Eugene Pontecorvo

This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''

Main characters

Cast table

Main character biographies

Tony Soprano

Jennifer Melfi

Carmela Soprano

Christopher Moltisanti

Corrado "Junior" Soprano

Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero

Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero is played by Vincent Pastore. Big Pussy was a longtime close friend and mob enforcer for Tony Soprano, and was also shown to be close friends with fellow DiMeo crime family mobsters Paulie "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri, Silvio Dante, and was once a close friend to Tony's uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano. In the tie-in video game it is revealed he has an illegitimate son named Joey LaRocca. Samson Moeakiola portrays a young Bonpensiero in the 2021 prequel film, ''The Many Saints of Newark''.

The son of Lino Bonpensiero, Salvatore Bonpensiero started out as a cat burglar, and was affectionately known as Pussy, in reference to those talents. He was called "Big Pussy" to distinguish from Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malenga. Sal had a wife Angie and three children. He operated an auto body shop with his brother Edward "Duke" Bonpensiero. Sal was a soldier in the Soprano crew, and he backed "Johnny Boy" Soprano's wishes to have Tony Soprano become capo following Johnny's death in 1986.

In order to put his children through college, he dealt heroin on the side. Sometime between 1995 and 1998, Sal was caught by the FBI and decided to inform against the Soprano crew in order to avoid the possibility of life in prison. He was assigned Agent Skip Lipari as his handler. He was revealed as an informant in the episode "Do Not Resuscitate". In flashbacks to 1995, it is shown that Sal was instrumental in organizing a sit-down between high-ranking capo Junior Soprano and acting boss Jackie Aprile Sr. He traveled to Boca Raton to persuade Junior to return to New Jersey and settle a trucking dispute with Aprile. However, Sal was suspiciously late for the sit-down and blamed the health problems of his comare's mother.

In 1998, he was arrested at a card game run by Soprano family capo Jimmy Altieri. He tried to escape but threw his back out and was caught. He was quickly bailed out, but was confined to his home due to injury. Dirty cop Vin Makazian told Tony he had a rat in his organization and pointed the finger at Sal. Tony assigned Paulie Gualtieri to investigate, and to kill Sal, but only if he explicitly saw proof. At a bathhouse with Paulie, Sal refused to undress, blaming high blood pressure and alleging it would be bad for his back, but implicitly suggesting (to the viewer) it could really be because he was wearing a wire.

This raised the crew's suspicions further, especially after Sal then disappeared. Paulie took over his collections, and the crew killed Altieri, taking the heat off Sal, as the crew figured the rat was flushed. Sal resurfaced at Tony's home in 2000, claiming to have been in Puerto Rico receiving treatment for his bad back from an acupuncturist. He started lying to Agent Lipari, showing reluctance to divulge details. Acquaintance Jimmy Bones, who is later murdered at his home for fear of revelation, spots him with Agent Lipari. Sal and his wife Angie begin having marital issues when he returns. Angie discusses leaving him with Carmela, who dissuades her, so she settles for sleeping in separate bedrooms.

When Tony became acting boss, he made Silvio his consigliere, and Paulie a capo, with new addition Furio Giunta on equal footing with Sal despite Sal's years of service. Sal wore a wire to A.J.'s confirmation, but he spent most of the time privately counseling A.J., instead of talking business with the crew. Following Christopher Moltisanti's shooting by associates Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, Sal resumed his loyal soldier role despite his double life as an informant; he tracked down the escaped Bevilaqua, and shot him to death with Tony. Sal eventually gave Agent Lipari information on Soprano's stolen airline tickets scam, leading to Tony's brief arrest.

Tony eventually accepted his suspicions about Sal after a portentous dream where Sal appeared to him as a talking fish, a clear reference to the Mafia-related saying "sleep with the fishes". To be certain, he searched for evidence in Sal's home and found a wire in a cigar box. He then organized a hit on Sal, with Silvio and Paulie, on a boat, with one last toast to the good times, and the three shot him to death, wrapped his body in plastic bags, chains, and weights, and dumped it into the ocean.

Sal would make several appearances in the show after his death in dreams and flashbacks.

Silvio Dante

Anthony "A.J." Soprano Jr.

