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My father.
― Jackie Aprile Jr. in just about any situation.[src]

Giacomo Michael Aprile Jr. (commonly referred to as Jackie Jr.) played by Jason Cerbone, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.

Quick Answers

Who played the role of Jackie Aprile Jr. in The Sopranos? toggle section
Jason Cerbone played Jackie Aprile Jr. on 'The Sopranos', an HBO TV series. In a flashback sequence in the episode '...To Save Us All From Satan's Power', Matt Cerbone, Jason's younger brother, portrayed a younger Jackie Jr.
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What is the significance of Jackie Aprile Jr.'s family in the North Jersey mafia? toggle section
The Aprile family, including Jackie Aprile Jr., played crucial roles in the North Jersey mafia. Giacomo Michael Aprile, Sr., Jackie's father, was a contemporary of Tony Soprano in the DiMeo Crime Family. Richie Aprile, Jackie's older brother, was also part of this crime family. Jackie Sr. served as the acting boss of the DiMeo family from 1995 to 1998. Jackie Jr., on the other hand, led a group of Rutgers University students who aimed to join the mafia.
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Who portrayed a younger Jackie Aprile Jr. in a flashback sequence? toggle section
Matt Cerbone, the younger brother of Jason Cerbone, portrayed a younger Jackie Aprile Jr. in a flashback sequence in The Sopranos.
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What led to Jackie Aprile Jr.'s death in The Sopranos? toggle section
In The Sopranos, Jackie Aprile Jr.'s demise was due to his failed robbery attempt. Despite seeking help from Tony Soprano while hiding in the Boonton Projects, Tony chose not to intervene due to pressure from the DiMeo Family. Ultimately, Chrissy and Albert Barese were responsible for Jackie's death, with Vito delivering the final blow.
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How does Jackie Aprile Jr.'s mafia royalty background influence his character in The Sopranos? toggle section
In The Sopranos, Jackie Aprile Jr.'s character is shaped by his mafia royalty background. His father, Jackie Aprile Sr., was the DiMeo crime family's acting boss, and his uncle Richie Aprile was a capo. Initially, Jackie Jr. was shielded from the family business. However, after his father's death and his uncle's prison release, he became involved with the family's criminal aspects in mid-2000, during the show's second season. Despite his family ties, he struggled to make a significant impact.
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Biography[]

Jackie Aprile, Jr. was born into North Jersey mafia royalty. His father, Jackie Aprile Sr., had been a high-ranking member of the DiMeo crime family since his birth, briefly serving as acting boss, and his uncle Richie Aprile was a capo first under Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo, and then later under Tony Soprano. However, despite his family’s ties to crime, Jackie Jr. himself was kept away from the business by his father and when Jr. did get involved, he proved to be a lightweight. Even as a child, Jackie Jr. was prone to blunders, once nearly drowning in a puddle of water during a zoo visit. In his teens, however, Jackie Jr. briefly distinguished himself as a high school quarterback for the Boonton Bombers and impressed those in his father's circle with common knowledge many other mafia scion lacked. He only began getting involved with the criminal aspects of his family in mid-2000--season 2 of The Sopranos--after the death of his father, Sr., and the release of his uncle, Richie, from prison. Despite attempts to succeed at Rutgers to pursue a medical career, Jackie, Jr. drifted towards a life of crime as he began helping his uncle Richie with his waste management business, and drug distribution schemes. Richie and Jackie began making plans of killing both Tony and Larry Barese, with Jackie volunteering to kill Larry himself, but was shot down by Junior Soprano. Richie also promised Jackie that he would be made once Richie became boss.

However, Richie was killed by his fiancée Janice Soprano and for a time thereafter, Jackie was back on the straight and narrow. He went back to Rutgers and tried to improve his grades, but he simply didn’t. By this point, his mother Rosalie Aprile began a romantic relationship with Soprano capo Ralph Cifaretto. Ralph was more of a transient character in his life than a parent who was actively involved with his life or development as a young man. It was Ralph's bad influence, coupled with laziness, and a sense of entitlement out of nepotism, that propelled Jackie, Jr. into a brief career in organized crime.

Forming his own small town crew, and working alongside his friend Dino Zerilli he started small by selling ecstasy to college students and they made a good amount of money out of that. They often hung out at the Ooh Fa pizza restaurant which brought them into contact with Christopher Moltisanti. Jackie was a linebacker for his football team at Boonton High School and was All-State by the end of his semester. Jackie planned the robbery of a Jewel concert at Rutgers and drove the getaway car for Christopher and Benny Fazio. Later Jackie tried to use his 'influence' with Christopher to help a drug dealer associate from Rutgers named Matush sell ecstasy at the Crazy Horse club, owned by Christopher, Furio Giunta, and fronted by Adriana La Cerva. Matush had been thrown out of the club by Giunta once already and Jackie met with him at a "sit-down" and agreed to take his case up with Chris; Chris refused to grant any favors but Jackie lied to Matush that it would be alright to work outside the club anyway - resulting in a severe beating for Matush from Giunta and Fazio.

