The Sopranos 1999 – 2007 Mob Movie Connections

The Sopranos 1999 – 2007 Mob Movie Connections

Recently, I have been rewatching the great HBO mob drama, “The Sopranos,” 1999-2007, for its 25- anniversary and in preparation for some forthcoming series and movies. This series gave us quotes such as “All this from a slice of gabagool?” and “So what? No fuckin’ ziti??” This series deserved a deeper dive. Many of the actors from “The Sopranos” appeared in other mafia-themed films, given the show’s deep roots in mob culture. Here are 10 notable examples and some of the mafia movies and TV series they appeared in.

10. Aida Turturro

Aida Turturro played the role of Janice Soprano, the troubled and manipulative sister of head wise guy Tony Soprano. She was in 53 episodes. Turturro only has a few mob-type roles that include the comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), a dark comedy with mob undertones, directed by her cousin John Turturro, Rob the Mob (2014), about a couple who rob mafia social clubs until they accidentally stumble onto a big score and find themselves between the mob and the men in blue. That’s a tribute to a Bob Dylan song.

9. Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano played the slimy gangster Ralph Cifaretto. He appeared in 21 episodes. Pantoliano had some early criminal roles, playing a loan shark in Risky Business (1983) and a thief in The Goonies (1985). In Bound (1996), he played a mob money launderer who is blamed for a crime. Following this, Pantoliano didn’t make any clear mob films, although he has had an extremely successful career. He has also done a fair bit of voice work in video games like “Mob of the Dead” 2013.

8. Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi played the ill-fated Tony Blundetto, cousin of Tony Soprano. He appeared in 14 episodes of “The Sopranos.” His roles tend toward criminals more than mobsters but include Reservoir Dogs (1992), where he played Mr. Pink. Buscemi had a very small role in Pulp Fiction (1994). Of course, he was outstanding as one of the inept kidnappers in Fargo (1996). Buscemi also played the role of Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson for 56 episodes in another HBO mob series, “Boardwalk Empire” 2010–2014.

7. Frank Vincent

Frank Vincent played mobster Phil Leotardo. He was in 30 episodes. Vincent has the stereotypical look of a mobster and has many gangster roles as a result. In The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) and the made-for-TV “Gotti,” 1996, Vincent had small roles. However, he had an important role in Goodfellas (1990) as Billy Batts, a made man who is murdered by Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito.

Vincent continued to play mob parts in films such as Casino (1995), This Thing of Ours (2002), and The Killer’s Kiss (2018).

6. Vincent Pastore

Vincent Pastore played the role of ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero and was a major part of “The Sopranos” franchise. He was in 25 episodes. Pastore had a small role in Goodfellas (1990) and an important role in the made-for-TV “Gotti,” 1996. Other mob roles for Pastore include the comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), This Thing of Ours (2002), and Pizza with Bullets (2010)

5. Dominic Chianese

Dominic Chianese was cast in the role of Corrado’ Junior’ Soprano, Tony Soprano’s fictive uncle. He was in 55 episodes. Early in his career, Chianese played the critical role of Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II (1974). Ola was instrumental in convincing Fredo to betray the Corleone family.

Chianese had a significant role in the made-for-TV “Gotti,” 1996, the mob comedy The Family (2013), and the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” 2011–2013.

4. Tony Sirico

Tony Sirico played the beloved gangster Paulie Walnuts. He was in 74 episodes. Sirico played a small part in the great mob movie Goodfellas (1990). Sirico played Tony Stacks, a minor mob figure on television’s “Gotti,” 1996. Sirico didn’t have a lot of other mob roles. Still, his more interesting roles include the comedy Mob Queen (1998) and two appearances on “Lilyhammer,” 2013–2014, a Steven Van Zandt mob adventure set in Norway.

3. Michael Imperioli

Michael Imperioli played conflicted mobster Christopher Moltisanti. He was in 83 episodes. In the great mob drama Goodfellas (1990), Imperioli played a young thug who was murdered by Tommy DeVito, who was played by Joe Pesci. This scene is similar to the shooting of a baker early on in The Soprano’s run.

Imperioli took the other side of crime as a detective on television’s “Law & Order” 2005-2006 for five episodes. He had a small part in The Wannabe (2015) and worked as a narrator. Imperioli reprised his character of Christopher in The Many Saints of Newark (2021).

2. Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco played the psychiatrist for Tony Soprano, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. She was in 71 episodes. Bracco had earlier played the very model of a mob girlfriend/wife in Goodfellas (1990) as the wife of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill.

Bracco was the narrator on television’s “I Married a Mobster” 2011–2012. This show focused on the effects of mob life on mob wives and families.

1. James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini played Tony Soprano, the main focus of the series. He was in 86 episodes. In the dark Tarantino-authored film True Romance (1993), Gandolfini played a ruthless mob enforcer. Gandolfini played a brutal mob killer who was also gay in The Mexican (2001). His final role was in the mob film The Drop (2014). Gandolfini tragically died of a heart attack in 2013.

Bonus: Michael Kenneth Williams

As a bonus, I wanted to talk about Michael Kenneth Williams, who briefly appeared as Ray Ray in a single episode of “The Sopranos.” Williams went on to play drug dealer robber Omar on “The Wire” for 51 episodes from 2002-2008. He also appeared in 56 episodes of “Boardwalk Empire” as Chalky White from 2010–2014. Sadly, Williams died from a drug overdose in 2021.

These crossovers between “The Sopranos” and mafia films highlight the enduring appeal of mob stories and the actors’ strong connection to this genre. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to dive deeper into any of these actors or films or which actors you would select from The Sopranos!