Tony Soprano: biography, characteristics and life principles. Actor who played Tony Soprano

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

American television has always been famous for its quality television series, filmed on a variety of topics. In particular, already in the 90s their level was not much different from feature cinema. And the reason for this was solid funding from major TV channels, which were not afraid to invest large sums of money in the production of serials. And one of the most iconic television projects of those years, undoubtedly, is The Sopranos. This cult series was filmed in the genre of crime drama. It was about modern mafia groups. It is noteworthy that by that time this genre was going through far from the best of times. Of the really high-quality projects of such a plan, one could single out only "The Bronx Story", "Carlito's Way" and the third part of the great franchise "The Godfather". So The Sopranos became a kind ofa breath of fresh air for this genre, which managed to pretty much get fed up with many viewers. And the main reason for the success of the series was the presence of such a colorful character as Tony. It was he who fell in love with millions of viewers around the world and became one of the most recognizable anti-heroes in the history of television. Next, we will talk in detail about this fictional criminal. You can learn a lot of new facts about his biography, and you can also better understand the character of the protagonist of the series "The Sopranos" - Tony.

The plot of the series "The Sopranos"

But first of all, it makes sense to briefly recall the plot of the film about Tony Soprano. Events unfold in North Jersey. It was there that a large and influential criminal group settled, the leader of which at the moment is a man named Tony Soprano. By nature, he is quite cruel and quick-tempered. It is for this reason that no one dares to cross his path. He firmly holds the family "business" in his hands, having the most dedicated bandits under his command, ready to fulfill his every order. Also, Tony Soprano tries to do everything possible to give his family everything they need. In particular, he keeps children as far as possible from criminal showdowns and pays for their education. He also has a beloved wife, with whom Tony has conflicts from time to time. But the situation soon worsened. And the reason for this was the unexpected panic attacks that began to overcome the seasoned gangster. And in order to understand everything that is happening, he beginssecretly visit a psychotherapist, sharing with him all your experiences. But can a simple doctor help Tony overcome the crisis and return to normal life? And what happens if someone from his criminal circle finds out that the leader of the mafia is visiting a shrink? Ahead of the main character will be waiting for numerous criminal showdowns, as well as problems in his personal life, which will not be easy to solve.

Main Role

Performed the role of Tony Soprano by actor James Gandolfini. For him, participation in the series "The Sopranos" was the pinnacle of his career. It was because of this role that he became a hostage of one single image until the end of his life, failing to fully reveal his creative potential. Like many other members of the cast, James was of Italian-American descent. It also became an advantage for him during the casting. The producers decided to invite the actor to audition after they saw his episodic role in the popular crime thriller True Love, filmed according to the script of the notorious Quentin Tarantino. As a result, Gandolfini impressed the producers with his acting and immediately got the coveted role of Tony Soprano. To better match his character, James was forced to put on an extra 12 kilos. Prior to this, the actor played mainly small roles that did not allow him to fully demonstrate all his talent. However, after The Sopranos, James still managed to take his place in Hollywood. In particular, in the same year with hisThe well-known film "8 millimeters" is released, in which Nicolas Cage, incredibly popular in those years, also starred. This was followed by the successful "Mexican", in which James Gandolfini had a chance to share the screen with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. No less successful for him was the appearance in the neo-noir of the Coen brothers "The Man Who Wasn't There". However, after that, his career in feature films rapidly declined. Among the more or less successful works, one can only single out the crime films "Dangerous Passengers of Train 123" and "Casino Robbery". The actor managed to try his hand at a new role only in 2014. It was then that he played a major role in the dramatic film "Enough Words". It was well received by both critics and audiences. That's just to live to see the premiere of James Gandolfini was not destined. On June 19, 2013, the actor died in the hospital from cardiac arrest.

