who in the sopranos was a real gangster

A witness told authorities that Winter Hill Gang boss James Buddy McLean shot McLaughlin down in broad daylight while Rocco acted as the getaway driver. Paulie, Chris, and Pussy rob and kill a Colombian drug dealer. It was not only the most popular series around during its airing, but it also became the hottest series of 2020 as people started bingeing it all over again via streaming, according toGQ. Oh, yeah, the guy sat in front of the board, and he says, No, no, hes a wiseguy, been downtown. Hed tie tampons on the tail of a mouse, dip it in kerosene, light it, and let the mouse run through a building. Lenny Montana is something of a one-hit wonder as an actor, known best (or perhaps only) for his role in Francis Ford Coppolas gangster classic. In this chilling no-holds-barred interview, Kuklinski gives a first-hand account of what that job entailed. Anyway, while working for the Colombos, Tony Sirico was arrested a total of 28 times for crimes including disorderly conduct, assault, and robbery. He killed three people in a warehouse that was robbing crap games. The character of Tony Soprano is said to have been inspired by DeCavalcante crime family boss, John 'The Eagle' Riggi - as detailed in an episode of the American Greed series, titled 'Mob Money'. Sopranos has affected my watching of Mad Men for the first time: whenever Peggy says something weirdly ignorant, I keep imagining it in Tony Sirico's voice. Did Tony Soprano want to sleep with his therapist Dr Jennifer Melfi? Until then, Ill be looking over both shoulders, investing in a bulletproof vest, and avoiding Italian restaurants, nightclubs and, for good measure, rowboats. I saw him I'm a freelance writer from northern New Jersey specializing in Travel, Culture, and Automotive. ", The victim apparently writhing in agony, Tony Boy says: "What do you think he did to me? There are a lot of big personalities on the classic HBO series "The Sopranos," but few captured the minds and hearts of audiences quite like Paulie Gualtieri, aka Paulie Walnuts. Lip also appeared in Goodfellas and The Godfather. The only show on T.V. WebThe Sopranos is a television series that aired for 6 seasons starting in 1999 and was broadcast by HBO. agents had told the show's producers that they heard real mafia members talking about the show via wiretaps, and they were convinced the series had a "guy on the inside." The actor died Friday Deceased. One day the gangster gave Russo a cool hundred bucks instead, instructing him to meet him at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next morning. Thats where I took it from, he said. Is 'I Just Killed My Dad' on Netflix based on a true story? A few of the actors who appeared in The Sopranos were either directly associated with gangster families or had relations with individuals who were. Once the show took off and I started doing press, I never even let go of who the character was. But, in a twist that's even darker than Tony's tortured psyche, there's real-life inspiration behind the on-screen Soprano family. In 2011, the actor faced a multi-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to extortionBorgese had a hand in a debt collection turned savage assault, perpetrated by heavies from the Gambino family. In one of the final episodes of the show, he starts to believe that his dead friend Chris Moltisanti has been reincarnated as a cat. Before Sirico played Paulie, however, he was a real-life criminal, with 28 arrests over the years for various charges. During that faraway era, George Raft was the gangster actor, a mob-movie iconyou know the guy: chewing on a toothpick, flipping a nickel, etc. I was denied in a country club once. He was 79. where Tony and his crew meet up and hang in the show (per The Infographics Show). On The Sopranos, audiences see Rusty barely react after he learns that Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) has murdered two associate loyal his crew (in All Happy Families). 20. When he tells her this, she accuses him of trying to hold her back and storms out. The Sopranos: How Mikey Palmice Became a Little Bit Joe Pesci and a Little Bit James Caan. Orbach and his wife were reported to have joined Gallo at the Copacabana, where they took in a Don Rickles midnight show and had a marvelous time. He killed a florist in Brooklyn. In an interview with New Jersey Monthly, David Chase also revealed that the HBO show was modelled partly on a Genovese family who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey area. Their performance reportedly inspired Sirico to take up acting once he was released from prison. Was Paulie from sopranos a real gangster? What blood are they sucking this week?". The demo recording progresses slowly and badly and eventually, Chris smashes Richie's guitar over his back. Tony can never change what he genetically passed on to A.J., but he can prevent Christopher, his mafia son, from destroying lives other than his own. In a transcript