During that faraway era, George Raft was the gangster actor, a mob-movie iconyou know the guy: chewing on a toothpick, flipping a nickel, etc. By Shae Sennett / Feb. 26, 2023 7:00 pm EST. A wire was found in the room of Salvatore Big Pussy Bonpensiero, one of Tony's closest friends. However, when I brought him in for questioning Orbach dummied up. Despite his penchant for roles on the right side of the law, it turns out Jerry Orbach was a standup guy, keeping quiet about the hit until he, too, breathed his last. Sirico is the real deal, and his knowledge and presence gives "TheSopranos" a huge dose of authenticity. In 2009, the former mobster was revealed to be living in Houston, Texas, where he was again operating strip clubs that were used as a hub for organized crime groups that were subsequently shut down (per NJ.com). ", The victim apparently writhing in agony, Tony Boy says: "What do you think he did to me? The unidentified victim, whose jaw and ribs were broken in the beating, allegedly owed money to a car dealership in upstate New Yorkthe dealer reportedly asked Borgese to help him collect the debt. The Sopranos: Was Jimmy Altieri Really A Rat? Like his fictional "Sopranos" counterpart, Palermo's crime family was rocked by members of his crew "turning snitch" and giving up incriminating testimony to avoid lengthy prison sentences. They even had an incinerator in the grounds of their huge mansion, which was used as their own private crematorium. Sirico went on to become a notorious stick-up artist, getting pinched time and time again, and serving two prison terms on weapons and armed robbery charges. Being considered one of the greatest television shows of all time, The Sopranos offered a remarkable portrayal of life within organized crime. But Russo got his opportunity when producers were unable to gain access to a Staten Island set they wanted to use as Don Corleones home. But, in a twist that's even darker than Tony's tortured psyche, there's real-life inspiration behind the on-screen Soprano family. Now that the gay story line is heating up, the 47-year-old Brooklyn-born actor is immensely pleased, in part because it was his idea to make Vito homosexual. Vito Spatafore: Beaten to death with batons by Dominic Fat Dom Gamiello and Gerry Torciano on orders from Phil Leotardo. During the therapy sessions, Dr Jennifer Melfi was able to uncover Tony Sopranos hatred towards his mother who was a self-absorbed and miserably manipulative woman. Michael Squicciarini, who played the character Frank Cippolina, only appeared in a few episodes in The Sopranos season 2. In his 80 or so hours of screen-time as he head of a New Jersey crime family, the actor was able to display every facet of the complex character of a man who was Once cremated, ashes were then apparently scattered across a vegetable patch, dubbed 'The Godfather's Garden'. Deceased. In 2011, the actor faced a multi-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to extortionBorgese had a hand in a debt collection turned savage assault, perpetrated by heavies from the Gambino family. It was so authentic that even real-world gangsters questioned just how they managed to pull it off. The song played when Hesh looks over his mementos from his days running a record label is "Fools Follow Angels" by Little Jimmy Willis. But creator David Chase didnt imagine his characters breaking peoples shoes, a street euphemism for the ultimate payoff. Conigliaro, who was wheelchair-bound due to a paralyzing wound sustained in a prior shootout, pulled a piece on Hernandez and shot him in the forehead. 10th episode of the 1st season of The Sopranos, "The Sopranos location guide - Filming locations for". Ring any bells? July 8, 2022. 'Richie the Boot' Boiardo and his relatives, Along with his son, Anthony 'Tony Boy' Boiardo, Richie used 'waste management' as a cover for their activities, according to. Youd think he would have wanted to help us solve it, Coffey told tabloid The National Enquirer. As executive producer of the show Terence Winter told Vanity Fairin 2012, the FBI reportedly heard "mob guys talking about 'The Sopranos,'having the same conversation about the show, but always from the flip side. It's pretty chilling stuff - but it's the gruesome reality behind many gangster TV films and movies like The Sopranos. When he was in Atlanta federal prison dying of cancer [in the early 70s], I went there and did two shows for him.. The Sopranos, David Chases smash-hit TV Back to home page | Listed in category: Once Valli got to work on Rusty Millio, he realized he knew someone like the character in real life. Apparently De Niro, who is well-known for his intense approach to role research, felt he needed to first sit down with a murderous mobster before he could properly portray neurotic, fictitious gangster Paul Vitti. WebThis HD wallpaper is about crime, drama, hbo, mafia, sopranos, television, Original wallpaper dimensions is 1920x1080px, file size is 327.14KB, download photo size is 1600x900px Joey was killed by Tony Blundetto