Paulie Gualtieri
Encyclopedia
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri played by Tony Sirico
, is a fictional character
on the HBO TV series The Sopranos
. He is a caporegime
(captain) and later underboss
in the Soprano crime family.
era soldier named "Russ"), has been a troubled street kid from the age of nine. He dropped out of school after the 9th grade and spent time in and out of juvenile correctional facilities during his early youth. When he was 17 he officially became an enforcer/bodyguard for "Johnny Boy" Soprano, Tony's father and captain in the DiMeo crime family. His mother, later discovered to be his aunt, worked at a Krispy Kreme
doughnut shop during Paulie's childhood and early adulthood, but has since retired. Paulie's grandfather, who immigrated to the United States in 1910, is from Ariano Irpino
, a municipality in the province of Avellino
, in the Campania
region of Italy
. Paulie's grandfather and Tony's paternal grandparents were from the same province in Italy. Paulie spent four years in the US Army
Signal Corps, where he was eventually drummed out through Section 8
(discharged because of psychiatric reasons). Although Paulie did not have a long military career, he still is proud of it, and few of the other Sopranos characters had military experience. Afterwards, he spent more time in and out of prison on various criminal charges. Eventually, he worked his way up through the DiMeo crime family, reaching the rank of Captain
in 2000, shortly after Anthony "Tony" Soprano
became Boss
of New Jersey. In 2006, Paulie was promoted to Underboss
, and Christopher Moltisanti
was put in charge of Paulie's crew, which earlier was Tony's crew. Paulie got his nickname "Paulie Walnuts" due to hijacking a truck in the early 1990s which he believed to be filled with television-sets, but only contained walnuts. His surname
is taken from real life DeCavalcante crime family
mobster Frank Gualtieri, who served under Vincent Palermo
.
Paulie is one of the most colorful characters on the show. Often talked about as a reputed psychopath with no heart-feelings, Paulie is highly paranoid and often refers to the supernatural things he experiences, like déjà vu
, seeing the Virgin Mary
, and especially his constant fear of death, either natural or probable. Paulie has displayed kindness and loyalty, and usually cracks jokes. However, despite his seniority, Paulie is one of the more eccentric of Tony's associates and is arguably one of the most ruthless, as expressed by his paranoia
, mysophobia
, competitiveness, miser
ly nature, impulsive violence and often childlike dependence on Tony's approval. In the season one finale, "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano", Tony told his crew that he had been in therapy for almost a year, when Paulie revealed that he too had seen a therapist
, from whom he 'learned some coping skills'. Nevertheless, Paulie is recognized throughout the series as one of the top earners and one of Tony's most trustworthy friends in his "inner circle" of Paulie, Silvio Dante
, and Christopher Moltisanti
.
Uniquely among his colleagues, Paulie remains single and has no children outside marriage. Unlike most of the other Mafiosi, he shuns the married life. A girlfriend of Paulie's, played by Judy Reyes
, is briefly seen in episode 2.9 ("From Where to Eternity"). In a rare moment, Paulie shows compassion for her two children, putting them back to bed, sadly citing he shouldn't keep everyone up, (as he is suffering from nightmares after hearing Christopher talk about his trip to Hell after being shot). She recommends a psychic, but the session ends with Paulie calling the group a bunch of "fucking queers" after the psychic sees the spirit of Charles "Sonny" Pagano - the first guy Paulie ever whacked - together with other spirits, including Mikey Palmice
, who supposedly tells the psychic to ask Paulie if the poison ivy, which he caught on his face while chasing (Palmice) to execute him, still itches.
n drug dealer and stole a large quantity of drugs and cash from his hotel room. Other tasks he did were retrieving a car for a teacher of Tony's son, torturing a hotel co-owner so the crew can own 25% of the business, and extorting
a soccer coach by giving him an unwanted free TV. When suspicions that Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero was an informant first surfaced, Paulie volunteered to investigate (and murder if necessary). His method of taking Pussy to a bath house
and trying to get him to undress for a steambath
lacked subtlety and drove Pussy into hiding. In Tony's brief and bloody war with the Corrado "Junior" Soprano
crew, following Junior's attempt on Tony's life, Paulie was assigned the hit on Junior's consigliere
Mikey Palmice
, with assistance from Christopher Moltisanti
.
