Tony Soprano | |
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The Sopranos character | |
![]() James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano | |
First appearance | "The Sopranos" (1999) |
Last appearance | The Many Saints of Newark (2021) |
Created by | David Chase |
Portrayed by |
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In-universe information | |
Full name | Anthony John Soprano |
Alias | Ronald "Big Ron" F. Spears Don Antonio Kevin Finnerty Mr. Petraglia Der Bingle (FBI codename) |
Nickname | T Tone Leadbelly Tony Uncle Johnny Skip Mr. Fat Mouth Tony-oni |
Gender | Male |
Title | Captain (season 1) Acting Underboss (seasons 2–4) Underboss (season 5–6a) Acting Boss (seasons 6a–6b) |
Occupation |
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Affiliation | Soprano family |
Spouse | Carmela Soprano |
Significant other | Irina Peltsin (seasons 1-2) Gloria Trillo (season 3) Svetlana (season 4) Valentina la Paz (seasons 4–5) Julianna Skiff (season 6) |
Children |
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Relatives |
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Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Nationality | Italian-American |
Anthony "Tony" John Soprano is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series The Sopranos, and portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, acts as the boss of the fictional North Jersey DiMeo Crime Family (later called the Soprano family). The character was conceived by Sopranos creator and showrunner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the series.
Gandolfini was cast in the role ahead of other actors, including Steven Van Zandt and Michael Rispoli. The character is loosely based on stories from and about an assortment of La Cosa Nostra figures, including real-life New Jersey mobsters Ruggerio "Richie the Boot" Boiardo, boss of the North Jersey Genovese crime family, and Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former caporegime and de facto boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.[1] Bobby Boriello and Mark Damiano II portrayed the character as a child in one episode each and Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes. William Ludwig portrayed him as a child and Gandolfini's son Michael portrayed a teenage version of the character in the 2021 prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.
In the first season, Tony is a captain and serves as a key ally for ailing acting boss Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile in the DiMeo crime family. Between the first and second seasons, he is promoted to acting underboss and then official underboss, a position he retains until the sixth season; his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano is the acting boss up until early in the sixth season but actual leading power is retained by Tony. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to balance the conflicting needs of his family—wife Carmela, daughter Meadow, son A.J., and mother Livia—with those of the Mafia. He displays behavior traits characteristic of a violent sociopath, struggles with depression, and is prone to panic attacks. From the pilot episode, he seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi (a character Chase modeled after his own psychiatrist) and remains in therapy on and off up until the penultimate episode of the series.[2]
Both the Tony Soprano character and Gandolfini's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Soprano often being cited as the greatest and most influential character in television history. For his portrayal of the character, Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Male Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two additional SAG Awards for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[3]
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