when he was leaving a brothel in New York. So how come I got this bum reputation? Ill-reputed or no, Raft managed to dodge a life of crime while helping to establish the gangster film as a Hollywood mainstay that endures to this day. Coincidence? One way that "The Sopranos" managed to create such incredible authenticity was by casting just about every actor who had ever been in a mafia movie. Born in 1940s Brooklyn, Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. was raised in the tough East Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods. Here is a list featuring some of The Sopranos Stars Who Are Legitimately Tough, And Those Who Are Only Tough On Screen! Chris, flush with money, agrees to finance a demo for the band Visiting Day, whose singer, Richie Santini, is Adriana's ex-boyfriend. If you continue to use the site, we will assume that this suits you. Vincent Palermo was a crime boss for the DeCavalcante family who was based as Tony Soprano was in New Jersey. The first mob movie wasJosef von Sternberg's "Underworld" in 1927, and was quickly followed up by a number of pre-code crime flicks like Howard Hawks' "Scarface" andMervyn LeRoy's "Little Caesar." In this chilling no-holds-barred interview, Kuklinski gives a first-hand account of what that job entailed. John Johnny Sack Sacrimoni: dies of lung cancer in prison. However, his nephew, attorney Joseph Corozzo Jr., denied that Corozzo brought Ruggiano to the Analyze This set, while De Niro claimedthrough spokesperson Stan Rosenfeldthat the movie was made so long ago, he didnt recall meeting with Ruggiano at all. The background song when Adriana is modeling her black dress for Christopher near the end of the episode is "Why" by. Attorney Matt Mari talks with the author. The storyline focuses on Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, as the leader of a mob family out of New Jersey.It launched the careers of several of its stars and Posts: 3,066. De Niro worked closely with late Gambino family heavy Anthony Fat Andy Ruggiano in preparation for his role inof all filmsHarold Ramis screwball comedy Analyze This. He also utters a few candid lines that sound like theyre directly from the script of The Sopranos, including, You could have shot me from the toes to my nose, I would have never said peep.. Scarface was Rafts first hit, but during the illustrious film career that followed, the actor was never able to escape his shady reputation. "The Sopranos" shares a whopping 27 cast members with "Goodfellas," and six of those were regular cast: Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore, Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, and Joseph R. Gannascoli. Another famed The Godfather alum, James Caan is known for his role as the hot-headed and ill-fated Sonny Corleone, the proud owner of arguably the most iconic death scene in gangster film history. Notably, he was associated with the DeCavalcante Family, which was one of the original inspirations for The Sopranos. He said: Chase said: "90 percent of [The Sopranos] is made up, [but] it's patterned after this [family].". A Sopranos Scene Between Tony And Janice Turned Into A Real-Life Shouting Match. But Scuch, a former debt collector for the DeCavalcante familythe New Jersey mob crew upon which The Sopranos DiMeo family is loosely basedwho had spent years in prison behind multiple aggravated assault charges, also had a back-up plan, one that would prove deadly. Yes, HBO officials just dropped a major hint that the reboot of The Sopranos might be on the cards. ", Tony Boy responds: "The Boot hit him with a hammer. WebTo cite this article: Jonathan J. Cavallero & George Plasketes (2004) Gangsters, Fessos, Tricksters, and Sopranos: The Historical Roots of Italian American Stereotype Anxiety, Journal of Popular Film and Television, 32:2, 50-73, DOI: 10.3200/ JPFT.32.2.49-73 I saw him What does 3 oclock mean in The Sopranos? According to Sirico himself, it has hints of cognac, musk, and magic. Per TCM, Raft intervened with his gangster associates on Cagneys behalf, and was able to have the hit called off. There are a lot of big personalities on the classic HBO series "The Sopranos," but few captured the minds and hearts of audiences quite like Paulie Gualtieri, aka Paulie Walnuts. And as a childhood friend of legendary New York City Irish mobster Owney Madden, Raft brought plenty of authenticity to the archetypical character he created. According to associate producer Gray Frederickson, Russo talked to a few people, and suddenly the compound was available. Russo, who was then cast as Carlo, later claimed that Joe Colombo himself had insisted the actor be rewarded with a prominent role. Lines like I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders! made Moe a memorable character in a film full of them. Widely regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time, The Sopranos is the iconic American crime drama created by David Chase, which has long been praised for its sharp writing, impressive cast and slick