Tony's biography

Next, we propose to talk in detail about the biography of the character of Tony Soprano, which turned out to be no less fascinating and worthy of attention. From the series, we find out that in the 60s, little Tony lived with his sisters Janice and Barbara in Newark. Their mother and father also lived with them. Even then, the head of the family was engaged in far from the most legal activities, occupying a prominent place in criminal circles. All this allowed the family to live in abundance. However, Tony repeatedly witnessed the showdown. This is what played a key role in the formation of his personality.

To Tony Soprano's school (the series also contains footage fromchildhood hero) walked with Artie Bucco and David Scatino. In the future, they will remain his good friends, although they will not deal with the underworld. Together, friends had to go through many not the most pleasant trials, which only strengthened their trust in each other. In high school, the main character also meets Carmella, who later became his wife. Shortly after leaving school, Tony tried to go to college and graduate. That's just the future criminal stayed there for only a few months. After that, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and put together his own group, which included people like Silvio Dante and Ralph Cifaretto. In the future, the first will become for Tony one of the most faithful assistants and right hand. Tony's mentor was his father. However, in 1986 he died from an illness. So this post went to Uncle Junior, who has been one of the key figures in the "family" for many years. Initially, Tony Soprano (the Sopranos series) was an ordinary six and tried to do everything possible to win trust from other members of the criminal gang. Years later, he nevertheless achieves respect and takes the place of his uncle Junior, who has pretty much passed due to age and illness. Tony Soprano's team included such colorful and charismatic personalities as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bompansiero, Polly G altieri and Silvio Dante, already mentioned above. For many years, the "family" under the leadership of Tony occupied a prominent place in Jersey and coexisted quite peacefully with others."families". But, as you know, sooner or later, a division of power and a struggle for territory begins between the mafias. So the members of the Soprano team repeatedly had to risk their lives and kill competitors in the most brutal ways.

Tony's family life

As mentioned above, Tony met his wife Carmella while still a schoolboy. They fell in love with each other almost immediately, as a result, she became his faithful wife. Years later, Tony Soprano bought himself a house (address: 633 Stag Trail Road, North Caldwell, New Jersey). He chose housing located away from noisy streets and prying eyes. By the start of the first season, they already had two children, Meadow Soprano and Anthony Soprano Jr. He strongly supports his children in all their endeavors and allocates money for personal needs. But Tony also does not intend to spoil and be indulgent too much. It doesn’t cost him anything to break loose and yell at the household, if the situation requires it. But most importantly, he does his best to protect them from his secret life.

However, with his wife, Tony Soprano is far from going as smoothly as he would like. And the reason for this is his many betrayals. Initially, Tony Soprano's wife, Carmella, tried to turn a blind eye to them. But soon, numerous quarrels began to occur between them, which put the marriage of Tony and Carmella in jeopardy. However, throughout the series, they never parted completely, finding a compromise. Over the years, problems with children also began to appear. Anthony Jr. behavedextremely strange and for a long time could not find a common language with peers. Because of this, he began to have problems with his studies. And once he was almost expelled altogether. And only thanks to the influence of his father, the son could not fly out. Having grown older, he also could not get rid of his bad temper, now and then bringing Tony a lot of inconvenience. My daughter also had problems. But here the reason was her personal life. The main character turned out to be extremely demanding in relation to young gentlemen, because of which scandals arose again in the family.

Interesting features of Tony Soprano

As you know, many people have their own quirks and life principles. And Tony Soprano is no exception to the rule. For example, for all his cruelty and cold-bloodedness towards people, Tony simply loves the animal world. An excellent example is the episode in which he meets ducks in his yard that have settled in the pool. For several weeks he watched them closely and fed them. And when they suddenly flew away, he could not hold back his tears. You can also recall the situation in which Ralphie set fire to the stable, which was Tony's favorite horse. He became so attached to her that in the end, after everything that happened, he killed Ralphie, saying the following before that: "She was an innocent, beautiful creature, and you killed her."

