| “ | Teddy Roosevelt once gave an entire speech with a bullet lodged in his chest. Some things are just a matter of duty.
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„ |
| ― Junior Soprano |
Corrado John "Junior" Soprano Jr. played by Dominic Chianese, is a captain in the mafia who ultimately succeeds Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile Sr. as the de jure boss of the DiMeo crime family. He serves as the main antagonist of Season 1 of The Sopranos.
After the death of Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile Sr. in 1998, Junior succeeds him as boss of the DiMeo crime family. However, shortly thereafter, a war breaks out between him and his nephew, Anthony "Tony" Soprano, over leadership of the family. During the conflict, Junior's enforcers are systematically eliminated by Tony before Junior is arrested by the FBI and put on trial. Despite effectively overthrowing his uncle as the family's Don, Tony allows Junior to retain the title of boss. Subsequently, Junior lives out the remainder of his days as a powerless figurehead before gradually succumbing to dementia.
Quick Answers
Who were Junior Soprano's parents and where were they originally from?
Who played the role of Corrado 'Junior' Soprano in The Sopranos?
What role does Junior Soprano play in the DiMeo crime family?
Who are Junior Soprano's younger brothers in The Sopranos?
How does Junior Soprano's relationship with Tony Soprano evolve throughout the series?
Biography[]
Junior is the son of Corrado Soprano, Sr. and Mariangela Soprano (née D'Agostino), Italian immigrants who came over from the town of Ariano Irpino in the province of Avellino in the Campagnia region of Italy in 1911. Junior had two younger brothers: Giovanni Francis ("Johnny Boy"), who was Tony's father, and Ercole ("Eckley"), who was mentally disabled and spent most of his life in an institution. Corrado Sr. was a stonemason, and Junior often accompanied his father to masonry jobs. Corrado Sr. instilled the importance of financial stability to his boys at an early age and knowing the struggles of hard working life their father faced, Junior and Johnny had no intention of following in his footsteps.
Junior and Johnny dropped out of high school to join the DiMeo crime family in Newark; together, they were responsible for acquiring longtime Soprano asset Satriale's Meat Market from the eponymous Francis Satriale. Satriale had a gambling problem and after a particularly nasty collection that ended with the maiming of one of Satriale's hands, he eventually committed suicide, leaving the place in the Soprano brothers' hands because of his debts. Junior harbored some resentment towards his brother, who was "made" before he was, despite being the younger of the two. In general, Junior was known to hold grudges for any personal slights committed against him due to his deep-seated insecurities and fragile ego.
Unlike his brother Johnny, who married Livia Pollio and had three children with her, Junior never had a lasting relationship in his life and remained childless. His one serious romance in his prime was with Fran Felstein, which ended after he chickened out of confessing his feelings to her, with Fran entering an affair with Johnny not long after. Junior was a doting uncle to his nephew and nieces, however, he held a life-long distrust of his niece Janice, stemming from several childhood incidents of theft and even what Junior later recalled as an attempt at killing him by methodically leaving the stove gas run without Junior's knowledge. Junior would become his nephew Tony's surrogate father, with Tony ultimately spending more time with Junior than his actual father. However, prior to 1967, Tony had started becoming closer with Dickie Moltisanti, a fellow soldier in his brother's crew.
The Many Saints of Newark[]
When his brother Johnny is sent to prison in 1967, Junior briefly takes over as acting capo of his crew. At the funeral of Aldo "Hollywood Dick" Moltisanti, the father of fellow soldier Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti, Junior takes Dickie aside and confides in him that he considers them to be brothers. He offers him his hand in friendship and promises to provide any favors he requires.
Later on, while hanging out with the crew at Club Silhouette, Junior is by himself as his girlfriend had a migraine. Dickie, accompanied by his Comare Giuseppina, joked about her possibly cheating on him, which Junior is left feeling uncomfortable by. Harold McBrayer then entered to speak with Dickie, and Junior and Pussy had to call off Paulie when Harold said an Italian slur.
Five years later in 1972, Johnny Boy is released from prison and takes back the reigns of his crew. To Junior's chagrin, Johnny reprimands him for apparently letting his neighborhood "fall apart" in his absence. Johnny urges his brother to follow Dickie's "example", but this further fractures the relationship that Corrado had with Dickie; It is clear the Johnny is beginning to hold Dickie favorably to his brother, Junior now sees Dickie as a rival, not a partner.