of his old crew. This meant that Pussy, Christopher, and Furio Giunta
amongst others, reported to him. To help set up the crew's stolen car distribution operation in the country, Paulie traveled with Tony and Christopher to Italy. Paulie also helped run the "executive game"; a high stakes poker game. In the episode From Where to Eternity, while Christopher is in the hospital slowly recovering from the bullet wounds caused by Matthew Bevilaqua
and Sean Gismonte
's failed assassination attempt (which was engaged in to gain recognition in the DiMeo Crime Family, particularly with Richie Aprile
), when Christopher becomes clinically dead for a few minutes after his heart stops while in his coma
tose state, he has what may have just been a morphine
induced dream in which he visits purgatory
and sees his deceased father "Dickie" Moltisanti along with his deceased, former best friend Brendan Filone
and Mikey Palmice
who had slain Brendan earlier on in Season One. Ironically, Brendan and Mikey are good friends in the afterlife and even gamble together with Roman
soldiers against Irish gangsters whom they constantly lose to according to Christopher's description of what was going on in his ephemeral visit to the realm between Heaven
and Hell
. Christopher informs Tony and Paulie that Mikey had a message for them: Three o' clock is what Mikey told Christopher to tell them. It is never actually revealed what this esoteric message is supposed to mean, although Paulie thinks it could have been around the time Mikey was executed. Christopher's spiritual experience, which Tony remains skeptical of and deems just a dream, spooks Paulie intensely. Paulie subsequently begins to have disturbing nightmares of being dragged to Hell. Paulie, at the recommendation of his cumare
(mistress), goes to see a medium
but to confirm for sure the guy is real, Paulie gives a pseudo-name when he calls and makes his appointment. Much to Paulie's chagrin, the authenticity of the medium is confirmed when he begins communicating with Charles "Sonny" Pagano who was the first person Paulie ever whacked back in the 1960s and also Mikey Palmice. It becomes abundantly clear that Mikey's spirit is present when the medium informs Paulie that "he" wants to know if the poison ivy
still itches (Paulie had inadvertently ran into a batch of poison ivy whilst he and Christopher chased Mikey through the woods on the day they murdered him). Paulie abruptly flips out, grabs the medium, and asks who he's been talking to, as he feels he somehow got some very clandestine information on Paulie through an actually still living person. Paulie continues to remain spooked and paranoid, as he also feels he's being haunted by Mikey Palmice accompanied by others he had murdered throughout his criminal life. However, a skeptical Tony informs him that it means nothing. Later in the season, when it was confirmed that Pussy was an FBI
informant
, Paulie accompanied Tony and Silvio Dante on their trip out on a boat to execute Pussy. Paulie, right before execution is carried out, tells Pussy "you were like a brother to me", at which point Tony adds, "to all of us." Paulie has clearly stated the hurtful impact Pussy's betrayal has had on him but seems to have put the experience behind him. Paulie will also be later haunted by the memory of his deceased friend.
in Paulie's crew. Paulie began to demand regular payments and subjected Chris to humiliating random strip search
es for wires
. One night, Paulie and Patsy Parisi show up unexpectedly at Christopher's apartment and search his apartment for wires; they also confiscate some stolen shoes Christopher got for Adriana to give to their gomares. While meddling through a dresser drawer, Chris observes Paulie sniffing Adriana's panties, about which he later complains to Tony who informs Paulie he must apologize. Paulie grows angry at Christopher's tattle-telling and informs him, "If you ever go to the big man [Tony] again about stuff between you and me, we're gonna have a problem my friend." The tensions between Paulie and Chris culminated in the episode "Pine Barrens
". when Tony assigns Paulie and Christopher the task of collecting a payment owed to Silvio by Russian
mobster named Valery. They botched the simple assignment after they got into a fight with Valery at his apartment, which Paulie had instigated. Believing Valery is dead after Paulie chokes him with a lamp, they took Valery out into the Pine Barrens to dispose of him. Valery, who was later revealed to be a former commando in the [chechen] military, was still alive, and knocked both Paulie and Christopher to the ground with a shovel. He escaped and led Paulie and Christopher on a brief chase in the woods. Paulie shoots Valery in the head, however, Chris and Paulie they can not find Valery, and the two are dumbfounded as to what happened to him. Afterwards, Paulie and Chris decide to get in the car and look for him, but they lose their way. The two try continuously to communicate with Tony on the cell phone to get him to come pick them up but as they are deep in the woods, the signal is weak, and every conversation becomes incomplete by static and disconnection. Paulie and Chris feud throughout the night. They become hungry, extremely cold, tired, and frustrated with each other. Later, a heated exchange even promts Christopher to pull his gun and threaten to kill him. The next morning, they are rescued by Tony and Bobby Baccalieri
, but Tony is very disappointed at Paulie's failure to complete such an easy task.
In the season finale "Army of One
", Paulie grew upset after Tony ruled against him in a sit down with Ralph Cifaretto. Paulie, who had provided Ralphie with the security codes he needed to execute a $100,000 robbery, demanded 50% of the take. Ralphie countered by offering only $5,000, claiming Paulie had not done any of the leg work. Ultimately, Tony ruled that Paulie was entitled to $12,000. Paulie, who had just put his mother in the expensive "Green Grove" retirement community, was especially angered by the ruling, as he had been depending on the $50,000 to cover his expenses. Paulie also grew jealous of Ralphie's earning ability, which outpaced Paulie's because of Ralphie's labor union
ties, which helped bring in the highly lucrative Newark Esplanade
project, and Ralphie's consequently rising stock in Tony's eyes.
on a gun possession charge. Albeit no censure was rendered upon him, Paulie's separation from the family, incorporated with Ralphie's continued earning abilities, continued to erode his reputation and credibility in Tony's eyes. During his four months in jail, he communicated with John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni
, the Underboss
of New York
's Lupertazzi crime family, while under the false impression that he could earn a place with them. It was Paulie who told Johnny Sack that Ralph Cifaretto made a very insensitive joke regarding Ginny Sack's being overweight to the family which compels an infuriated Johnny to sanction a hit on Ralph that was called off at the last minute. A party was thrown at the Bada Bing
when he was released, but his wavering loyalty only served to accelerate his marginalization under Tony. Paulie however, by the end of season four (in 12th episode of the season) , realized he had been duped by Johnny Sack and that Carmine Lupertazzi had never even heard of him, much less offered him a place in his New York family. Following this ascertainment, Paulie once again devoted himself fully to Tony and the Soprano family, reclaiming his status as a top earner and his place within Tony's inner circle.