stylisation - and for dealing with themes like violence, gender roles and Italian-American family culture in a smart, engaging way. During that time, it managed to scoop. Any film buff worth their salt loves a good mob movie, but these actors love mob movies so much that theyve (allegedly) lived them. Does Tony Soprano sleep with his therapist? (Paul Sorvinos character in the film, Paul Cicero, was based on Vario Sr.) Borgese also played crime family captain Lorenzo Larry Boy Barese in 14 episodes of HBOs The Sopranos, a role not quite as true to his life, though not by much. Joseph Sherwood. Legend has it that the many unknown actors who hoped to join the Godfather cast opted to boast about their mobster bona fides, rather than highlight their everyday professional credentials, and it was this approach that brought Russo to the attention of the films producers. Joseph Russo is a dear friend of mine, and I cannot express enough how pleased I am that your office has taken interest and is in pursuit of correcting this problem, Caan wrote. Getty Images. On The Sopranos, audiences see Rusty barely react after he learns that Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) has murdered two associate loyal his crew (in All Happy Families). Tony can never change what he genetically passed on to A.J., but he can prevent Christopher, his mafia son, from destroying lives other than his own. I had [mobsters] that liked me, but I always kept a distance, Valli continued. 1. Bada bing! Acting wasnt even in my mind.. He was also one of the Mafias most deadly assassins. Chris and Adriana get to know Massive Genius, a rich gangster rapper, and Chris arranges a sit-down for him with Hesh Rabkin. Review Bombing: What Drives This Toxic Internet Phenomenon? Legend has it Orbach was eating dinner with Crazy Joe when he was gunned downthe mob boss, killed on his 43rd birthday, Apr. You either had to have a tattoo or a bullet hole. The Sopranos Actors With Real Life Gangster Connections, 1 Dark Sopranos Detail Makes Christopher A Lot More Like Tony. Paulie Walnuts is undeniably goofy and even somewhat lovable, but at his core, hes still a cold-blooded killer. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for The REAL Sopranos DeCavalcante New Jersey Crime Family Mafia Gangster Signed Mob at the best online Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather," Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," and Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America" have all become revered film classics, and helped reignite interest in these stories. The Sopranos even makes reference to Siricos pinstriped pastin The Blue Comet, the series penultimate episode, Paulie Walnuts recalls, I lived through the seventies by the skin of my nuts when the Colombos were goin at it. And its rumored that Sirico agreed to play Paulie only with the assurance that his character would never become an informant. Anthony Tony Blundetto (1958-2004) was a DiMeo crime family associate in Carlo Gervasis crew. When Adriana asks what "experts" Christopher discussed the Visiting Day demo with, he names Hesh and also Silvio, who he says used to own "rock clubs in Asbury". WebJoined: Jul 2012. He was not like that. From there, Sirico was able to secure roles as a gangster in some extremely notable films such as Goodfellas, Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, Defiance, Innocent Blood, Gotti, The Pick-up Artist, and Cop Land. "This guy may be the last of the old time mob bosses for this region," said Lee. HBOs groundbreaking series The Sopranos pushed envelopes on violence, sex, and respect for the gangster genre. However, when the New York Post interviewed a group of women asked what they thought of the cologne, one of them said, Paolo Per Uomo smells like every lasagna-loving, spaghetti-slurping mob-boss wannabe or cheap imitation consigliere. Maybe its a harsh review or maybe thats exactly what Sirico was going for. While I dont want to glorify the criminal lifestyle, its pretty cool that Sirico was essentially playing his former self when he was portraying Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos. During that time, it managed to scoop up 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes. But I had some very close friends, and if I named the names of these guys you would know every one of them. Toward the end of his Talking Sopranos appearance, Valli did mention one mob figure. Caans relationship with the Russosmade especially significant by the fact that Andy Mush is the godfather to Caans son, Scottearned him quite a reputation in New York City. This is completely true. 7, 1972, was a high-ranking member of the Profaci family, who were then at war with the Colombos. Get insider Sopranos and showbiz scoop with actor Drea De Matteo and long time friend Chris Kushner as they explore real stories from Sopranos episodes with special guests about how they made it big, fell on tough times, got busted, and readjusted. Before he was an influential actor, Raft was actually