Jackie Jr.'s budding relationship with Meadow Soprano put him at odds with Tony, and as a result, he tried to maintain the appearance of a respectable college student while drifting further and further into the family business. Tony's interest was further increased because he had been a close friend of Jackie's father and had promised Jackie Sr. that he would keep Jackie Jr. away from their way of life. Tony began to see through Jackie's façade when he caught him at the casino on Bloomfield Ave and then later at a strip club (a rival to the Bada Bing). Tony was furious because he had tried so hard to keep Jackie straight, eventually beating him up in the bathroom of the club after catching him there getting a lap dance while he was supposed to be dating Meadow, Tony's daughter. Tony was even more disappointed when Jackie Jr. wouldn't even put his hands up like a man to fight him, and Tony found a snub-nose Smith and Wesson .38 on Jackie Jr. that Ralph had previously given to him. Tony then told Jackie Jr. that he had “bottomed out” on their agreement.

Jackie

Jackie has a debate with Tony.

Things came to a head after Jackie, Jr. flunked out of Rutgers University. Jackie was subsequently dumped by Meadow after she found him cheating on her with a hooker. Resentful of two generations of the Sopranos--the Royal Family, as Ralph mockingly called them--Jackie began working directly for Ralph, forming his own minor crew in the process.

Upon hearing Ralph tell the story of when Jackie Aprile, Sr. and Tony took down a card game held by Feech La Manna, Jackie became inspired to follow in his father's footsteps. Using his dim-witted crew of Carlo Renzi, Dino Zerilli and Matush, Jackie attempted to hold up a card game run by Aprile soldier Eugene Pontecorvo. The young, would-be stick-up men got high on "crank" (Crystal meth) and Jackie almost decided not to go through with it. Once inside things went horribly awry because Jackie had to talk, and realized Christopher knew who he was - Jackie panicked and killed "Sunshine" the dealer, Renzi was killed at the scene by Christopher, made man Furio Giunta was shot in the leg by Jackie Jr, and Matush fled in the getaway car on hearing the gunshots. Jackie, Jr. barely escaped with his life by performing a quick carjacking on a woman in a Honda Accord. He drove straight past Dino Zerilli leaving him to perish at the hands of Chrissy and Albert Barese.

Vito3

Vito executes Jackie Aprile, Jr.

Jackie, by then hiding out in the Boonton Projects, telephoned the Soprano household and begged Tony for his life. However, with the rank and file of the DiMeo Family baying for Jackie's blood, Tony refused to intervene. Tony suggested giving Jackie a pass for the failed robbery, largely due to his feelings towards Jackie, Sr. Ralph was not about to let Tony know of his role as a catalyst for the attempted robbery, owing to Tony's distrust of Ralph and Tony's friendship with Jackie's father, but mostly because such knowledge could potentially alter Tony's complicity in any action Ralph might take. At a meeting between Tony and Ralph about what to do about Jackie, Tony stated that the important thing is that action is taken "in a timely fashion." Ralph of course had to maintain stability and more importantly, his stature, so he gave Aprile crew soldier (and Jackie's own paternal cousin) Vito Spatafore the order to take out Jackie. On Super Bowl Sunday, Jackie headed to the park to meet with his contact Little Bruce to talk about his next steps and while outside, Vito shot Jackie Jr. in the back of the head, jolting Jackie's body forward and face down in the snow.

After death[]

Rosalie, Meadow, and the rest of the family were told that Jackie was killed by black drug dealers from the Project. The death of Jackie Jr. had an enormous effect on Meadow Soprano and she began having mixed feelings for her father and his "business." As a result, Meadow was often depressed.

Furthermore, Christopher expressed his loyalty to Tony by acknowledging that he made the right decision by allowing Jackie Aprile, Jr. to be executed, since Chrissy wanted to clip Jackie Jr. as soon as he could find him, but Tony refused, which started a small argument between Christopher and Tony shortly after Furio was treated in the aftermath of the Pontecorvo card game robbery.

Murders committed by Jackie Aprile, Jr.[]

  • Sunshine - Shot during an attempted poker robbery for talking too much. (January 2001)

Appearances[]

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6

Trivia[]

  • In the episode "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power", Cerbone's younger brother Matt played a younger Jackie Jr. in a flashback sequence, the Christmas party presumably set in 1995 attended by both Jackie Jr., and his father, Jackie Aprile Sr. when Pussy was acting as Santa in the backroom of Satriale's, but was wearing a wire at the same period.
  • He was the only Aprile with mob ties that made no appearance in any of Tony's nightmares, unlike his father, Jackie Sr., in "Isabella". And his uncle, Richie, in "The Test Dream".
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