardo: she is married to the Lupertazzi crime family acting boss Phil Leotardo. Being a fervent and Social conservatism, conservative Catholic, Patty was a factor in Phil's decision to kill Vito Spatafore after they discovered he was homosexual, telling Phil that Vito had to be made to face his "sin." While on the run, Patty was in the driver's seat when Phil was shot dead outside their car at a gas station in the series finale. After he's shot, she rushes out the door with the car still in drive, and the doors locked, resulting in Phil's head being run over by the car.
*Denise Borino as Ginny "Ginny Sack" Sacrimoni: Borino had attended a casting call for the role in
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey, and is located from New York City.
As of the 2 ...
to support a friend. Ginny is married to John " Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni and the mother of Catherine and Allegra Marie Sacrimoni. She is obese, but John loves her as she is, describing her as "wikt:Rubenesque, Rubenesque". Johnny Sack mentions that Ginny has worked very hard on trying to lose her weight. Ginny's figure is the subject of numerous jokes by members of the DiMeo crime family, and this leads to a dispute between her husband and Ralph Cifaretto. Johnny is willing to kill to defend her honor and viciously attacks a member of Ralph's crew, who Johnny mistakenly believes was telling jokes at Ginny's expense. Ginny attended her daughter Allegra's wedding and was ecstatic when Johnny was allowed to attend, despite being in prison awaiting trial. Her day ended on a low note when US Marshals blocked her daughter's departure and dragged her sobbing husband off in handcuffs causing Ginny to faint. Ginny was in court when Johnny admitted his involvement with the Mafia and received a 15-year sentence for
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and ...
. John and his lawyer make a plea agreement for his vintage Wurlitzer juke box, $180,000 in a safety deposit box under her father-in-law's name in Boca Raton, Florida, cash and investment portfolios with The Vanguard Group and Fidelity Investments, his 401(k) and
severance package
A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwillfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:
* Any additional payment base ...
from Essany Scaffolding, $450,000 condominium in Deal, New Jersey, his Maserati Coupe, Ginny's GMC Yukon, John's net worth totaling $5 million and his house and contents valued at $1.2 million and fifteen-years in exchange for John's allocution. This is later reduced to their
North Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
home, $45,000 in equity from his daughters' variable universal life insurance policies, and Ginny's individual retirement account that she started when she worked the tie sales counter at Wanamaker's worth close to $110,000 to which Ron encourages John to take. She was forced to move when John arranged the sale of their home to Janice Soprano as part of an agreement with Tony to try to secure capital, for his family, following the asset seizures by the US Marshals and United States Department of the Treasury, Treasury Department that came with his conviction. Ginny visited her husband John in prison when he was diagnosed with cancer and was at his side with their two daughters when he died. Tony later mentions that she took a White-collar worker, white-collar office job for an insurance company. Denise Borino, who portrayed Sacrimoni, received the part in a 2000 open casting call.
*Caitlin Van Zandt as Allegra Marie Sacrimoni: she is the daughter of Johnny and Ginny Sack and sister to Catherine Sacrimoni. Johnny paid for her lavish wedding to Eric DeBenedetto while Johnny was in prison awaiting trial. Johnny was released to attend the wedding and Allegra was ecstatic that her father would be in attendance, but the judge's conditions meant that Allegra had to put up with metal detectors and US Marshals at the ceremony and reception. Her reception ended on a low note with her departing limousine being blocked in by the Marshals' SUVs, her father breaking down in tears as he was forcibly led away in handcuffs, and her mother fainting in the crowd. Allegra was at her father's side, along with her mother and older sister, when he died of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...
in a prison hospital.
*Cristin Milioti as Catherine Sacrimoni: she is the daughter of Johnny and Ginny Sack and sister to Allegra Sacrimoni.
*Will Janowitz as Finn DeTrolio: he is Meadow Soprano's boyfriend and later fiancé. The two met at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and began sharing an apartment together in her sophomore year. He is originally from Mission Viejo, California and is of half-Italian descent. Upon finishing college, Finn enrolled in dental school. For a brief period, Finn worked at a construction site run by the Aprile crew, a job with the Laborers' International Union of North America that Tony Soprano got for him. One morning, he arrived very early to work and saw Vito Spatafore fellatio, fellating a security guard in a parked vehicle. Finn talked to Meadow about what he saw but she promised to keep his confidence. After Vito tried to intimidate Finn into attending a San Diego Padres and New York Yankees game with him, Finn panicked and decided to leave town before Vito came after him. Meadow was saddened and angered when Finn packed a suitcase without telling her or inviting her to accompany him and they argued. During the argument and when Meadow talked about a commitment, they decided to get engaged. When Vito was spotted in a gay bar by two New York crew members making a collection, Meadow revealed Finn's secret to her mother and Rosalie Aprile. A visibly frightened Finn was brought to Satriale's to give his account of what he saw and his subsequent encounter with Vito to the senior members of the Soprano crime family. Meadow and Finn later broke up.