Maddens personal driver, and, oddly enough, a talented dancerGeorge did the fastest and most exciting Charleston I ever saw, Fred Astaire once said. When Sirico auditioned for The Sopranos, he was originally auditioning for the part of Uncle Junior. up 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes. The actor was born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of a connected street guy, and gravitated towards show business at a young age, getting an early break as an aspiring nightclub singer through a connection of his own. WebThe discovery of informants led to some of The Sopranos' best episodes, like in season 2, episode 13, "Funhouse." d power play, but also for its comments on family dynamics, mental health and the dark underside to the American dream. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and they do all sorts of things together that range from playing basketball to working on their dozens of construction projects. I n 1999, a 40-year old Italian-American man started a course of therapy and created a new template for prestige television. A show as gritty as The Sopranos always had fans wondering if there were any made men consulting from the sidelines to help guide the story. There was one actor in particular who inspired the series because he was a real gangster, and his input truly helped set the tone and legitimacy. Tony Borgese eventually pleaded guilty and was originally sentenced to three years in prison, but instead was sentenced to six years of house arrest and a two-year probation. He was confronted by Tony who was waiting for him outside. inspiration behind the on-screen Soprano family. Raised in the Mountain West, Jase loves fishing and hiking. Sopranos has affected my watching of Mad Men for the first time: whenever Peggy says something weirdly ignorant, I keep imagining it in Tony Sirico's voice. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), What Is Project Blue Beam? The first confirmed role that Sirico ever landed was as an extra in the 1974 film Crazy Joe, a film about the murder of Joseph Crazy Joe Gallo, a member of the Colombo crime family who was gunned down at a restaurant in Little Italy. Sopranos has affected my watching of Mad Men for the first time: whenever Peggy says something weirdly ignorant, I keep imagining it in Tony Sirico's voice. It was during one of his arrests in prison that Sirico discovered his passion for acting, which led to his appearances in many movies and shows including Goodfellas and The Sopranos. Through the years, people thought I was with this family or that family, and I was with no family, he said. Imagine Paulie getting a late night phone-call from Tony, panicking and going,"PIZZA HOUSE!" One day the gangster gave Russo a cool hundred bucks instead, instructing him to meet him at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next morning. I was denied in a country club once. Due to his lifestyle, Tony constantly found himself in danger from other rival families and even members of his own family, unsurprisingly leading to a high amount of stress and even panic attacks. In 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant for carrying a revolver and was later convicted on charges of extortion, coercion, and felony weapons possession. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. The series dealt with the mundane aspects of crime as well as the glamorized parts we had seen before in the cinema, and is arguably one of the greatest television shows ever made. I feel good about what Ive accomplished, Sirico says. Id like an antique watch with diamonds on it, but Ill get another $15 one, McCartt joked. Although the Orbachs later contended they went home after the show, its believed they actually joined Gallo at Umbertos Clam House in Little Italy, where Crazy Joe was whacked by a group of Colombo triggermen in the wee hours of the morning. Roccos characters unforgettable death during the films climactic christening montage even spawned a gangster film trope all its own: the Moe Greene Special. And though the recently deceased Rocco, born Alexander F. Petricone Jr., could not have claimed the criminal underworld clout of, say, a Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, upon whom Moe Greene is said to have been based, he did make a few mobster bones of his own. Acting on that tip, he enlisted an Asian showgirl to drive his Bentley from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and place his audition video in Ruddys hands personally. Art imitated life years later when Borgese was cast as Sonny Bunz, that very same nightclubs put-upon, absurdly named owner, in Martin Scorseses mob classic Goodfellas. WebThe Sopranos is a television series that aired for 6 seasons starting in 1999 and was broadcast by HBO. Carmela wonders whether she and the children will be all right if anything happens to Tony, but he reassures her. And according to multiple sources, Tony Soprano himself wasn't just plucked out of thin air: the show's protagonist was