of a FBI wiretap, Anthony 'Tony Boy' Boiardo once also described the killing of a victim referred to as 'the little Jew'. Id like an antique watch with diamonds on it, but Ill get another $15 one, McCartt joked. Chris is told by Hesh that the band is not good, and realizes that Massive is helping them only because of his interest in Adriana. But I had some very close friends, and if I named the names of these guys you would know every one of them. Toward the end of his Talking Sopranos appearance, Valli did mention one mob figure. The six-foot-six, 300-plus-pound actor and former world-wrestling champion busied himself as muscle for New York Citys Colombo crime family in the 70s. One plays the put-upon wife of a New Jersey crime boss, the other the therapist who tries to ease his angst. Tony drives back into the Lincoln tunnel, he goes for a meeting with Phil Leotardo, and hes killed. Hesh refuses, and later threatens a counterclaim: there is an unauthorized sampling by Massive's record label of a song that Hesh's label still controls. The first confirmed role that Sirico ever landed was as an extra in the 1974 film Crazy Joe, a film about the murder of Joseph Crazy Joe Gallo, a member of the Colombo crime family who was gunned down at a restaurant in Little Italy. Review Bombing: What Drives This Toxic Internet Phenomenon? HBO. James Gandolfini is mesmerizing as Tony Soprano, a lynchpin in the Italian Mafia. Also later, when Visiting Day try to cut their record; and later still, when Adriana plays the song for Massive Genius, and Christopher plays the song for Hesh is "Erase Myself" by the fictional band Visiting Day. However, when that role was given to Dominic Chianese, director David Chase offered Sirico the role of Paulie Gualtieri. The late James Gandolfini gave us a mob boss we actually cared about. It was during one of his arrests in prison that Sirico discovered his passion for acting, which led to his appearances in many movies and shows including Goodfellas and The Sopranos. Each day, Genovese family mob boss Frank Costello would pass by, and Costello soon got into the habit of giving Russo a buck or two. The series revolves around New Jersey-based Italian-American mafia boss Tony Soprano. View cart for details. Interestingly, a few of the actors who appeared in the show were directly associated with or linked to mob families and criminal activity in the real world. Now that the gay story line is heating up, the 47-year-old Brooklyn-born actor is immensely pleased, in part because it was his idea to make Vito homosexual. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was so much organized crime, he said on Talking Sopranos. But, in a twist that's even darker than Tony. HBO. Before becoming an actor, he was arrested 28 times, first for stealing nickels from a newsstand at the tender age of seven. Another became a stockbroker. This is just one of the many near-mythical stories in Russos arsenalthe actor also claims that his great-grandfather, Angelo Russo, was a famous Sicilian mobster; that he has a close connection to such notorious organized crime figures as John Gotti and Carlo Gambino; that he has slept with more famous women than he can count, including Marilyn Monroe; that he has killed three men, including a member of the Medelln cartel who stabbed him with the shard of a broken Cristal bottle at the now-defunct Gianni Russos State Street casino in Las Vegas; that he has beaten 23 federal indictments and never slept in a jail. At any rate, Russo blurs the line between fact and fiction, just like so many classic mobster movies. In 1999, the HBO series "The Sopranos" took television by storm. I won Italian of the Year twice in New York, and Im not Italian, Caan, who is of Jewish descent, once said. Yes, Tony felt sexually attracted to Melfi. 7, 1972, was a high-ranking member of the Profaci family, who were then at war with the Colombos. In 2009, the former mobster was revealed to be living in Houston, Texas, where he was again operating strip clubs that were used as a hub for organized crime groups that were subsequently shut down (per NJ.com). I used extortionate means to collect a debt from a person, Borgese admitted in Brooklyn Federal Court. In his autobiography Cagney on Cagney, the actor claimed his life was threatened by the mob while he was president of the Screen Actors Guild. According to HoustonPress, Palermo filed for bankruptcy in 2013. The True Story Behind The Mobster Who Inspired The Sopranos. Paulie later tells Tony that Silvio survived the assassination attempt but is in a coma; the doctors say that he is unlikely to regain consciousness. I had some other things I was thinking of doing [at the time]. In 1970, he was arrested at a restaurant for carrying a revolver and was later convicted on charges of extortion, coercion, and felony weapons possession. Patsy Parisi may have hired the hitman to kill Tony. The storyline focuses on Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, as the leader