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Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, portrayed by James Gandolfini and conceived by series creator David Chase. The show's exceedingly complex protagonist, he is the only character to appear in every episode of the show. He is the Boss of the DiMeo Crime Family. Tony has to juggle northern New Jersey's most powerful criminal organization, keeping it functioning properly and keeping dissonance to a minimum. The relationship between Tony and his uncle, Corrado John Soprano, Jr. (better known as Junior Soprano), was very close for many years, with Junior acting as a father figure for Tony following the death of Giovanni (AKA Johnny Boy) Soprano, Tony's father. However, the relationship was strained when a disgruntled Junior became more and more marginalized in the organization as the FBI's investigation into his activities increased. Despite a level of local notoriety, Tony represents himself publicly as a waste management consultant to Barone Sanitation, one of the many fronts for his criminal enterprises. He used his putative nephew Christopher Moltisanti as a buffer between him and his capos during the last two seasons in order to insulate himself from the FBI, until Moltisanti's death after an automobile accident. Bobby Baccalieri was groomed as Moltisanti's replacement until he was killed by Phil Leotardo's hitmen when the Lupertazzi Crime Family launched a war against the DiMeo Crime Family. Soprano returns safely to his criminal enterprise after striking a truce with Phil's underlings when Phil is assassinated. He is last shown having dinner with his family at the famous Holsten's restaurant in Bloomfield, New Jersey, though the possibility of a criminal indictment, thanks to a gun charge and testimony from Carlo Gervasi, looms over his head.
[edit] PastTony was born on August 22, 1959, to Livia and "Johnny Boy" Soprano. Tony grew up living with his mother, father, and two sisters Janice and Barbara in the Ironbound in Newark, New Jersey. His father was always involved in crime and Tony recalls some of his activities in flashbacks on the show. A young Tony has been portrayed by several actors. Bobby Boriello played Tony in the episode "Down Neck" in which Tony recalls many childhood events relating to his childhood realization that his father was involved in organized crime, including his recollection of father's relationship with his older sister, Janice, and his use of her as a cover for attending meetings with criminal associates at a children's fair. At the time, Tony thought Janice was his father's favorite child. In therapy, when asked to remember happy childhood memories about his mother, Tony struggled to come up with any, and to satisfy his therapist, claimed that he considered witnessing his father falling down the stairs while he and his family laughed at his father's expense a happy childhood memory ; he later described her as a joyless woman who wore his father down "to a little nub." Tony also has a mostly unfriendly relationship with Janice because she is always asking him for money and once tried to sell Livia's house by herself. Tony also had to deal with her previous boyfriend Richie Aprile, after Janice killed him. Tony went to high school with Artie Bucco and Davey Scatino and remained friends with them into later life. It was in high school he met his future bride, Carmela DeAngelis. Tony was also close to his cousin Tony Blundetto, and neighborhood kids used to call them Tony Uncle-Al and Tony Uncle-Johnny after their fathers to tell them apart. In their teenage years, the two Tonys spent summers at their Uncle Pat Blundetto's farm — Pat was a soldier in the DiMeo organization. Tony B was arrested for his part in a hijacking when the two Tonys were young men. Tony S was supposed to join Tony B on the job but failed to because of a panic attack; at the time, he told people he'd been attacked by a couple of "mulignans" and injured. Tony also attended Seton Hall University for a semester and a half before dropping out. Tony was part of an unofficial crew of young criminals consisting of Silvio Dante, Ralph Cifaretto and Jackie Aprile, Sr. Tony gained notoriety in the DiMeo crime family by robbing a card game run by Feech La Manna along with Silvio and Jackie. From then on, he was on a fast track to becoming a made man. He committed his first murder on Labor Day 1982. In season one Tony states that he knew Mafia boss John Gotti. His father shepherded Tony through his ascendancy until his death in 1986 from emphysema. When he died, Johnny Boy had risen to the level of captain of his own crew — as had his brother