reportedly based on a gangster named Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, whose many similarities to the fictional mobster are offset by some startling differences. Lily Allen was offered role of her real brother's sister on Game of Thrones, How All Quiet on the Western Front film went from initially being banned in Germany to Netflix smash hit. family raised labor racketeering to something of an art form. In 2011, Tony Borgese was arrested for allegedly hiring members of the Gambino family to beat a man who owed him a debt. But remarkably, Rafts mob connections once saved fellow gangster-film legend James Cagneys life. It doesnt get much more gangster than that. Scott Russell lives in Atlanta and studies writing at the Savannah College of Art & Design. He was lured onto a boat by Tony and executed. And because he worked in so many places owned by mobsters and their associates (and was Italian-American), people believed Valli to be connected himself. But judging by a 1990 LA Times profile, Sirico, born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, was very much a product of his environment. Richard Kuklinski, similarly, passed as a businessman and a devoted husband and father. Silvio Dante was shot several times and left in a coma by a man wearing the same Members Only jacket who was part of the Lupertazzi family hit squad sent by Phil Leotardo. The show was a huge success, drawing in large audiences and receiving outstanding reviews from critics, with many calling it the greatest television series ever created. We would hear back that real wiseguys used to think that we had somebody on the inside. Tony had a father who was in and out of prison throughout his life. I asked him for a favor, he later explained. but nobody got killed. On the surface, this is a real innovation. ", also revealed that the HBO show was modelled partly on a Genovese f. amily who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey area. Vincent Pastore took on the role of Salvatore Bonpensiero in The Sopranos, one of the main characters of the show. Before he was Paulie Walnuts, he was Genaro Anthony Sirico Jr., an Italian-American kid growing up in Brooklyn in the East Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods. Or hed put a candle in front of a cuckoo clock, and when the cuckoo would pop out, the candle would fall over and start a fire. Bettye McCartt, assistant to producer Al Ruddy, had her own mobster moment with Montana: when she broke her watch, he noticed and asked her what kind of replacement she wanted. For six seasons, we stayed Is 'I Just Killed My Dad' on Netflix based on a true story? Massive says he will see Hesh in court. The song played in one of the closing scenes, which Hesh hears and then says to Christopher, "Now that is a hit", is "Nobody Loves Me But You" by Dori Hartley. Hesh refuses, and later threatens a counterclaim: there is an unauthorized sampling by Massive's record label of a song that Hesh's label still controls. One plays the put-upon wife of a New Jersey crime boss, the other the therapist who tries to ease his angst. Gandolfini used to tease the writers about their tactics, telling Vanity Fair: "I used to call them the vampires, the writers. Ray Liotta plays two characters in the new Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, an ironic double casting given that the actor passed on a role on the iconic HBO mob drama.Having done Goodfellas, I needed something different, Liotta said. "This guy may be the last of the old time mob bosses for this region," said Lee Seglem, assistant director of the State Commission of Investigation. Was Paulie from sopranos a real gangster? Listen, Junior was a genuine tough guy, says James Caan, a long-standing acquaintance of Siricos who ran in some of the same organized-crime circles. Adriana proposes that she should pursue a career as a music producer and that Massive can help. Vario was the son of a local mobster in Brooklyn and helped Borgese get a job in a nightclub. One aspect of the show that made it so great was the acting, as many of the actors in The Sopranos offered incredible performances as gang members and criminals, allowing the audience to become fully immersed in the crime world of The Sopranos. Tony Soprano was a waste management consultant, after all. The peak of Peak TV. A Sopranos Scene Between Tony And Janice Turned Into A Real-Life Shouting Match. The director famously once asked Montana if he knew how to spin the cylinder of a revolver, to which the enforcer-turned-actor responded, You kiddin?, [Montana] used to tell us all these things, like, he was an arsonist, associate producer Gray Frederickson told Vanity Fair. We kid you noteven a movie star as massive as Robert De Niro, who handily transcends the mob drama category, has been unafraid to rub elbows with true-blue wiseguys. Under pressure from investigators thanks to information the FBI extracted from one of his former soldiers, Palermo turned informant and gave up information on his former crime family in