Meadow Soprano

Paulie Gualtieri

Livia Soprano

Adriana La Cerva

Richie Aprile

Richard "Richie" Aprile is played by David Proval. Richie is the older brother of acting DiMeo crime family boss Jackie Aprile Sr., and was a capo in the DiMeo crime family before being sent to prison for ten years. Richie was previously married and fathered a son, Richie Aprile Jr. Richie returned from prison to a very different family, with Tony Soprano as the boss, whom Richie had known since before Tony had become a made man. Richie feels he is entitled to more control and a higher ranking position in the family for having paid his dues in prison.

Tony promises to give Richie his due, an offer which Richie immediately rebuffs, saying Tony does not have the authority to do it. Richie's tensions with Tony escalate throughout Season 2. One of Richie's first actions as a free man is to confront his old partner Peter "Beansie" Gaeta and try to extort money from Beansie's legitimate business investments. Later, Richie waits for Beansie to approach his car in the parking lot, then rams Beansie with his car, crushing Beansie between the two vehicles. Richie then drives over Beansie's legs as he leaves.

Richie dislikes Tony's protégé Christopher Moltisanti because of his violent relationship with Richie's niece, Adriana La Cerva, and warns Christopher of the consequences should he ever hit her again. Christopher's two young associates, Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, learn of Richie's dislike for their boss, and shoot Christopher, hoping to impress Richie. The shooting goes wrong, however, and Christopher survives while Sean is killed. Richie had nothing to do with planning the hit, and when he learns of it, he refuses to help Bevilaqua and chases him off his premises.

Richie and Janice Soprano, Tony's sister, used to date in high school. When Richie gets out of prison, he and Janice resume their old relationship and eventually get engaged. Janice frequently encourages Richie to defy Tony, because she wants to be married to the boss. In the end, Richie prepares, with the approval of Tony's Uncle Junior, to take over the family as boss. Richie approaches acting capo Albert "Ally Boy" Barese to ask for his support in his takeover bid, but he declines.

After weighing his options, Junior realizes he is better off with Tony in charge and tips him off about Richie's plans. Silvio Dante advises Tony that there is nothing to gain from leaving Richie alive, so Tony instructs Silvio to have Richie killed. However, after returning home one night, Richie gets into an argument with Janice over Richie's son's possible homosexuality. Richie is enraged at the thought of his son being gay, but Janice replies that it would not matter. Furious, Richie punches her in the mouth before settling down for dinner.

Janice leaves the room and returns with a gun pointed at him. Calmly, Richie says, "Get the fuck outta here. I'm in no mood for your..." before she shoots Richie twice, killing him. Distraught, she calls Tony, who has Christopher, and Furio Giunta meet him at Livia's (where Janice, Richie, and Livia reside) to remove Richie's body. They bring his corpse to Satriale's to dismember it while Tony sends Janice off to Olympia, Washington to lie low.

Janice Soprano

Artie Bucco

Arthur "Artie" Bucco Jr. is played by John Ventimiglia. Artie is a restaurateur and chef, and childhood friend of Tony Soprano, attending elementary school together. Artie appears throughout the series, from the first episode to the penultimate episode. He and his wife, Charmaine Bucco, have three children Chiara Bucco, Melissa Bucco, and Arthur "Art" Bucco III. Charmaine is frequently concerned about his attraction to Tony's criminal life and often warns Artie about his occasional attempts at involvement.

Despite Artie and Tony's close friendship, their relationship sees several low points. At the end of season 1, Artie learns from Tony's mother, Livia, that Tony was responsible for the arson at his original restaurant co-owned with his wife, Vesuvio, in Essex County, New Jersey. Tony's Uncle Junior had planned to stage a hit at Vesuvio on “Little Pussy" Malanga, despite Tony's repeated requests to move the location of the hit. Tony, knowing that the restaurant's patrons would be permanently chased away if a hit occurred there, set the restaurant ablaze so that the hit would be avoided and Artie could rebuild the restaurant with the payout from his insurance policy.

Artie rebuilds the restaurant renaming it, Nuovo Vesuvio. However, Artie had a strong emotional attachment to the old restaurant, which he inherited from his father, and confronts Tony with a hunting rifle in the parking lot of Satriale's when he finds out that Tony was responsible. Eventually, Artie believes Tony's repeated denials of having been the arsonist. There is a brief tension between the two, but by the end of the season 1 finale, they have made up.