of a mob family out of New Jersey.It launched the careers of several of its stars and Art imitated life years later when Borgese was cast as Sonny Bunz, that very same nightclubs put-upon, absurdly named owner, in Martin Scorseses mob classic Goodfellas. The Sopranos followed New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano as he attempted to juggle the life of a mob boss along with the role of husband and father. WebThe discovery of informants led to some of The Sopranos' best episodes, like in season 2, episode 13, "Funhouse." WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for The REAL Sopranos DeCavalcante New Jersey Crime Family Mafia Gangster Signed Mob at the best online Scott Russell lives in Atlanta and studies writing at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Tony Sirico, who portrayed an aging and wisecracking gangster on the HBO hit show "The Sopranos," has died, his manager said. During the '60s, he also spent some time as a bodyguard for the classical pianist Don Shirley, during Shirley's tour of the states in the Deep South. was released from federal prison in November 2012, after serving time for racketeering and murder, before he died in 2015 at the pretty impressive age of 90. Vincent Palermo was a crime boss for the DeCavalcante family who was based as Tony Soprano was in New Jersey. Support our editorial team and help us make an impact on society and communities. At Peparellis funeral, John is aghast that the Soprano crime family had a formal headstone carved with the name Peeps, instead of Joeys actual surname. Unfortunately, Squicciarini passed away in 2001. An outlaw biker who called himself Giovanni Gatto pulled a Donnie Brasco on the family behind The Sopranos. In 2004, he took part in the Lupertazzi crime familys internal power struggles due to his friendship with Angelo Garepe, and he was killed by his own cousin, DiMeo boss Tony Soprano, to keep the peace with the Lupertazzis. The title refers to when Hesh Rabkin mentions to Christopher that he knows a hit song when he hears one, saying "a hit is a hit" and that the band Visiting Day's song is not a hit, and they are not particularly talented. From Al Capone and Vito Corleone to John Gotti and Tony Soprano, real-life and fictional mafiosos have captured the public imagination since the 1920s. But remarkably, Rafts mob connections once saved fellow gangster-film legend James Cagneys life. The DeCavalcante family made its money by racketeering, controlling a powerful division of the Laborers International Union of North America in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which helped push millions into mob coffers. Writer David Chase loosely based the protagonist on real-life gangster Vinny Ocean, boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family. Getty Images. We use cookies. WebThe discovery of informants led to some of The Sopranos' best episodes, like in season 2, episode 13, "Funhouse." An unidentified crony says: "As little as they are, they struggle. Both men were arrested on suspicion of murder, but a grand jury would decline to indict them. Along with his son, Anthony 'Tony Boy' Boiardo, Richie used 'waste management' as a cover for their activities, according to the Express. Hes a made guy., As you see, Tony Borgese (stage name: Tony Darrow) has appeared in two of mob dramas crowning achievements. Raft lit up the screen as Rinaldo, the suave yet lethal, coin-flipping triggerman. The show was a huge success, drawing in large audiences and receiving outstanding reviews from critics, with many calling it the greatest television series ever created. He was arrested for the first time at age seven, and was shot twice during his time in Brooklyn as a stick-up guy. The Sopranos Actors With Real Life Gangster Connections, 1 Dark Sopranos Detail Makes Christopher A Lot More Like Tony. Be warned, this is a tough watch. In his work on The Sopranos, Valli got to inhabit a fictional version of the world he knew when he got started with the Four Seasons. It was so authentic that even real-world gangsters questioned just how they managed to pull it off. The first mob movie wasJosef von Sternberg's "Underworld" in 1927, and was quickly followed up by a number of pre-code crime flicks like Howard Hawks' "Scarface" andMervyn LeRoy's "Little Caesar." 