Moltisanti's crew are later caught in a mob war with Harold over the numbers racket. Junior attends the funeral for Lino "Buddha" Bonpensiero, the father of Pussy, who was killed by McBrayer in a gang skirmish. There, he slips down the stairs of the mortuary and breaks his hip. Dickie bursts into a hysterical bought of laughter at Corrado's plight; Mocking Junior as he struggles to get back onto his feet.
Months later, Junior is further frustrated when his injury prevents him from having sex with his comare. Humiliated and enraged, Junior holds Dickie responsible. Knowing it will be blamed on Harold's crew, Junior secretly orders a hit on Moltisanti; He is shot from behind in the driveway of his home by one of Juniors men. At Moltisanti's funeral, Corrado stares coldly at his corpse, content with the knowledge that Dickie's death will never come back to him.
Season 1[]
Following the arrest of Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo, boss of the DiMeo Family, in late 1995, Junior got into a trucking dispute with new acting boss Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile Sr. He fled to Boca Raton to avoid any repercussions, but Tony arranged a sit-down through Soprano crew soldier Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero to solve the problem.
In the opening episode, Junior planned to kill Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malanga (not to be confused with "Big Pussy") in Vesuvio, a restaurant owned by Tony's friend, Arthur "Artie" Bucco. Tony tried to prevent this, eventually resorting to fire-bombing the restaurant to force its closure so the hit would happen elsewhere. Junior Soprano's crew often used the Sit Tite Luncheonette as a hangout, but other places they used (particularly among members of Junior's inner circle) included Harold Melvoin's office and Douglas Schreck's office (when Junior was under house arrest).
Since the family's founder Ercole DiMeo was imprisoned for life, and both Johnny Boy Soprano and Jackie Aprile had died, Junior eventually took over as head of the New Jersey organization. But he was perceived as high-handed and selfish—in mob parlance, "he ate alone," causing serious dissension in the ranks. Junior was very envious of others who held an advantage or position of superiority over him (especially with regards to his own family) and had an uneasy relationship with his nephew Tony, for their often-conflicting business interests which led to Junior and Tony squabbling over control of the family.
Brendan Filone, an associate in Tony's crew, was killed by Junior's right-hand man Michael "Mikey P" Palmice over a failed truck hijacking that claimed the life of Hector Anthony, a driver employed by Comley Trucking. Before the situation could be elevated to a war, Tony agreed to let Junior become boss. Although Junior technically became the boss, Tony had more control of the family and was using Junior as a front to distract law enforcement with the agreement of the other captains (all of which was unknown by Junior).
Junior Soprano gained the distrust of the others when Mikey Palmice busted up a card game under DiMeo capo Jimmy Altieri's protection, as his first act as boss. Furthermore, Tony had to deal with the other family captains when Junior attempted to tax Herman "Hesh" Rabkin and demanded a piece of his loan sharking business. Junior received $250,000 as a result, although the others believed that Junior was abusing his position. Perhaps the final straw came when one of Larry Barese's top earners, Rusty Irish, was killed by Mikey Palmice and Joseph "Eggie" Marino, another member of Junior's crew.
Tony and Junior argued again when Tony made reference to Junior's sexual relationship with a longtime friend Bobbi, specifically his secret fondness for cunnilingus, prompting Junior to end the association. Tony also upset Junior by placing his mother, Livia Soprano, widow of Junior’s brother Johnny, into the Green Grove retirement community. Resentful, Livia tried to take advantage of both of their grudges and gave Junior the go ahead to kill Tony. She prompted the action by revealing Tony's visits to Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a therapist. However, the hit failed and' Tony used the situation to cut Junior out of the loop in the family almost completely by arranging for Junior's top trigger men, Mikey Palmice and Chucky Signore to be assassinated. Junior was arrested on federal racketeering charges at the same time.
Junior gets his suit tailored, as he asks the name of the drug dealer who sold drugs to his tailor's grandson.
This cut Junior's ability to pull another attack and sent his former crew into turmoil. Junior's underboss, Beppy Sasso, was arrested at the same time as Junior. Junior's replacement capo, Philly "Spoons" Parisi, couldn't keep his mouth shut about the conflict between Tony and his Uncle and also Livia's involvement, so Tony had him killed. Finally, Tony moved two soldiers from Junior's crew, Patsy Parisi (Philly's twin brother) and Gianluigi "Gigi" Cestone, over to his crew. This left Junior with the aging Murf Lupo as capo and Beppy Scerbo and Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri as soldiers. Through Bobby, Tony informed Junior that while he could keep the title of Boss, almost all of his businesses were forfeited, and Tony would only let him keep a 5% tribute, which would be (barely) enough to live on.
