Nucky Thompson

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Nucky Thompson
Boardwalk Empire character
Nucky in the series premiere.
First appearance	"Boardwalk Empire"
Last appearance	"Eldorado"
Created by	Terence Winter
Portrayed by	Steve Buscemi Marc Pickering (1897) Nolan Lyons (1884)
In-universe information
Full name	Enoch Malachi Thompson
Nickname	Nucky Nuck Gus
Gender	Male
Occupation	Treasurer of Atlantic County
Family	Ethan Thompson (father/deceased) Elias "Eli" Thompson (brother) Susan Thompson (sister/deceased)
Spouse	Mabel Thompson (wife/married 1897, deceased 1909) Margaret Thompson (wife/married 1921, separated 1923)
Significant other	Annabelle (1911-1917) Lucy Danziger (1917-1920) Billie Kent (1922-1923) Sally Wheet (1924-1931)
Children	Enoch Jr. (deceased) Teddy Thompson (stepson) Emily Thompson (stepdaughter)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Nationality	Irish-American

Enoch Malachi^[1] "Nucky" Thompson is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire, portrayed by Steve Buscemi. Nucky is loosely based on former Atlantic City, New Jersey political figure Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson.^[2]

Nucky is employed as treasurer of Atlantic County, but in effect controls the region as a political boss. He is a corrupt and powerful politician who leads a double life as a gangster, and continuously struggles to meet his interests on both fronts. Charming and intelligent, he is adored by the people of Atlantic City, especially its poor and immigrant inhabitants, for his numerous acts of charity. However, in private he has a tight grip on the city's politics and vice. Throughout the series he is portrayed as a Machiavellian politician who makes his henchmen do the dirty work, while showing a more humane side to his friends and family. However, by the end of season 2 he is shown becoming more ruthless in order to compete in the violent bootlegging business.^[2]

Buscemi won Best Actor in Dramatic Series at the 68th Golden Globe Awards for his performance as Nucky. In flashbacks throughout the fifth season, he is played by Nolan Lyons as a child and Marc Pickering as a young man.