Anthony John Soprano Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist in the HBO television drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Usually referred to as Tony, the Italian-American character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and showrunner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the show's six seasons. Gandolfini was ultimately cast in the role ahead of several other actors including Steven Van Zandt and Michael Rispoli. The character is loosely based on real-life New Jersey mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former caporegime (capo) and "de facto" boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.[2] Bobby Boriello and Mark Damiano II portrayed Soprano as a child in one episode each; Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes. James Gandolfini's son, Michael Gandolfini, will portray a young Tony Soprano in the 2021 prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.

In the first season, Tony is a capo in the DiMeo crime family. Between the first and second seasons, he is promoted to street boss, a position he retains until the sixth season; his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano is the official boss up until early in the sixth season but has little or no actual power. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to balance the conflicting needs of his actual family—wife Carmela, daughter Meadow, son A. J., and mother Livia—with those of the Mafia family he controls. He often displays behavior traits characteristic of a violent sociopath, struggles with depression, and is prone to panic attacks. He seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a character Chase modeled after his own psychiatrist, in the first episode and remains in therapy on and off up until the penultimate episode of the series.[3]

Both the Tony Soprano character and Gandolfini's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Soprano being often cited as one of the greatest and most influential characters in television history. Gandolfini, for his portrayal of the character, 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 as well as two additional SAG Awards for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[4]

Early life
Tony Soprano was born in 1959, to Livia and Johnny Soprano.[13] His father was a capo in the DiMeo crime family. He grew up living with his parents and two sisters, Janice and Barbara, in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey. Tony's paternal grandfather, Corrado Soprano Sr., was from Ariano in the Province of Avellino who immigrated to the United States in 1911; he was a master stonemason who helped to build a church in Tony's old neighborhood.[14]

In adulthood, Tony recalls how Johnny used Janice as a cover for attending meetings with criminal associates at a children's amusement park, leading him to assume she was his father's favorite child. In therapy, when asked to remember happy childhood memories about his mother, Tony struggles to come up with any; he later describes his mother as a cruel, joyless woman who wore his father down "to a little nub" and who seemed to delight in threatening her children. Tony has a troubled relationship with Janice, due to her flighty and impulsive nature, which leads to her constantly relying on him for financial and emotional support. Their bond is further complicated in adulthood when she murders her boyfriend, Richie Aprile, one of Tony's subordinates, for striking her during a domestic dispute, leading to her calling on Tony for assistance in disposing of his body.

In high school, Tony met his future bride Carmela DeAngelis, and became friends with Artie Bucco and Davey Scatino. He was also close to his maternal cousin Tony Blundetto; their mutual relatives called them Tony-Uncle-Al and Tony-Uncle-Johnny (after their fathers) to tell them apart, although Tony and his friends would take to calling him "Tony B." The two Tonys spent summers at the farm of their uncle Pat Blundetto, a former DiMeo soldato (soldier) allowed to retire from the Mafia due to chronic illness. When they were in their early twenties, Tony B was arrested for his part in a hijacking: Tony was supposed to join Tony B on the job but failed to appear because of a panic attack after an argument with his mother, which resulted in his blacking out and suffering a head injury. For years after, Tony claimed that he had sustained the injury during a mugging, a story he maintained to abate his survivor's guilt. As a young adult, he attended Seton Hall University for a semester and a half before dropping out to pursue a life of crime.

Tony was part of an unofficial crew of young criminals consisting of Silvio Dante, Ralph Cifaretto, and Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile, Sr. He and Jackie gained notoriety in the DiMeo family by robbing a card game run by Feech La Manna; Ralph was left out of the plan due to debilitating pain from a venereal disease, leading to a lifelong animosity between the two. Under the tutelage of his father's friend Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, he committed his first murder in 1982 at the age of 22, killing a small-time bookie named Willie Overall. Following the murder, Paulie would become Tony's mentor in the Mafia lifestyle, with Paulie eventually settling into a role as Tony's own capo.

Johnny shepherded Tony through his ascendancy until his death in 1986 from emphysema. When he died, Johnny had risen to the level of capo of his crew, as had his older brother, Junior. Junior took over as Tony's mentor, with parental figures Salvatore "Big ♥♥♥♥♥" Bonpensiero and Paulie passing their loyalty to Tony upon Johnny's death, while Silvio joined the crew. Tony became acting capo of his father's old crew, a position which eventually became permanent.

By 1995, Jackie Aprile, Sr. became acting boss after Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo was sent to prison. The DiMeo family was prosperous under Jackie's rule until 1998 when he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. With Jackie in and out of the hospital, a power struggle develops between Tony and Junior. With Jackie's death in mid-1998,[15] a succession crisis reaches a point where a war within the family appears imminent. However, Tony brings a quick end to the conflict by endorsing Junior the official boss of the family. Unbeknownst to Junior, Tony secretly strikes a deal with the rest of the family to be the true boss, allowing Junior to believe that he's in power and act as a distraction for the FBI.

Interests and hobbies
Tony is an animal lover and enjoys feeding the ducks which visit his pool. He has a sentimental attachment towards animals, as he had been traumatized by the loss of his childhood dog (as revealed in the episode "In Camelot"), whose name was "Tippy". When he goes to confront Angie Bonpensiero as she's walking her poodle, the dog greets Tony in a friendly manner, which Tony reciprocates. During Christopher Moltisanti's intervention, when Tony hears Christopher accidentally suffocated Adrianna's dog, he is furious, saying, "I oughta suffocate you, you little prick!" He becomes involved in horse racing through his friend Hesh Rabkin, who owns a stable, and invests in a racehorse named Pie-O-My. When his horse is killed in a fire – possibly set by Ralph Cifaretto – Tony is deeply upset and saddened and kills Cifaretto, yelling: "She was a beautiful innocent creature. What did she ever do to you?" He repeats "You ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ killed her!", while banging Cifaretto's head against the floor. When informed by Carmela that a black bear has been foraging in his home's backyard while they were separated, during Season 5, he reacts with interest, rather than fear.[citation needed] During his stay in the hospital after his shooting, he can be seen reading a book about dinosaurs, given by Carmela. In the series finale, Tony finds a st