Season 2 and 3[]
Soon, Junior was released from jail and placed under house arrest while awaiting trial, after his attorney convinced the judge that Junior was much sicker than he actually was. This mimicks the real life tactics of Genovese crime family mob boss Vincent Gigante who feigned mental illness to avoid federal prosecution. While he was under house arrest, Soprano captain Richard "Richie" Aprile was released from prison, and actively sought Junior's friendship. Soon, Junior found himself at the epicenter of a growing power struggle between Richie and Tony, with Richie wishing to assume Tony's position as "street boss." Junior was extremely conflicted over which side to favor, but eventually decided that while Tony could be selfish and impulsive, Richie simply did not have the respect of the family members, and his violent and brutish tendencies could mean the end of the family itself. Junior finally told Tony of Richie's plans against him. Grateful for the warning, Tony increased by half (5% to 7.5%) Junior's percentage of his former businesses, and the two (more or less) buried the hatchet.
During this time, Bobby Baccalieri became Junior's replacement right-hand man and closest confidant. Bobby accompanied Junior on hospital visits during his battles with stomach cancer, which he eventually overcame. Junior tried to warn Bobby not to get involved with his niece, Janice, after the death of Bobby's wife, but Janice persisted and Bobby and Janice eventually got married.
Junior found various ways to get around his house arrest—using his doctor's office to conduct business (until the feds placed an agent there posing as a nurse) and attending as many funerals and family functions as possible.
Season 4 and 5[]
Although Tony considered him to be arrogant and incompetent as a boss, he has often turned to Junior as the voice of experience. Although Junior has survived cancer and prison, the toll of a series of 'mini-strokes' and the confinement of house arrest has since left him confused, depressed, and increasingly dependent on family care and support.
Season 6[]
In season six of The Sopranos, Junior's dementia has worsened over the two year interval, as he becomes paranoid that his long-deceased enemy, "Little Pussy" Malanga, is after him. Tony, however, refuses to put his uncle in a nursing home, feeling obligated to care for Junior himself with the aid of his sisters and Bobby. The decision proves nearly fatal. Tony arrives at Junior's house one evening and finds that his uncle is missing his false teeth. Tony sends Junior upstairs to look for the missing teeth while Tony prepares dinner for his uncle. When Junior hears Tony's voice from downstairs telling him that dinner is ready, his dementia kicks in once again. Junior descends the stairs and, believing his nephew to be Malanga, shoots Tony in the abdomen. Panicking, Junior runs upstairs, hiding away in his bedroom closet while Tony struggles to dial 911 before losing consciousness. Following this, the captains in the DiMeo family decided to cut all ties to him, making Tony the official boss of the family.
Junior was arrested and taken into federal custody over the shooting, but his lawyer secured him a release into a mental institution, claiming he is currently unfit to stand trial. Tony is apparently unaware of this, having refused all contact with, or even mention of, his uncle since the shooting. Junior remains confused and distressed by proceedings and denies that he could have deliberately attacked his own nephew. Junior's dementia has progressed to such a state that when his grand-nephew Anthony "A.J." Soprano Jr. visited him with the intention of killing him as revenge, Junior did not recognize the danger he was in. A.J. was caught with a knife and arrested before Tony was able to pull strings and get him released, later saying he was glad that A.J. didn't have it in him to have murdered Junior.
In the Wyckoff Psychiatric Center, Junior began to put portions of his old life back together. He still collects weekly payments from his organizations and is occasionally visited by Pat Blundetto and Beppi Scerbo, where he delusively tells them that he expects an apology from Tony over his commitment (the two men nervously say they'll relay the message to Tony). Within the walls of the home, Junior behaves like a typical Mafia chieftain; bribing orderlies, organizing card games and physically abusing rivals. A young Chinese-American named Carter looks up to Junior as a mentor and father figure. However, after Junior loses control of his bladder, the center's administrators conclude that he is ditching his medications. Junior is confronted with the choice of either taking the medication that will make him docile or being moved to (probably) a less pleasant facility. Junior agrees to take the medication. The result is numbing as he first loses his aggressiveness and personality. As the side effects worsen, Junior eventually turns into a parrot. He is badly beaten by his would-be protégé who is angered to lose Junior as a mentor. In the final scene of "Remember When" Junior stews, bandaged, black and blue and with broken glasses from his beating, sitting motionless in a lawn chair, petting a cat in his lap.