return for a place in the witness protection program. Each day, Genovese family mob boss Frank Costello would pass by, and Costello soon got into the habit of giving Russo a buck or two. While not necessarily associated with the life of organized crime, Vallelonga spent a considerable amount of time as a bouncer at the Copacabana Club in New York. Winter saw it as an opportunity finally have Paulies hair mussed on the screen. Borgese then turned around and mentioned the debt to a wiseguy friend of his during a round of golf. So I had guys put down my own words and shove them right back into my throat.". Chris is told by Hesh that the band is not good, and realizes that Massive is helping them only because of his interest in Adriana. The Sopranos was brilliant, astonishing, shocking TV that may never be bettered. WebThe storyline focuses on Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, as the leader of a mob family out of New Jersey. A witness told authorities that Winter Hill Gang boss James Buddy McLean shot McLaughlin down in broad daylight while Rocco acted as the getaway driver. So it may not surprise you to find out that Tony Sirico was not only a gangster on the screen, he was a gangster in real life. Stop me if youve heard this one: its difficult to tell the factual man from the fictional one, as Siricos rap sheet is nearly as extensive as his IMDb page. Some of his favorites include Spider-Man 2, The Princess Bride, and Ace Ventura. The Sopranos was brilliant, astonishing, shocking TV that may never be bettered. But while Valli was preparing to begin filming, the writers had scrapped the character from the story. Stylistically, "The Wire" is much more realist than its predecessor there are no talking fish or imaginary women to speak of, and the dialogue of "The Sopranos" is more cinematic. This record is broken: Gianni Russo, who got his start with a key role in The Godfather, was all kinds of mobbed-up off-camera. They get a huge amount of cash as Tony says, a once-in-a-lifetime score. Topics:TV and Film, US Entertianment, TV. The Sopranos was created by David Chase and aired from 1999 to 2007, with the goal of accurately portraying life within organized crime. Tony Borgese, who had the stage name Tony Darrow, played the character of Larry Barese in The Sopranos. Of the many iconic characters to come out of the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, few are quite as enigmatic as Paulie Gualtieri, or as hes affectionately known by his associates, Paulie Walnuts. In an oral history of the series inVanity Fair, it was revealed that F.B.I. This is just one of the many near-mythical stories in Russos arsenalthe actor also claims that his great-grandfather, Angelo Russo, was a famous Sicilian mobster; that he has a close connection to such notorious organized crime figures as John Gotti and Carlo Gambino; that he has slept with more famous women than he can count, including Marilyn Monroe; that he has killed three men, including a member of the Medelln cartel who stabbed him with the shard of a broken Cristal bottle at the now-defunct Gianni Russos State Street casino in Las Vegas; that he has beaten 23 federal indictments and never slept in a jail. At any rate, Russo blurs the line between fact and fiction, just like so many classic mobster movies. By Shae Sennett / Feb. 26, 2023 7:00 pm EST. The actor who played mafia capo Larry Boy Barese on the HBO mob drama The Sopranos turns out to be gangster in real life. All Rights Reserved, documents filed by Manhattan District Attorney John Hillebrecht. It doesnt get much more gangster than that. Along with his son, Anthony 'Tony Boy' Boiardo, Richie used 'waste management' as a cover for their activities, according to the Express. Tony would like to mix with meddigans, White Americans not of Italian descent. HBO. In fact, the character of Paulie Walnuts even references Tonys real life in the episode The Blue Comet, saying, I lived through the 70s by the skin of my nuts when the Colombos were going at it. Indeed, the 1970s were a tumultuous time for the Colombo crime family after the boss of the family, Joseph Colombo, was shot in the head and killed in 1971. After playing the iconic role of Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos, Sirico has had roles in other television series such as NBCs Medium and the Norweigan-American series Lilyhammer, which starred Steven Van Zandt who played Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. So if a mysterious accident should befall yours truly after this list hits the web, consider the following 10 goodfellas and their unsavory associates your primary suspects. Would love your thoughts, please comment. It was not only the most popular series around during its airing, but it also became the hottest series of 2020 as people started bingeing it all over again via streaming, according toGQ. Hes been cast in some of the most notable mob movies and mob television series of all time, and has delivered a brilliant performance in every one of them.