The TV series The Sopranos has been widely recognised for its engaging and multifaceted depiction of mob life, primarily through the character of Tony Soprano, portrayed brilliantly by James Gandolfini. The show ventured into new territories for the gangster genre, touching upon topics like mental health, toxic masculinity and male fragility, rightfully earning its transformative reputation as one of the greatest shows ever made and securing Gandolfini’s performance as the most beloved.
While David Chase created the show drawing upon fictional and real-life mobsters, Vincent ‘Vinny Ocean’ Palermo, a real-life mob boss, appears to have been a significant influence. A key example from the first season involves Tony being asked about the real-life mobster John Gotti, indicating a thematic intertwining of actual mob history with the show’s narrative. Such cleverly interwoven elements have led viewers to seek a “real” Tony Soprano, with Palermo often pinpointed as a potential inspiration due to unmistakable similarities.
The 2006 documentary The Real Sopranos drew direct parallels between Tony Palermo, highlighting incredibly similar contexts in their respective crime families in New Jersey and involvement in running strip clubs, notably Tony’s Badda-Bing. Furthermore, admittedly hilarious FBI recordings featured in the documentary revealed DeCavalcante family members (Palermo’s crew) recognising themselves, with horror, in The Sopranos: “Is that supposed to be us? Every show you watch, more and more, you pick up somebody… They even got a topless joint over there. Jesus.”
Both Palermo and Soprano also experienced rises to power marked by violent upheaval. This isn’t necessarily too surprising, given that it’s the mafia, but a sexual element to both their ascensions seems too close to be a coincidence. For Palermo, a scandal involving John ‘Johnny Boy’ D’Amato and his bisexuality and frequenting of swinger clubs resulted in a violent coup that positioned him at the helm of the DeCavalcante family. Tony’s path to power, portrayed in the series, bore some resemblance.
Fans can instantly recall how, in season one, a joke about his uncle Junior’s affinity for performing oral sex on his girlfriend blows up into a full-blown civil war. Highlighting the absurd and legitimately dangerous consequences of a fractured male ego, Junior’s embarrassment leads him to put a genuine hit on his nephew. Tony manages to best his would-be assassins, seizing power from Junior and establishing himself as the head of the family.
Although both mob bosses faced betrayals from FBI informants within their circles, their responses differed significantly. Palermo, avoiding jail, turned state witness, giving explosive testimonies that necessitated his and his family’s entry into the witness protection programme. Tony Soprano, in contrast, neither became a state witness nor was covertly recorded, maintaining his defiance against the authorities.
However, this defiance would ultimately cost Tony his life – depending on how you interpret the show’s iconic and shockingly abrupt ending. While Palermo survives to this day, turning 79 earlier this summer, most fans agree that the head of the Soprano family met his maker during that fateful evening at a diner with ‘Don’t Stop Believin” playing.