1. Here is a list featuring some of The Sopranos Stars Who Are Legitimately Tough, And Those Who Are Only Tough On Screen! The peak of Peak TV. The song played when Tony, Christopher, and Paulie celebrate their big score at a hotel with their, The song played when Christopher and Adriana come to a party at Massive Genius' mansion is ", Earlier in the episode, while Christopher and Adriana talk about their tastes in music, she plays ", When Christopher and Adriana hatch their music management plan over dinner, the background song is "Decara a la pared" from. I had [mobsters] that liked me, but I always kept a distance, Valli continued. The Sopranos even makes reference to Siricos pinstriped pastin The Blue Comet, the series penultimate episode, Paulie Walnuts recalls, I lived through the seventies by the skin of my nuts when the Colombos were goin at it. And its rumored that Sirico agreed to play Paulie only with the assurance that his character would never become an informant. Jase loves movies and watches as many movies as he has the time (and money) for. The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast. , assistant director of the State Commission of Investigation. So how come I got this bum reputation? Ill-reputed or no, Raft managed to dodge a life of crime while helping to establish the gangster film as a Hollywood mainstay that endures to this day. Their association began when Orbach played a character based on Gallo in 1971s The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight. It was during his second stretch inside, while watching a group of ex-con performers, that he decided to give acting a shot: I watched em and I thought, I can do that., It was Siricos extensive finger-on-trigger experience that ultimately made him a success as a silver screen gangster. before immediately hanging up and looking bewildered at himself. A Sopranos Scene Between Tony And Janice Turned Into A Real-Life Shouting Match. Related: 1 Dark Sopranos Detail Makes Christopher A Lot More Like Tony. Vito Spatafore: Beaten to death with batons by Dominic Fat Dom Gamiello and Gerry Torciano on orders from Phil Leotardo. Youd think he would have wanted to help us solve it, Coffey told tabloid The National Enquirer. They even had an incinerator in the grounds of their huge mansion, which was used as their own private crematorium. 'Richie the Boot' Boiardo and his relatives, Along with his son, Anthony 'Tony Boy' Boiardo, Richie used 'waste management' as a cover for their activities, according to. Andrey knows everything from warm-up to hard workout. The director famously once asked Montana if he knew how to spin the cylinder of a revolver, to which the enforcer-turned-actor responded, You kiddin?, [Montana] used to tell us all these things, like, he was an arsonist, associate producer Gray Frederickson told Vanity Fair. Roccos characters unforgettable death during the films climactic christening montage even spawned a gangster film trope all its own: the Moe Greene Special. And though the recently deceased Rocco, born Alexander F. Petricone Jr., could not have claimed the criminal underworld clout of, say, a Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, upon whom Moe Greene is said to have been based, he did make a few mobster bones of his own. Joey was killed by Tony Blundetto when he was leaving a brothel in New York. By Shae Sennett / Feb. 26, 2023 7:00 pm EST. The unidentified victim, whose jaw and ribs were broken in the beating, allegedly owed money to a car dealership in upstate New Yorkthe dealer reportedly asked Borgese to help him collect the debt. Riggi was released from federal prison in November 2012, after serving time for racketeering and murder, before he died in 2015 at the pretty impressive age of 90. In the episode titled Eloise, Paulie breaks into his mothers friends house to steal her life savings from under her mattress and then suffocates the old woman when she catches him in the act. Although the Orbachs later contended they went home after the show, its believed they actually joined Gallo at Umbertos Clam House in Little Italy, where Crazy Joe was whacked by a group of Colombo triggermen in the wee hours of the morning. But creator David Chase didnt imagine his characters breaking peoples shoes, a street euphemism for the ultimate payoff. Scuch was linked to the crime by sources who knew his nickname, and was ultimately implicated by witnesses who, in an absurd twist of fate, recognized him in a Sopranos clips shown to them by investigators. For years black women have been fighting against racism and sexism. Ray Liotta plays two characters in the new Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, an ironic double casting given that the actor passed on a role on the iconic HBO mob drama.Having done Goodfellas, I needed something different, Liotta said. ", also revealed that the HBO show was modelled partly on a Genovese f. amily who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey area. Tony Sirico, best known for his role as 'Paulie Walnuts' on 'The Sopranos,' dies at 79. It launched the careers of several of its stars and the cast includes Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli. At its heart, The Sopranos was a show was about family, both gangster and blood. WebSomething went wrong. Because of this, Tony Soprano attended therapy sessions, allowing the show to explore the difficulties of being a leader of a criminal organization while also retaining a steady family life which often intermixed, such as the romance between Tonys wife Carmela and The Sopranos' Furio Giunta. But dont wear it in Florida.. The five families on The Sopranos