Junior. Junior took over the paternal role and continued to advise and assist Tony. Tony remembers having to buy expensive dinners for Richie Aprile as a newly made man. Soldiers from Johnny Boy's crew, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, passed their loyalty on to Tony, and he became capo of his father's old crew. Old friend Silvio Dante joined him in the group. By 1995, Tony was a well-respected Capo in the organization when the boss of the family, Eckley DiMeo, was sent to prison. Tony's longtime friend and fellow captain Jackie Aprile, Sr. took on the role of acting boss in December 1995. With DiMeo in prison, Aprile became the official Acting Boss of the family. Under Jackie's wise and respected rule, the DiMeo Family was peaceful and prosperous until 1998. Jackie was diagnosed with intestinal cancer early in the year, and the family slowly descended into turmoil. With Jackie in and out of the hospital, and as such not able to fully run the family, Tony began to take on many of his duties, much to Uncle Junior's chagrin. For a time in early 1999, Jackie seemed cured and was back on the street as boss and the family's woes were eased. But by late spring, he was back in the hospital and had begun chemotherapy treatments. With Tony's role in the family's operation increasing and disagreements including Tony thwarting Junior's plot to kill Pussy Malanga, tensions between Tony and Uncle Junior rose and reached an all-time high as Jackie's condition turned for the worse. With Jackie's death in mid-1999, a crisis emerged as to who would run the family, and the soldiers and other captains began to prepare for all-out war within the family, but Tony brought a quick end to the conflict by making Junior the nominal boss of the family. Junior would unknowingly act as the lightning rod for the feds, while Tony would run the family from behind the scenes as a de facto boss. Tony's grandfather, Corrado Soprano Sr. was a stone mason who emigrated from Avellino in Italy in 1910. He helped to build a church in Tony's old neighborhood that Tony occasionally takes his children to so he can tell them about their past. Tony also recalls that when he was 13 his father would let him play around on his construction sites, even driving heavy machinery. [edit] Known Killings committed by Tony SopranoTony has personally committed at least 8 categoric murders in the show, although he may have committed others that have not been shown or referenced considering his lengthy career in the mafia. Furthermore, as a Boss, he is fully responsible for the deaths of others killed on his orders. The 8 known killings, all explicitly presented onscreen, were:
Some murders hit him on a personal and emotional level leaving him perplexed as to how to cope with the situation. Most notably, after the murder of his "nephew" Christopher Moltisanti, he feels a rush of relief for finally being rid of his nephew, whom he feels he can no longer trust. However, he was plagued in having to "show the sad face" while the rest of his family grieves. However, Tony reassures himself that Chris' murder was necessary, despite the hurt caused to the people close to Christopher. The murder of "Big Pussy" in "Funhouse" weighed heavily on Tony. Being his closest ally turned informant, Tony almost felt he wanted to give him a pass, but in the end knew what his priorities were. In the years to follow, Tony — along with Silvio and Paulie — had haunting dreams of the murder of their best friend. Ralph Cifaretto's death came from Tony's outrage as he accused Ralph of killing his horse in "Whoever Did This". Tony tried to confront Ralph about the situation but after some heated words, Tony lost control and violently murdered Ralph, while he was killing he said "she was a beautiful innocent creature, what did she ever do to you?" which was a reference to Tony's inherent love for all animals. Though no solid proof was found that the fire killing Pie-O-My was arson, Tony was convinced Ralph did it. Despite Cifaretto's claims, Tony took satisfaction in disposing of his capo. The murder of Matthew Bevilaqua was pure vengeance and an act that had to be carried out since Christopher getting shot was a direct insult to him. Tony took satisfaction in it, as it was revenge against an attempt on the life of one of his relatives. The murder of his cousin Tony Blundetto was solely to save him the painful death if he were to fall into Phil's hands, and also so that Tony did not lose his reputation as a Boss. The murder of his nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, was a necessity as Moltisanti presented a threat to Tony's life and the New Jersey Mob. Christopher