*Ari Graynor as Caitlin Rucker: she is Meadow Soprano's roommate at Columbia University. Caitlin hails from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, but left home for New York City to attend university. She has manic-depressive disorder and frequently annoyed Meadow and the dormitory Resident Assistant and Meadow's boyfriend, Noah Tannenbaum, with her troubles. In "Mr. Ruggiero's Neighborhood" she tells Meadow that she's stopped drinking and that the school doctor gave her a prescription for Buspirone, which Hunter comments is given to treat generalized anxiety disorder.
*Michele DeCesare (daughter of series creator David Chase) as Hunter Scangarelo: she is a friend of Meadow Soprano. She sang with Meadow in the school choir and the two hounded Chris to buy the crystal meth to help them study, instead of going to Jefferson Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey. She had a crush on
Brendan Filone
The Soprano family (originally the DiMeo family) is a fictional Italian-American crime family featured in the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' and the prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark''. Based in New Jersey, the family consists of an administra ...
shortly before his death. In the final episode of the series, Carmela finds her talking to Meadow in Meadow's bedroom and casually mentions Hunter's expulsion from college years earlier. Carmela is then quietly dismayed to learn that Hunter sorted her life out, went back to college at SUNY Purchase, and is now in medical school.
*Patrick Tully as Noah Tannenbaum: he is Meadow Soprano's first boyfriend at Columbia University; they met during a film course. Noah is from West Los Angeles. His father, an entertainment attorney for various celebrities and Hollywood notables is Ashkenazic Jews, Jewish and his mother is African Americans, African American. Noah first appears while visiting the Soprano home with Meadow to view a movie for a class project. Being a film buff, Noah thought he had common ground with Tony when he observed video equipment at the Soprano residence. Noticing that Noah was pursuing Meadow, Tony asked Noah some questions about his ethnic background. Upon confirmation of Noah's African American heritage, Tony attempted to intimidate Noah into staying away from Meadow, hurling racial slurs. Following this heated discussion, Noah leaves the house in a huff. This started a lengthy feud between Tony and Meadow which ultimately drove Noah and Meadow closer together. After a visit from his father, Noah broke up with Meadow, saying she is "too negative."
*Emily Wickersham as Rhiannon Flammer: she is a friend of A.J.'s, who initially dates Hernan. She later encounters A.J. in a Psychiatric hospital while he is recovering from his suicide attempt. They hang out together and, when they begin to have intercourse in the woods in A.J.'s Nissan Xterra, the vehicle's catalytic converter overheats causing a vehicle fire and sets fire to the dry leaves below it and A.J. and Rhiannon scramble out safely; the truck explodes soon afterward.
*Mark Karafin as Egon Kosma: he is a friend of A.J.
*Vincent Piazza as Hernan O'Brien: he is a friend of A.J.
*Jessica Dunphy as Devin Pillsbury: she is A.J.'s girlfriend in seasons four and five. Devin is from an even wealthier family than A.J. and this causes a little friction between them when he first learns this.
*Dania Ramirez as Blanca Selgado: she is A.J. Soprano's Dominican Americans, Dominican-American 30-year-old girlfriend, whom he met while working at the construction site. Blanca has a 3-year-old son named Hector from a previous marriage and lives in an apartment building in Passaic, New Jersey, South Passaic. Blanca lives in a neighborhood that had been Breach of the peace, disturbed by a youth gang, which A.J. steps up to deal with. He convinces the gang members to move on by bribing them with a bicycle. A.J. eventually proposes marriage to Blanca and she accepts, but later changes her mind and ends the relationship, sending A.J. into an emotional downward spiral that results in an attempted suicide.
*Cameron Boyd as Matt Testa: he is a friend of A.J.
*Tim Daly as J.T. Dolan: he is a screenwriter and an acquaintance of
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
from rehab in Hazlet, New Jersey. He became addicted to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol and later lost his job after not completing a script for ''Nash Bridges''. He later went to a rehabilitation clinic in Pennsylvania (where he first met Christopher) and was successful in turning his life around. J.T. dabbles in gambling, places horse bets with Christopher, and finds a fondness for high-price poker games. J.T. borrows money from Christopher to play high-stakes poker and their friendship is effectively ended when he fails to pay it back on time. Little Paulie Germani and Chris beat J.T. up in his home and confiscate his BMW as partial payment for his debts. Despite the beating, Chris later resumes their "friendship" when the debt has caused J.T. to relapse. As J.T. Dolan is enrolling in rehab again, Chris freezes the debt and assures J.T. that he will return to prosperous screenwriting. Later, as J.T was working in Los Angeles, California as a full-time professor of a writer's class "The Writer's Block", Chris has J.T. forcibly abducted by "Murmur" and Benny Fazio and offers to clear the gambling debt if J.T. writes a screenplay for his feature movie project. He also gets a meeting with René Balcer. J.T. agrees and writes the script for '' Cleaver'', a slasher horror film, from a story by Christopher, working on the film closely with Moltisanti and Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. who is its co-executive producer. However, when the film gets made in 2007, at its premiere, Christopher does not acknowledge Dolan's contributions to it when talking to the audience, leaving him embarrassed in front of his female companions. When Christopher relapsed again in 2007, after his latest feud with Paulie Gualtieri and assumed ridicule and disrespect by the crime family, he attempted to find comfort by talking to J.T. one night. J.T. was cold and unreceptive, angry at his unannounced intrusion, and under pressure to finish a script deadline for ''Law & Order SVU''. Heavily drunk, Christopher said that he had seen and done terrible things and started hinting his knowledge of mob crimes. J.T. angrily tried to get Christopher to stop talking about them, suggesting that he did not want to know. J.T. exclaimed "Chris, you're in the Mafia!", Christopher walked away, then turned and shot him in the head, killing him instantly.
*Patty McCormack as Liz La Cerva: she is the mother of Adriana La Cerva and the sister of Jackie Aprile Sr. and Richie Aprile and sister-in-law to Rosalie Aprile. Liz did not support Adriana's relationship with
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
and Adriana often stayed with her following arguments or domestic violence. When Chris proposes to Ade in front of Liz, she explains Chris' behavior as abusive power and control. Following her disappearance in 2004, Liz was visited by the FBI who informed her that her daughter was believed to be dead and that they suspected Chris' involvement. When
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
encountered her at the 2006 Feast of St. Elzear, Liz, having become convinced of her daughter's murder, showed evident signs of depression. She later attempted suicide. Carmela visited her in the hospital, but Liz appeared to be unconscious at the time.
*Lewis J. Stadlen and John Pleshette as Dr. Ira Fried: he is a player in the Soprano family's executive game – a high-stakes
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game wa ...
tournament. He is a urologist who specializes in treating erectile dysfunction with penile implants. In 2002 Dr. Fried acted as the initial property buyer in Tony's HUD scam using $500,000 of Soprano family money to buy several homes on Garside Street in Mount Pleasant, Newark, New Jersey and on Frelinghuysen Ave in Weequahic, Newark for $25,000 each which would then be falsely appraised at $200,000. He would then sell the properties on to Maurice Tiffen who would claim the project a financial failure and the loan would be approved through Maurice's organization. In 2004, Fried and numerous others were the victims of a large-scale car robbery at his daughter's wedding in
Ringwood, New Jersey
Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decline of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228,Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Prog ...
, who allowed Junior to use his office to conduct meetings while under the pretense of coming in for medical appointments due to the physician-patient privilege clause that denies the FBI and authorities to listening in on their conversations, meeting with associates including Tony and Richie Aprile.
*Michael Countryman as Dr. Richard Vogel: he is a psychotherapist whom A.J.'s pediatrician recommends to Carmela for therapy concerning A.J.'s depression. In the episode "The Second Coming," Dr. Vogel also enters A.J. into a mental hospital and arranges a group therapy session with him and his parents after A.J. tries to commit suicide.
*Will McCormack as Jason LaPenna: he is Jennifer Melfi and Richard LaPenna's son.
*Richard Romanus as Richard LaPenna: he is the estranged Calabria, Calabrese husband of Jennifer Melfi and father of Jason LaPenna. When Dr. Melfi's family learns that she is treating a major mob figure, they urge her to end the association. Richard is a member of an organization that aims to combat the negative portrayal of Italian Americans as Mafia figures in the media. Richard and Jennifer had reconciled in 2001 and he was living with her at the time of her rape. He originally thinks Jennifer's rapist is Puerto-Rican based on her description, but later finds out that he bears an Italian surname (Rossi) and is personally offended. He was very angry when mishandling of the chain of custody allowed the man to go free.
*Cara Buono as Kelli Lombardo Moltisanti: she was
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...
's new girlfriend in 2006. She became pregnant and planned to terminate the pregnancy, blaming herself for the lack of contraception. When she told Chris, he suggested they marry in Atlantic City. Soon after their marriage, Kelli and Chris bought a large new home. Christopher's interest in Kelli began to drift and he began an affair with Julianna Skiff. Kelli remained devoted to Christopher and did not complain about his long absences. In 2007, Kelli gave birth to a daughter, Caitlyn. She and Christopher later attended Caitlyn's baptism, at which Tony and Carmela Soprano became Caitlin's godparents. In the episode "Walk Like a Man," Kelli was terrorized by
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...
when Paulie drove his Cadillac CTS through their front yard in retaliation for Christopher throwing Paulie's nephew Little Paulie Germani out a window. Little Paulie had stolen merchandise from Kelli's father's hardware store on at least two occasions.
See also
*List of The Sopranos episodes, List of ''The Sopranos'' episodes
*Soprano family
* Lupertazzi family