The five families comprised of Maranzano or the Bonanno family, Profaci or the Colombo family, Mangano or the Gambino family, Luciano or the Genovese family, Gagliano or the Lucchese family. When the conversation is over, Tony and his crew jeer at this modern-day gangster who goes through the law. The nickname Paulie Walnuts was bestowed on him after he hijacked a truck that he believed was filled with televisions, only to find out that it was filled with walnuts. The best actors draw from experiences in their own lives to bring emotion to their performances. He also utters a few candid lines that sound like theyre directly from the script of The Sopranos, including, You could have shot me from the toes to my nose, I would have never said peep.. By the 1980s and early '90s, mafia movies were huge crowd-pleasers. Bada bing! The show first hit our screens back in 1999 after a pilot was ordered a couple of years before, with its six seasons - which spanned 86 episodes in total - running until June 2007. However, whereas Tony Soprano decided to stay loyal to his crew and managed to avoid becoming a government informant himself, Palermo took a different path. Ray Liotta plays two characters in the new Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, an ironic double casting given that the actor passed on a role on the iconic HBO mob drama.Having done Goodfellas, I needed something different, Liotta said. The Sopranos, David Chases smash-hit TV HBOs groundbreaking series The Sopranos pushed envelopes on violence, sex, and respect for the gangster genre. He was responsible for several murders, all the while balancing the demands of his otherwise typical New Jersey family. Orbach was an eyewitness to the 1972 murder of Joseph Crazy Joe Gallo, a New York City mob boss and personal friend of his. WebThis HD wallpaper is about crime, drama, hbo, mafia, sopranos, television, Original wallpaper dimensions is 1920x1080px, file size is 327.14KB, download photo size is 1600x900px While not directly associated with the life of Acting wasnt even in my mind.. A show that left the audience with the longest cliffhanger, 13 years to be exact, is soon coming back. He spit at me.". At its heart, The Sopranos was a show was about family, both gangster and blood. Some of his favorites include Spider-Man 2, The Princess Bride, and Ace Ventura. Acting on that tip, he enlisted an Asian showgirl to drive his Bentley from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and place his audition video in Ruddys hands personally. Lily Allen was offered role of her real brother's sister on Game of Thrones, How All Quiet on the Western Front film went from initially being banned in Germany to Netflix smash hit. Conigliaro, who was wheelchair-bound due to a paralyzing wound sustained in a prior shootout, pulled a piece on Hernandez and shot him in the forehead. Tough In Real Life: Tony Borgese Tony Prior to appearing on the show as Rusty Millio, Valli tried out for Beansie Gaeta (played by Paul Herman). Hes been able to romanticize his past, throw in a few bangles and sparkles and use it as an actor. View cart for details. Winter saw it as an opportunity finally have Paulies hair mussed on the screen. Say, what have the vampires come up with this week? Tony Borgese, who had the stage name Tony Darrow, played the character of Larry Barese in The Sopranos. alongside Brian Cox. After playing the iconic role of Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos, Sirico has had roles in other television series such as Imagine Paulie getting a late night phone-call from Tony, panicking and going,"PIZZA HOUSE!" WebThe Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week he already played an old school charismatic but psychopatic gangster in Boardwalk Empire. Squicciarini was accused of luring Hernandez to a club in Brooklyn so that Hernandez could be shot down by DeCavalcante capo Joseph Conigliaro. He was lured onto a boat by Tony and executed. The series dealt with the mundane aspects of crime as well as the glamorized parts we had seen before in the cinema, and is arguably one of the greatest television shows ever made. I wasn't expecting much, but a few interesting things came out. For six seasons, we stayed After he didnt get Beansie, Valli was encouraged by his second contact with Sopranos producers. However, when I brought him in for questioning Orbach dummied up. Despite his penchant for roles on the right side of the law, it turns out Jerry Orbach was a standup guy, keeping quiet about the hit until he, too, breathed his last. Its safe to say the previously unknown Russo would never have been picked to portray Carlo Rizzi, the gangster who betrays Sonny Corleone, without the help of his organized crime connections. During his armed robbery days, Sirico was a fast-rising associate of the Colombo family, serving under notorious boss Carmine Junior Persico, per Cosa Nostra News. "When I heard James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli and Nancy Marchand were in it, I knew it was going to be a total class act," he told the Daily News. Tony Sirico, the actor best known for playing the eccentric gangster Paulie Walnuts on the hit HBO series The Sopranos, died on Friday in Fort Anthony Tony Blundetto (1958-2004) was a DiMeo crime family associate in Carlo Gervasis crew. So anybody reading this even if he was convicted for that know that he was convicted for the equivalent of a couple of parking tickets, [] Ohajas Gregas Schiano parod kairs rankos rodomuoju ir maaisiais pirtais, Paulie Nuts stiliumi, o jo nirio taikinys utikrino, kad i konfrontacija umest kibir benzino [], [] Ohio Greg Schiano wees met de wijsvinger en pink van zijn linkerhand, Paulie Walnoten de stijl en het doelwit van zijn woede zorgden ervoor dat deze match-up een emmer benzine zou dumpen [], [] film, starring in L.I.E. De Niro worked closely with late Gambino family heavy Anthony Fat Andy Ruggiano in preparation for his role inof all filmsHarold Ramis screwball comedy Analyze This. Russo has no shortage of such claims, and if even half of what he says is true, the man has a personal history deserving of a gangster film all its own. While not directly associated with the life of organized crime, Pastore has family members who were associated with gangster families, including an uncle and a couple of cousins. During the '60s and '70s, Sirico worked for the Colombo crime family under Carmine Persico and spent a lot of time in and out of jail. His body was reported to have been left with a pool cue inserted into his rectum. Chase learnt of Ruggerio 'Richie the Boot' Boiardo and his relatives from relatives in Newark's North Ward. It's a long but good interview and they each bring a lot of information to the table. Once cremated, ashes were then apparently scattered across a vegetable patch, dubbed 'The Godfather's Garden'. When he was in Atlanta federal prison dying of cancer [in the early 70s], I went there and did two shows for him.. Michael Squicciarini, who played the character Frank Cippolina, only appeared in a few episodes in The Sopranos season 2. I was in my mid-20s and came out here with no training. They get a huge amount of cash as Tony says, a once-in-a-lifetime score. Attorney Matt Mari talks with the author. Apparently De Niro, who is well-known for his intense approach to role research, felt he needed to first sit down with a murderous mobster before he could properly portray neurotic, fictitious gangster Paul Vitti. Squicciarini spent many years in and out of prison for several crimes, including five years in prison for aggravated assault. We would hear back that real wiseguys used to think that we had somebody on the inside. Andy Mush was not the only member of the Colombo family whom Caan was close tothe actor also once wrote to Brooklyns District Attorney to thank him for investigating a corrupt FBI agent who had jailed Joseph Jo-Jo Russo, Andy Mushs son. According to documents filed by Manhattan District Attorney John Hillebrecht (via The Guardian), Squicciarini and others lured a rival drug dealer named Ralph Hernandez into a Brooklyn nightclub owned by DeCavalcante capo Joseph Joe Pitts Conigliaro. Of the many iconic characters to come out of the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, few are quite as enigmatic as Paulie Gualtieri, or as hes affectionately known by his associates, Paulie Walnuts. "The Sopranos," which concluded in 2007 after six glorious seasons, is remembered today as one of the shows that ushered in the new golden age of television. Massive says he is acting on behalf of the mother of a deceased black singer whose royalties Hesh stole, and now claims $400,000. Borgese was a friend of Paul Little Paulie Vario Jr.Little Paulies father, prominent mobster Paul Vario Sr., got Borgese a gig at the Bamboo Lounge, a well-known hot spot for local wiseguys. inspiration behind the on-screen Soprano family. They get a huge amount of cash as Tony says, a once-in-a-lifetime score. He was 79. They couldn't believe how accurate the show was.". Its well known that Paulie from The Sopranos was actually a real-life gangster back in the day. The Real Mob Couldn't Stop Talking About The Sopranos Here's Why. Yet the third time was the charm. We'd have the writers sit and talk with us. The disease left Russo with what he calls a gimp arm, leading him to sell ballpoint pens outside a Fifth Avenue hotel. Imagine Paulie getting a late night phone-call from Tony, panicking and going,"PIZZA HOUSE!" Ive never been locked up, Ive never taken a drink, I never hurt anybody, and I gave all my money away, Raft said. [Sirico] never lets you touch his hair, ever, Winter said. All were left with is the mystery, and of course the legendary De Niros mile-long mob filmography. Paulie became a fictionalized version of Sirico, with his obsessive neatness and maternal protectiveness written into the character. These women are also musicians, using their lyrics to influence change.