has been addicted to heroin for a long time and could not defeat his addiction in rehab. Additionally, Christopher's methods often were not legitimate according to the code. Tony did not really plan to murder his nephew but saw the possibility after a car accident caused by Moltisanti. After killing Christopher Tony tried to discover whether other mobsters or family members feel the same way though Tony never was thought to be the murderer. [edit] As a fatherTony has two children: Meadow Soprano and Anthony (A.J.) Soprano. He also treated his putative nephew, Christopher Moltisanti (actually his wife's first cousin, once removed), as a son in many ways. Tony is often portrayed as a loving father — he attends his children's sporting events and wants them to be safe, happy and to have every opportunity in life. He hopes that both his children will escape the life of crime he has led. Tony takes great pride in Meadow's achievements. In Season 1, he is moved to tears by her performance at a choir recital. He often tells people about her aspiration to become a pediatrician. However, he also sometimes alienates his children with his behavior. He has always tried to conceal his criminal life from them — something that Meadow saw through early on and A.J. also realized with guidance from his sister. Tony's over-protectiveness of Meadow has led to feuds between them on several occasions. For example, her first boyfriend at college was of part black heritage, and Tony's racism led him to try to drive him away. Meadow learned of her father's actions and didn't speak to him for several months, eventually reconciling at Christmas in 2001. Meadow's next boyfriend was Jackie Aprile, Jr., the son of Tony's old friend Jackie Aprile, Sr. Tony had promised Jackie Jr.'s father that he would try to keep his son on the straight path. Tony was initially pleased with the relationship, believing Jackie to be a hard-working pre-med student from a good family. However, since his Uncle Richie's release from prison and subsequent death, Jackie had become more and more involved in the Mafia. Tony realized this by catching Jackie at strip clubs and a casino. He eventually delivered a beating to Jackie to warn him about abusing his daughter's feelings and confiscated a gun from him. Tony failed in his role as surrogate father to Jackie Jr., perhaps because of his over-protectiveness of Meadow and a sign of his selfishness. Jackie was eventually killed by Vito. This drove Meadow to drinking and depression at the loss of her boyfriend, although they'd broken up shortly before his death. After Jackie's death, Tony accepts Meadow's college friends and got on well with her fiancé, Finn, before the two separated under unrevealed circumstances. Tony's feelings toward his son, however, are mixed, especially with worries about his future. From the beginning, Tony understood that his son would not be his successor, as A.J. lacks both the range and the aggressive nature of his father: Tony instead tells A.J. numerous times that he is proud that his son is gentle and kind. Tony was especially proud of A.J.'s prowess on the football field, even amid his failing grades in high school, but is frustrated with A.J.'s path after graduation. After failing out of Ramapo State, A.J. loafed around the house, partied, and for a time held a job at Blockbuster, until his father, hoping to keep A.J. away from a life of crime, got him a job working construction. It was there that A.J. met Blanca, and in Tony's opinion, A.J. was doing well until he and Blanca broke up. Tony's worries again amplified around A.J.'s depression, a 'rotten putrid gene' that Tony believes he passed down to his son. Hoping to get A.J. back on track, Tony rekindled A.J.'s friendship with "the Jasons", sons of two of his associates, and A.J. seems to be doing better. With the help of a therapist and medication, A.J. is finally getting back to college, this time at Rutgers, to take classes and party with girls as Tony believes every college kid should. This later turns sour after A.J. sees his new friends attack a Somalian student on a bike and he returns to depression. A.J. attempts suicide by drowning but decides he wants to live. Unable to escape the pool, it is Tony who discovers him, hears his cries for help, and rescues him. After A.J. is released from a mental-health ward, Tony and Carmela convince him to not join the Army and instead become involved in a film bankrolled by Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr., with the possibility of opening his own club. [edit] Extramarital affairsTony has a penchant for carrying on extramarital affairs. His wife Carmela knows