In the episode "The Blue Comet", Janice approached Tony while he is draining his pool. She tells him that Junior has run out of money, and will be removed from the Wyckoff Psychiatric Center unless someone helps him out, with her strongly implying that Tony should step in, because she and Bobby don't have the money to help significantly. Tony shows no sympathy for Junior, and sarcastically offers Janice a five dollar bill. Janice walks away without accepting the derisive offer, as Tony goes back to cleaning the pool.
In the final episode, "Made in America", Janice visits Junior at a state facility, his home since being removed from the Wyckoff facility. He calls her Livia, her mother's name. He also thinks Janice's daughter is actually Janice. She tries to tell him that his former driver and friend Bobby, is dead, but he doesn't comprehend, thinking she means Robert "Bobby" Kennedy. Tony later visits a now sick and feeble Junior for the first time since the shooting. Junior recognizes him as someone he used to play catch with, remembering playing with Tony as a child. Tony tries to remind Junior of who he was, and even who his brother was, but sadly Junior cannot remember. Tony tells him that he and his father used to run all of North Jersey, "this thing of ours" (meaning Cosa Nostra), to which Junior simply smiles and replies, "Well, that's nice." A frustrated and visually saddened Tony finally knows Junior is in an advanced stage of dementia and that no revenge he could take on Junior for the shooting would top his uncle's rapid descent towards total disability and death. Tony simply looks, while holding back tears, at Junior then leaves his wheelchair-bound uncle without saying goodbye. Junior would live out the remainder of his life in the state-run mental facility.
Murders ordered by Junior Soprano[]
- Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti: Murder ordered for mocking him after falling and breaking his hip at Buddha Bonpensiero's funeral. (December 1972)
- Brendan Filone: Murder ordered for robbing his trucks and killing one of his drivers. (September 1998)
- Russell "Rusty" Irish: Murder ordered for selling drugs to Old Man Capri's teenage grandson, Dominic. (October 1998)
- Donald "Donnie" Paduana: Murder ordered for making jokes about Tony's mother wanting him killed and thinking that he may joke about him as well. (March 25, 1999)
- James "Jimmy" Altieri: Murder ordered for being an FBI informant. (April 1999)
- Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malanga: Murder ordered for informing against his crew. (1999 or 2000)
- Salvatore "Mustang Sally" Intile: Murder ordered for beating Vito Spatafore's brother Bryan into a coma. (October 6, 2000)
Real Life Inspirations[]
The Junior Soprano character may have been loosely based on the real life presumed boss of the Gambino crime family, Peter Gotti, and DeCavalcante Crime Family "made men" Joseph Sodano and Joseph Giacobbe with similarities in look, thick & large glasses, age, inheritance of the leadership from his nephew, John A. Gotti, and his relationship with longtime girlfriend Marjorie Alexander.
Another probable theory is that Junior was based on former DeCavalcante leader, Giovanni Riggi.
Both Soprano and Riggi were born in the 1920s, and would go on to serve in the U.S. military during World War 2.
Both Junior and Riggi were Italian-American mobsters with a strong presence in New Jersey.
Soprano is depicted as an old-fashioned, and stubborn mob boss deeply involved in labor racketeering and other criminal activities. These traits are reminiscent of Riggi, who was known for his traditional approach to mob leadership and his involvement in various illegal enterprises.
They lived long enough to bare witness to civil wars engaged by members of each of their own respected same crime families.
Junior briefly attempted to overcome Tony's mob presence during 1999. Riggi's previous subordinates, Charles Majuri, and Vincent Palermo were rivals to each other.
Each man would at one point be diagnosed with cancer. Riggi was said to have suffered from prostate cancer, while Soprano endured, but survived stomach cancer.
Each had prison records, and were eventually released to live out the remainder of their lives.
Also, by their ends, Junior and Riggi were often tended to under the supervision of medical assistants.
Trivia[]
- During his arrest in 1999, it was stated that Junior was 70 years old. This means that he was most likely born in 1929.
- Junior's murder of Dickie Moltisanti seems to have gone entirely unsuspected by both his brother and nephew for decades, even by the end of the series: never once did Tony suspect Junior of having Dickie whacked.
- Prior to Junior's arrest in 1999, he hadn't been arrested since 1968.
- According to Melvoin, Junior Soprano was a veteran of the Second World War.
- Junior owned a black 1992 Lincoln Town Car which appeared during Seasons 1-5, both his former deputies Mikey Palmice, and Bobby Baccalieri chauffeured him around in it. It was said to have been stolen in Newark, N.J. in the season 5 episode "Where's Johnny?".
Gallery[]
Appearances In Episodes And Scenes[]
The Sopranos (TV Series)[]
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| Season 6 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |