Tony Soprano | |
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James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
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First appearance |
"Pilot" (episode 1.01) |
Last appearance | "Made in America" (episode 6.21) |
Created by | David Chase |
Portrayed by |
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Information | |
Nickname(s) | T Tone Leadbelly Tony Uncle Johnny |
Aliases | Ronald "Big Ron" F. Spears Don Antonio Kevin Finnerty Mr. Petraglia Der Bingle (FBI codename) |
Gender | Male |
Occupation |
Crime boss Waste management consultant for Barone Sanitation Co-owner of Satriale's Meat Market and Bada Bing |
Title | Caporegime (Season 1) De Facto Boss (season 2 – season 6) Boss (season 6) |
Family |
Corrado Soprano, Sr. (grandfather) Livia Soprano (mother) Johnny Soprano (father) Ercoli Soprano (uncle) Corrado Soprano, Jr. (uncle) Janice Soprano (sister) Barbara Giglione (sister) Christopher Moltisanti (cousin in-law) Tony Blundetto (cousin) |
Spouse(s) | Carmela DeAngelis Soprano (wife) |
Children |
Anthony Soprano, Jr. (son) Meadow Soprano (daughter) |
Relatives |
Hugh De Angelis (father-in-law) Mary De Angelis (mother-in-law) Pat Blundetto (uncle) Quintina Blundetto (aunt) Bobby Baccalieri (brother-in-law) Harpo (last name unknown; nephew) Bobby Baccalieri III (step-nephew) Sophia Baccalieri (step-niece) Domenica Baccalieri (niece) |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano is a fictional character and the protagonist in the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, portrayed by James Gandolfini. The Italian-American character was conceived by Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the show's six seasons. The character is loosely based on real-life New Jersey mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo (born 1944), a former caporegime (capo) and de facto boss of the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey. Considered to be the model for the DiMeo crime family, several incidents involving the DeCavalcantes were incorporated into Sopranos scripts. Bobby Boriello portrayed Soprano as a child in one episode and Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes.
In the first season, Tony is a capo in the DiMeo crime family. Between the first and second seasons, he is promoted to street boss, a position he retains until the sixth season; his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano is the official boss up until early in the sixth season, but has little or no actual power. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to balance the conflicting requirements of his actual family— wife Carmela, daughter Meadow, son A. J., and mother Livia—with those of the Mafia family he controls. He often displays behavior traits characteristic of a violent sociopath, but also struggles with depression and is prone to panic attacks. He seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi in the first episode and remains in therapy on and off up until the penultimate episode of the series.