about this and usually turns a blind eye, though sometimes the bottled-up tensions explode in domestic arguments - particularly at the end of Season 4, when Tony's affairs drive Carmela to separate from him. He typically has mistresses who he consistently sees for long periods of time, though he also has a number of brief one-night-stands with strippers from the Bing (strip club). Tony has a strong preference for women of European descent, with dark hair and eyes and exotic features. His mistresses have been, in chronological order, of Russian, Italian, Italian/Cuban, and Jewish descent. He favors dark features but also had a few brief flings with blond European women, including a Russian housekeeper and a stewardess from Icelandic Airways. And he had one very short encounter with an Asian-American escort during The Test Dream. Mistresses:
[edit] TherapyTony has suffered from panic attacks that sometimes cause him to lose consciousness since his childhood. He has his first on-screen panic attack while cooking sausages at his son's birthday party — this occurs in a flashback in the pilot episode. Tony loses consciousness and causes a small explosion when he drops a bottle of lighter fluid onto the coals. Tony describes the experience of the panic attack as feeling like he had "ginger ale in his skull". This prompts him to seek help for the attacks. After extensive testing that includes an MRI scan and blood work no physical cause can be found so Dr. Cusamano referred Tony to psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi. Tony's referral to therapy allowed a discussion of his thoughts and feelings away from both aspects of his life — this forum for reaching into the characters thoughts has been described as a Greek chorus and key to the viewers understanding of the character.[1] Tony was initially very resistant to the idea that there was a psychiatric cause for his symptoms. He resented being in therapy and refused to accept the diagnosis of panic attacks given him by the neurologists who had investigated his illness. Tony begins to open up once Dr. Melfi explains the doctor-patient confidentiality rules. He tells her about the stress of his business life — he has a feeling that he has come in at the end of something and describes a reverence for times past. Tony leaves out the violence associated with his criminal career. Tony tells Dr. Melfi a story about ducks landing in his pool. He also tells her about his mother, Livia, who is relentlessly pessimistic and cynical, at once demanding and resentful of assistance. By the end of the first session Tony has admitted that he feels depressed but storms out when Dr. Melfi presses him further about the relationship between his symptoms and the ducks. When the family visits Green Grove, a retirement community which Tony is trying to place his mother in, Livia's derisive outburst prompts a second panic attack. Dr. Melfi's prescribed Prozac as an anti-depressant for Tony telling him that no-one need suffer from depression with the wonders of modern pharmacology. Tony fails to attend their next scheduled session. At their next session Tony is still reluctant to face his own psychological weaknesses. Tony is quick to credit the medication for his improved mood but Dr. Melfi tells him it cannot be that as it takes 6 weeks to work — she credits their therapy sessions. Tony describes a dream where a bird steals his penis — Dr. Melfi extrapolates from this to reveal that Tony projected his love for his family onto the family of ducks living in his back pool and this brings him to tears, to his consternation. She tells him that their flight from the pool sparked his panic attack through the overwhelming fear of somehow losing his own family. In the episode "46 Long" they continue discussing Tony's mother and her difficulties living alone. Tony admits that he feels guilty because his mother could not be allowed to live with his family. We learn that he has been left to care for his mother alone by his sisters. When Dr. Melfi asks him to remember good experiences from his childhood he has difficulty. It is clear that Tony's perception of his mother does not meet with the reality of her personality. He also shows that he blames Carmela for preventing his mother from living with them. Later they discuss Livia's car accident and Melfi suggests depression may have contributed to the accident - Tony misunderstands her and becomes angry. Tony has a panic attack while visiting his mother's home after she moves to Green Grove. In a later session Dr. Melfi pushes Tony to admit he has feelings of anger towards his mother and he again storms out. During this episode Tony introduces the concept of him acting like the sad clown - happy on the outside but sad on the inside. In "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" Tony discusses Jackie's cancer with Dr. Melfi. She tries to use it as an example of Tony's negative thinking contributing to his depression. Tony becomes angry and storms out because he feels she is trying to trick him and manipulate his thoughts using the pictures that decorate her office. After Jackie worsens and Tony is called a Frankenstein by a business associate he returns to therapy to discuss these things with Dr. Melfi — she asks him if he feels like a monster. In "Fortunate Son" Tony discusses a childhood memory of an early panic attack. He saw his father and uncle mutilate Mr. Satriale, the local butcher, and later fainted at a family dinner made with free meat from Satriale's shop. Dr. Melfi makes a connection between meat and Tony's panic attacks and also explores his mother's attitude to the fruits of his father's labor. Later Dr. Melfi tries prescribing Lithium as a mood stabilizer. In the episode "Isabella" Tony sinks into a severe depressive episode and experiences hallucinations — he sees a beautiful Italian woman named Isabella in his neighbor's garden. Tony sees Isabella several times during the episode and later learns that she never existed. Melfi theorizes that Isabella was an idealized maternal figure that Tony's subconscious produced because of he was deeply upset at his own mother's actions at the time. In "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" Tony abruptly ends his therapy and persuades Dr. Melfi to go into hiding when he discovers that his Uncle Junior has found out about their sessions. The relationship between Tony and Dr. Melfi has been up-and-down, with Tony reaching a level of comfort with Dr. Melfi that he has never experienced with anyone else before, not even his wife. This closeness leads Tony to have something of a "crush" on Dr. Melfi, something that is unattainable. However, the "prying" from Dr. Melfi is uncomfortable for Tony and he often turns sarcastic and antagonistic towards her, leading to an ongoing strain in their relationship. During the episode "The Second Coming", aired in part II of season six, Melfi's own therapist suggests to her that her work with Tony could be considered enabling toward Tony's sociopathic tendencies. Finally, in the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet", Melfi severs her relationship with Tony as his therapist. [edit] InjuryIn the first season, Tony is attacked by John Clayborn and Rasheen Ray, two thugs sent by Donnie Paduana under order to execute Tony. Tony sustains some minor bruises and cuts from crashing his vehicle. One of the two assailants, Clayborn, is shot dead by Ray in an attempt to kill Tony, and Ray is left bruised but runs off. In the premiere of the sixth season (spring 2006), Junior Soprano, suffering from dementia, believes Tony to be "Little Pussy" Malanga and shoots him in the abdomen. He manages to dial 911 but loses consciousness before being able to tell the operator what happened. The second episode of the sixth season reveals Tony is currently in a medically-induced coma in the hospital. In the second and third episode the viewer sees Tony in a dream-like state, eventually arriving at what could be purgatory or perhaps an alternate life, where he is greeted by a man who takes the physical form of his late cousin Tony Blundetto. It is also possible the shadowy figure in the doorway to the house is either his mother or Gloria Trillo, both of whom are dead. The voice of a younger version of his daughter calls him back. At the end of the third episode he awakes from his coma in a confused but stable state. By the fourth episode Tony is mobile and fully aware and has regained his voice but is still recovering. Tony's attitude to life has been changed by his near death experience. He has yet to discuss his experiences while unconscious with anyone close to him. However, in the Season 6 episode "Kaisha", he admits to Phil Leotardo (who had just suffered a heart attack), that while he was in a coma, he went to a place, but he knows he never wants to go back there. He talks philosophy with John Schwinn, another patient at the hospital, and mentions that while in the coma he had the experience of being drawn towards somewhere he did not want to go and narrowly avoiding it. In the sixth episode of the final 9 episodes "Kennedy and Heidi", Tony sustains minor injuries in a car accident that seriously injures his nephew Christopher Moltisanti (whom Tony killed by suffocation while Christopher succumbed to his injuries). Tony was