| “ | „ | |
| ― Billy to Lorraine Calluzzo before he kills her |
William "Billy" Leotardo is a supporting character on The Sopranos. He is a soldier in the Lupertazzi crime family and Phil Leotardo's younger brother and partner. He is portrayed by Chris Caldovino.
Biography[]
Background[]
| “ | I mean, lucky for me, those last few years I was in the can my kid brother Billy took care of Patty and the grandkids.
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„ |
| ― Phil explaining how Billy accommodated for his family during his imprisonment |
Billy was born in September 1960,[1] the younger brother of respected Lupertazzi family capo Phil Leotardo. He became his brother's partner in crime and underling, and cared for Phil's wife and granchildren during his years in prison.[4] Billy worked at the Esplanade construction site, where he sold computer printer toner cartridges out of the back of a truck.[2] According to his nephew Matty, Billy loved going to Yankee's Stadium.
Season 5[]
Billy as he's about to kill Lorraine.
After Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.'s death, his family is split in two among those who support his son Little Carmine and those supporting underboss Johnny Sacrimoni. Phil and his brother Billy are ardent loyalists of Johnny Sack, and they are sent to strong-arm Little Carmine's shylock and ex-fling Lorraine Calluzzo into paying Johnny. Phil, Billy and Johnny's protégé Joey Peeps interrupt Lorraine and her partner Jason Evanina as they are attempting to extort Dan, the owner of a Manhattan bar. After entering the bar, Phil slaps Lorraine while Billy incapacitates Jason and pins him to the ground. Among desperate pleas, Joey duct tapes Lorraine's mouth and Phil performs a mock execution suppresing the shot of his gun with a phone book, ominously advising her that "Next time, there'll be no next time", before the three exit the establishment.[5] Despite the brazen assault, Lorraine does not heed Johnny's warning and continues kicking up to Little Carmine; Johnny then orders her death. As Lorraine is stepping out of the shower of her home, she is met by Billy outside the bathroom door, who snatches her towel and chases her around the house while she's naked. Inevitably, she trips on her carpet only to find Jason dead with a shot to the head. Billy and Joey corner her, and the former tells her she should have listened before shooting her. They are driven away by Phil who was on the lookout.[6]
Billy and Phil at the construction site.
Billy and Phil drive up to the Esplanade construction site, where they exchange greetings with the DiMeos there and Billy goes to work. Billy also later accompanies Phil to the funeral of Joey Peeps, who was, unbeknownst to Johnny's group, killed by Tony Blundetto on behalf of Angelo Garepe and Rusty Millio, Little Carmine's main supporters. Both of them, along with the New Jersey crew, stay at the service after the first group of people, including Carmine and his faction leave.[2] He is also later observed cleaning up Johnny Sack's newly purchased Maserati outside their social club to apparently satisfying results, with Johnny congratulating him on a "nice job".[3] Knowing Little Carmine's faction was behind Joey's killing, Johnny Sack decides to take action and kill Angelo. Angelo is driving home one night as Phil and Billy follow him in their car. They honk at him, and he lets them pass him by. They then suddenly stop in their tracks, causing Angelo's car to crash and suffer a minor collision. Angelo comes out and is greeted by the Leotardos, who say they spotted him and were trying to get his attention. Phil announces Johnny wants to meet with him, to which Angelo agrees despite it being late. As he's turning away, Billy garrotes him with a wire and pulls him to the trunk of their car, which is filled with plastic sheets. After shoving him in and punching him, Phil ignores his pleas and shoots him twice in the face with a silenced pistol.[7]
Tony: "First off, let me just say how sorry I am for your loss. We all are."
Phil: "Take your fucking sorries and stick'em in your ass."
Tony: "I could say nothing, be a heartless prick."
Phil: "He tried to talk, he couldn't even say his last words! Anybody ever die in your arms, you cocksucker? A family member, somebody you love?"
Tony: "No."
Phil: "Well, give it time. See if I can make that happen for you."
Phil and Tony in the aftermath of Billy's death[src]
Billy's lifeless corpse after having been killed by Tony Blundetto.
Right after Silvio informs Tony (who is staying at the Plaza Hotel in New York) of Angelo's death through a phone message, he stresses out and starts calling anyone in contact with his cousin Tony B, as he knows he and Angelo were prison acquaintances and very close, worrying over what he will do next. After waking up from a long, ambiguous dream, he is told there is a "Mr. Mantovani" waiting to see him. It's Christopher, who has something urgent to tell him: Tony B killed Billy.[7] In immediate revenge for Angelo's murder, Tony B ambushed Phil and Billy as they were exiting the Averna Social Club, and shot at them both, killing Billy on the spot and injuring Phil, who held his dead brother in his arms.[8] Tony is mortified about the incident, knowing it will bring tremendous conflict between New Jersey and New York.[7] During a sitdown with Phil, Tony offers his condolences but is hastily cut off by Phil, who is tremendously devastated and unstable. He storms off and Johnny Sack gives his demands: for Tony to hand over his cousin who is now in hiding and let them deal with him. Tony does eventually discover his cousin's whereabouts but refuses to offer him up, candidly telling Johnny to "go fuck yourself".[8]
Billy's corpse in the morgue.
Phil, Johnny and Jimmy Petrille arrange Billy's funeral and see his body in the morgue. At that moment, Phil asks Johnny permission for retribution in the form of "an eye for an eye"; if Tony will not give up his cousin, another one of his relatives will have to do, and Christopher is forced to go into hiding as well. Phil goes on a manhunt with several members of his crew in order to find Christopher or a lead on Tony B. The situation also helps decrease Tony's popularity among his men, who are concerned that he is risking the peaceful continuation of business on the sole goal of protecting his cousin. Eventually he is forced to make a choice after Phil beats Benny Fazio half to death when he wouldn't tell him about Tony B, and realizes the grim fate Tony B faces if found by Phil, which is death through torture. To spare him from this, he surprises his cousin at the old farm of their uncle Pat, and kills him with a shotgun. He then gives the Lupertazzis the body's location, which Phil discovers with disappointment.[9]
Murders commited by Billy[]
- Lorraine Calluzzo: On the side of Little Carmine Lupertazzi during the war between Little Carmine and Johnny Sack, shot in the back of the head. Killed because she payed Little Carmine instead of Sack (May 2004)
- Jason Evanina (possibly): Lover of Calluzzo, killed for being there at the time of Calluzzo's murder. Possibly killed by Joey Peeps. (May 2004)
- Angelo Garepe: Former Consigliere killed by Billy and his older brother Phil under orders of Johnny Sack. Garepe was killed for ordering the death of Joey Peeps. (October 2004)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 In season 6, episode 14, "Stage 5", Phil celebrates his deceased brother's would-be 47th birthday. The episode takes place in September 2007, so Billy must have been born in September 1960.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Unidentified Black Males"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Cold Cuts"
- ↑ "Mayham"
- ↑ "Where's Johnny?"
- ↑ "All Happy Families..."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The Test Dream"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Long Term Parking"
- ↑ "All Due Respect"