Also Tony Soprano is a big fan of classic heavy rock music. Throughout the series, he listens to tracks from AC/DC, Deep Purple, and PinkFloyd . As for film preferences, he considers Gary Cooper to be an ideal actor and a model of courage, films with which have long become classics in the USA. In terms of personal qualities, Tony Soprano's attitude towards his family, which he plays above all. He also refers to his criminal team, which includes extremely close and devoted people. For their sake, Tony Soprano, whose photo you have the opportunity to see in the article, is ready to give his life if necessary. He also never forgives betrayal and lies. And if Tony finds out that you betrayed him, then be sure that he will soon deal with you without a small share of regret. In one of the episodes, he kills his longtime comrade nicknamed Pussy, who began to cooperate with the FBI and About halfway through the series, Tony Soprano also did not feel sorry for his high school friend who lost a round sum of money in his underground casino. But this time Tony did not have to resort to to harsh methods, as the man committed suicide himself.

Key secondary characters

Undoubtedly, the brightest figure in the series is Tony Soprano. But in the background, you can also notice many important figures that deserve special mention. Here are some of them.

Christopher Moltisanti

Another important character in The Sopranos is Christopher Moltisanti. Tony replaced his real father, and also brought him into the "family", in which Chris began to occupyvisible spot. Initially, Tony entrusted him with minor tasks, without drawing him into serious showdowns. However, seeing the desire of the young man, he nevertheless made him a full-fledged member of the team. But by nature, Christopher was an incredibly rude, envious and quick-tempered person, which repeatedly led to irreparable consequences not only for himself, but also for Tony Soprano. Due to the rapid promotion in the "family", craving for unintentional violence. Repeatedly, he did things without hesitation, leaving behind many corpses. For the time being, Tony and his subordinates tolerated Christopher's antics. However, their patience soon ran out. Further - worse. Christopher became seriously addicted to hard drugs, which finally aggravated the situation. Throughout the series, he dated Adriana La Serva for a long time, and was also fond of acting, writing scripts and cinema in general. For a period of time, he abstained from the use of drugs and alcohol. This helped him to become a slightly more reserved and self-confident person again. But after a serious verbal skirmish, he still breaks down. One of the main episodes in Christopher's life is the birth of an illegitimate child. Due to drugs, he almost loses his own life, being with a child in a car. Seeing all this, Tony breaks down and kills Christopher.

Livia Soprano

Livia Soprano, who was Tony's mother, deserves special attention. From the very firstseries, it becomes clear that she has long been out of her mind and cannot adequately perceive reality. Tony Soprano's mother literally infuriates all the household members, and then completely begins to pose a threat. All this forces the protagonist to give his mother to a nursing home. The character appeared on the screens in the first and second seasons. It was planned and further participation in the plot of Livia Soprano. However, in 2000, actress Nancy Marchand, who played this role, died suddenly.

Janice Soprano

Another notable figure in the series is Tony Soprano's sister, Janice. She appears in the series not so often. However, even during this period of time, she manages to deliver a lot of trouble to an experienced mafia.

Tony Blundetto

This character appears around the middle of The Sopranos. The role of Tony Blundetto was played by the notorious Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi, whom you could see in the films "Reservoir Dogs", "Con Air", "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski". This is not the first time this actor has played criminals, in the role of which he looks incredibly convincing. However, Blundetto, who is Tony Soprano's cousin, is not without a comic element. In particular, Blundetto, trying to return to the criminal world after a long prison sentence, now and then gets into trouble, from which for the time being he was pulled out by the main character. As a result, one of the murders he committed almost unleashed a large-scale war between two influential criminal groups. Sothat the appearance of this character in the plot was an extremely good idea. Buscemi, as always, brilliantly played his role and was remembered by the audience.

Selected quotes from Tony Soprano

A character like Tony has become so iconic that some of his statements have been taken apart for quotes. Consider only some of them, the most famous.

Tony Soprano once said: "What and how will be - I decide! And if you don't love me anymore, I'm very sorry, but this is nonsense, because you may not love me, but you will respect me!"

The following words were put into Tony's mouth: "All friends fail you sooner or later. Family is the only support." Strong word, isn't it?

Also, it's impossible not to agree with another Tony saying: "The more you lie, the less likely you are to stop."