on bed rest for about a week and quickly recovered. Nonetheless, this gave his family quite a scare and a painful memory of his nearly fatal shooting the previous year. [edit] DreamsTony sometimes has vivid dreams that are shown to the viewer. Episodes with dream sequences include "Pax Soprana", "Isabella", "Funhouse", "Everybody Hurts", "Calling All Cars" and "The Test Dream". In the pilot, Tony tells Dr. Melfi about a dream he had wherein a screw in his belly button, when removed, causes his penis to fall off. He tries to find a car mechanic (who had worked on his Lincoln when Tony drove Lincolns) to put it back on, but a duck swoops down and snatches it from his hand. In "Meadowlands", Tony has a dream of several people in his life in Dr. Melfi's office, causing him to be paranoid that people will find out he is seeing a psychiatrist. The dream ends with Tony confronting Melfi, only to find out he's speaking to his mother, Livia. In "Pax Soprana", Tony has several dreams and fantasies of Dr. Melfi. He becomes convinced that he is in love with her, but she turns him down when he makes advances towards her. In "Isabella", Tony, suffering from depression after Big Pussy disappears, acquaints himself with a dental student named Isabella who is staying in the Cusamano home while they are on vacation. He later discovers that he'd hallucinated Isabella due to taking too much lithium, and that Isabella represented the mother he never had. In "Funhouse", an extended dream sequence exposes many of Tony's subconscious thoughts and feelings through symbolic and sometimes bizarre events: he attempts suicide to preempt a doctor's diagnosis of early death by dousing himself in gasoline and lighting himself on fire, witnesses himself shooting Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri to death during a card game, has an innuendo-laden conversation with his therapist Dr. Melfi while sporting a prominent erection, and a fish that speaks with the voice of Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero confirms his suspicions that the longtime friend and soldier is a federal informant. In "Everybody Hurts", Tony dreams of his ex-comaré Gloria Trillo shortly after learning of her suicide by hanging. He visits her apartment and finds her in a black dress with a black scarf around her neck. She is cooking dinner and when she goes over to the oven the scarf drapes across Tony. Plaster falls down in front of Tony and when he looks up he sees that the chandelier is almost pulled out of the ceiling. Gloria is suddenly back at the table and offers Tony a choice between seeing what she has under her dress or under her scarf. As she goes to peel away the scarf, Tony wakes up and makes his way to the bathroom for some medication. In "Calling All Cars" Tony has two dreams featuring Ralph Cifaretto. In the first he is being driven by Carmela in the back of his father's old car while Ralph sits in the passenger seat. There is a caterpillar crawling on the back of Ralph's head. Tony's fellow passenger in the back seat changes — Gloria Trillo and Svetlana Kirilenko are both seen. The caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Dr. Melfi later tells him that the dream signifies a change for Ralphie (recently killed by Tony) and Carmela being in control. In the second dream Tony follows Ralph to an old house, which Ralph enters. Tony is dressed in trousers, suspenders and an undershirt. He knocks on the door and a female figure descends slowly in shadow; the door creaks ominously. Tony says he is there for the stonemason job but does not speak English well (Tony's grandfather was an immigrant stonemason). Just as Tony is about to enter the house he wakes up. In "The Test Dream", Tony comes to terms with having to kill his cousin Tony Blundetto, as well reflecting inner demons and fears ranging from his children's future, his relationship with his wife, his infidelities, deceased acquaintances including some who have died by his hand or by his orders, his fate and even his relationship with his father. He is again shown in his father's old car accompanied by a range of past associates. In "Kennedy and Heidi", a stressed Tony Soprano has a dream following the death of his nephew Christopher Moltisanti. In this dream he tells his therapist Jennifer Melfi that Christopher was a burden and that he was relieved that he was dead. After that he also tells her that he murdered Big Pussy and his cousin Tony Blundetto. Following the dream he acts differently to his friends and family, trying to see if they also feel relieved now that Christopher is dead. [edit] Quirks
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