In season 3, Artie becomes infatuated with Adriana. When she quits working as a hostess at his restaurant, he unsuccessfully tries to court her. This causes a rift in his marriage to Charmaine and the two separate. In season 4, Artie is approached by Frenchman Jean-Philippe, the brother of the new hostess at Vesuvio, for a $50,000 short-term loan to distribute Armagnac in the US. Artie agrees to lend him the money at high interest. He tries to borrow the money from Ralph, who declines but mentions it to Tony, who reminds Artie of their friendship and insists that he accept the loan from him.

Ten days pass and Jean-Philippe is not answering the phone. Artie goes to his home; Jean-Philippe says plainly that the deal has failed and there is no money. Artie attacks him. Jean-Philippe gets the better of him, rips out his earring, and throws him out. At home, Artie overdoses on alcohol and pills and calls Tony to apologize. Tony deduces that his friend is trying to kill himself and calls 911.

At the hospital, Tony says that Artie can clear his $6,000 tab at Nuovo Vesuvio in lieu of payment. Artie expresses admiration that Tony could intuitively foresee that the deal would go bad and so he would be able to profit from it; this makes Tony furious. Someone rings the bell at Jean-Philippe's apartment. He opens the door: it is Furio.

In the third episode of season 5, Tony learns that Artie has been living in a Motel 6 since the separation from his wife. Tony offers to let Artie stay in his mother's old house, where Tony has been living since his separation from Carmela. Artie accepts, and the old friends reconcile. In season 6, Artie and Charmaine reconcile. There is a growing sense of dissatisfaction amongst Nuovo Vesuvio's diners, culminating in the episode "Luxury Lounge".

Artie has hired another young hostess that he lusts after—Martina, an undocumented Albanian immigrant he has been helping through the U.S. government's immigration process. Soprano crew associate Benny Fazio is a regular fixture at the restaurant's bar, flirting with Martina. The restaurant is losing many customers to the new rival restaurant, Da Giovanni's. Nuovo Vesuvio's finances worsen when American Express will not let its customers use its cards there, because several account numbers had been stolen and used to run up charges elsewhere. Artie confronts Martina, who instantly breaks, tearfully admitting to stealing, then passing, the charge card numbers to Benny.

Artie is enraged and storms to Benny's house in the middle of the night. Benny tries to deny his involvement, and Artie starts a brawl, knocking Benny unconscious on his front porch. A furious Benny tells Tony he wants Artie dead, but Tony is able to keep him from doing so. Later, Artie appears to restore his business. Artie had also catered Christopher Moltisanti's belated bachelor party at Nuovo Vesuvio without coming into confrontation with Benny.

Charmaine Bucco

Charmaine Bucco is played by Kathrine Narducci. Charmaine is the wife of Artie Bucco and a childhood friend of Carmela and Tony Soprano. She co-owns the restaurant Nuovo Vesuvio with her husband. Charmaine runs the front of the house, and Artie is the head chef. Charmaine's education is referenced periodically in the series: in ''The Test Dream'' it is revealed that she is a licensed notary public and in ''Everybody Hurts'' it is revealed that she went to the Wharton School of Business. She and her husband have three children Chiara Bucco, Melissa Bucco, and Arthur "Art" Bucco III.

In season one, Charmaine and Carmela drift apart. Charmaine resents that Carmela enjoys an affluent lifestyle that is only made possible by her husband's criminal activities. She discourages Artie from associating with Tony because of his criminal lifestyle. When Carmela hires the Buccos to cater a silent auction fundraiser at the Soprano home, Carmela treats Charmaine like a servant. This prompts Charmaine to reveal that she dated and had sex with Tony in high school at the same time he was beginning to date Carmela when she was spending the summer with her parents on Long Beach Island.

Following a series of escalating arguments, Artie and Charmaine separate. Artie moves out of the family home, but the two still reluctantly run the business together. Charmaine ultimately reconciles with Artie in season six.

Ralph Cifaretto

Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto is played by Joe Pantoliano. Ralph is not present in season 1 or 2, as he spends a prolonged period of time in Miami, Florida and lived in