The Sopranos True Story: The Real-Life Mob Boss Who Inspired Tony Soprano
David Chase was inspired by both fictional mobsters and real-life gangsters when creating The Sopranos’ protagonist Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). Drawing on fictional characters like Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), The Sopranos changed US television forever, and also added new layers to the gangster genre — tackling subjects like male mental health, and how the mob viewed homosexuality. The Sopranos was also heavily influenced by the real-world crime families associated with the Mafia in contemporary America. For example, an early scene in The Sopranos season 1 sees Tony quizzed on real-life mobster John Gotti.
It’s the fact that the influence of these real-world gangsters bleeds into the show that has convinced viewers there’s a “real” Tony Soprano. While it’s more likely that David Chase amalgamated various fictional and real gangsters to create Tony Soprano, there are several candidates for the real-life inspiration behind James Gandolfini’s Sopranos character. The real-life gangster who is most widely accepted as the “real” Tony Soprano is Vincent “Vinny Ocean” Palermo, with whom Tony shares many similarities, but whose stories diverge considerably toward the end.
Tony Soprano Is Supposedly Based On Vincent Palermo
The Real Tony Soprano Was A New Jersey Mob Boss
The 2006 documentary The Real Sopranos drew comparisons between Tony Soprano and Vincent Palermo as it joined the dots between the fictional world of David Chase’s TV show, and the reality of contemporary New Jersey: Palermo was the de facto boss of the DeCavalcante crime family, Tony was in charge of The Sopranos’ DiMea crime family. Like Tony Soprano, Palermo’s crime family ran a strip club, which was said to be the inspiration for The Sopranos’ Badda-Bing. The documentary also included FBI recordings of discussions within the DeCavalcante family, in which they discussed The Sopranos:
“Is that supposed to be us? Every show you watch, more and more, you pick up somebody … There’s a pork store. Yeah, in Jersey, right? They got a topless joint over there. Jesus.”
Palermo’s rise to power also strangely mirrored Tony’s own ascent as seen in The Sopranos season 1. A joke about the oral sex skills of Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) spiraled wildly out of control, leading to a Godfather-style hit against Tony Soprano. Tony and Junior’s struggle ended in Tony’s favor, and Junior was allowed to live, albeit in reduced circumstances.
Tony’s mercy for Junior was in sharp contrast to how Palermo rose to the top of the DeCavalcante family. A similar sex scandal involving bisexual mobster John “Johnny Boy” D’Amato and his visits to swingers clubs led to a violent coup that left D’Amato dead and Palermo at the head of the family.
How Vincent Palermo And Tony Soprano’s Stories Ended Differently
The Real Tony Soprano Was An FBI Informant
Both Vincent Palermo and Tony Soprano had to contend with FBI informants in their midsts, but their responses to these betrayals varied. When Ralph Guarino, one of Palermo’s associates, became an FBI informant, he was able to gather enough evidence to guarantee Vinny’s arrest. Faced with prison, Palermo turned state witness, admitting to various murders, planning the death of John D’Amato among others, and implicating members DeCavalcante family in multiple crimes. Palermo’s testimony was so explosive that he and his family were forced to enter the witness protection program.
Unlike the real Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini’s character never turned state witness, nor did he ever allow himself to be recorded by the various informants sent to gather evidence on him. However, Tony Soprano’s fate was potentially worse than Palermo’s as a result. After Phil Leotardo ordered the death of Vito Spatafore for being gay — another parallel with the story of D’Amato — a violent conflict erupted between the DiMeo and Lupertazzi crime families.
By the end of The Sopranos, it appeared that the conflict was over, but the tense atmosphere and abrupt fade to black in the final scene suggested that Tony’s story came to a more brutal end than that of Vincent Palermo. Tony Soprano may be based on a real gangster (at least in part), but his fictional life is far more dramatic than the true story David Chase based him on.
Were Any Other Sopranos Characters Based On Real Gangsters?
Only Tony Has Such Clear Connections To The Real-Life Mob
Tony Soprano was directly inspired by real-life mobster Vincent Palermo. However, every aspect of The Sopranos was also inspired by the real-life Italian Mob in New Jersey too, albeit less directly. Most notably, the activities of the DeCavalcante crime family were a huge inspiration for the show, as were the Boiardos and several others. David Chase and the rest of the creative team behind The Sopranos researched many real life crime families and mafia activities when creating the storylines and characters of the show, and this is clearly evident when comparing the acclaimed series to true events and figures.
For example, Tony Soprano wasn’t just inspired by Vincent Palermo, but also the one-time head of the DeCavalcante family, Simone DeCavalcante. Much like Tony Soprano, Simone DeCavalcante (also known as The Count) was paranoid, dismissive of the hierarchy of the Five Families, and had a string of affairs. Simon DeCavalcante inspired other The Sopranos characters too, as his arrest in 1969 helped inform the incarceration of Ercole DiMeo. Ercole “Boot” DiMeo is mentioned multiple times in The Sopranos, and while he’s not a central figure in Tony’s story, he is – much like Simon DeCavalcante – an important historical figure from the earlier years of the mob.
However, while Tony Soprano can have direct comparisons drawn to several real-life mobsters, other characters in The Sopranos are less directly inspired by historical figures. The Sopranos uses the true stories of multiple real-life gangsters to create an entirely fictional narrative, borrowing elements from dozens of real-life events and people to create a unique fictional tapestry. There are parallels to be found for almost every character in The Sopranos to true stories of crime families like the DeCavalcante’s and the Boiardos, but only with Tony Soprano himself are the comparisons so clear-cut.