Paulie has always been devoted to his mother, Marianucci "Nucci" Gualtieri, (it's disclosed in the Season Six episode The Fleshy Part of the Thigh that she is actually his aunt, however) whom he has watched over constantly. She was delighted when he first placed her at "Green Grove" (in stark contrast to Livia Soprano
's reaction), and Paulie also interceded in her social problems with the other residents, going so far as to attack their relatives to ensure civility for his mother. He later learned that one of the women Nucci had trouble with, Minni Matrone, kept all her cash in her home. Paulie broke into Minn's home to try to steal this money, but she caught him in the act. When he failed to talk his way out of it, he suffocated her with a pillow. He gave the money to Tony to rejuvenate Tony's confidence in Paulie.
, Patsy Parisi, and Benny Fazio. The story starts out friendly, but after Chris embarrasses him in front of the guys, Paulie calls Chris "Tony's little favorite". This leads to Chris and Paulie almost starting a fight and later, Paulie tells the rest of the guys that it's over between the two of them. This is one of many fights in the weird relationship that Paulie and Christopher have. At comare
night, Christopher refuses to pay for the dinner, forcing Paulie to pay. At Satriale's
the following morning, Paulie demanded the money back, else Christopher would begin paying points
. At another dinner in Atlantic City
, Paulie tells everyone to choose whatever they want in order to inflate Christopher's bill. Tapped out, Chris left a small tip and argued with Paulie in the parking lot until the waiter came out to confront them. Chris responded violently and threw a brick at him. The waiter collapsed and went into convulsions. Panicked, Paulie shot the waiter and grabbed the $1200 tab before running away. Paulie later called Christopher and they agreed to "bury the hatchet", and split the $1200 bill.
Paulie also got into a dispute with Michele "Feech" La Manna over their rival landscaping
companies. Paulie and Feech both resorted to violence, assaulting the others gardeners. Paulie's competition with and antagonism of Feech served to highlight Feech's insubordinate tendencies, which caused Tony to "set up" Feech for a return to prison, making it easier for everyone.
of the family. Paulie's reputation for withholding money from his payments "up the ladder" were observed in the episode "Mayham
". While Tony was in a coma
, Paulie took part in a heist with associate Cary De Bartolo that led to an immense score of $1,000,000 in Colombia
n drug money, which was to be divided up fairly in terms of percentage amongst Tony, Paulie, and Vito. The heist resulted from a tip by Vito Spatafore
. Although they had agreed to split the acquisition, Paulie later tried to withhold some of Vito's share due to an injury he had received during the heist; Silvio had to mediate as acting boss, informing them that under the circumstances Tony's share would be given to Carmela. Vito and Paulie were strongly reluctant to give Tony's share to Carmela, as they speculated Tony could potentially die at any moment but in the end accepted their obligation. When Vito's homosexuality
was later revealed, Paulie was outspoken in his condemnation of homosexuality and desire to see Vito killed. When Vito returned after months in hiding, Tony considered letting his proposal of setting up business in Atlantic City
with Silvio in front of Paulie; Paulie remained quiet, but left the room in apparent protest. Tony largely decided to have Vito killed because Paulie's attitude mirrored the lack of respect his underlings would feel for him letting Vito live free, although Phil Leotardo made it a moot point when he had members of his family beat Vito to death.
In the episode "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh", it was disclosed to Paulie that his dying Aunt Dotty, a nun
, was actually his mother. She had become pregnant with him by a soldier identified only as "Russ" during World War II
. Nucci, the woman Paulie had thought of as his mother, was really his aunt who took him in to hide the scandal. This flabbergasting ascertainment sent Paulie into an emotional tailspin, in the grips of which he severed his ties to his Nucci and did not attend Dotty's funeral. The episode ended with Paulie extorting $4,000 per month (the sum of Nucci's retirement home costs) from the son of the late owner of the Barone Sanitation company, unbeknown to Tony. Earlier, Paulie had witnessed Helen Barone meet with Tony to intercede on her son's behalf, and Tony promised that he would not be harmed; hearing this conversation led Paulie to break down emotionally. This means that Little Paulie Germani is not his nephew, but his first cousin once removed, although he still referred to Little Paulie as his nephew.
In "The Ride
" Paulie was responsible for organizing the annual festivities at the Feast of St. Elzear
. Paulie had taken over running the festival from Johnny Boy Soprano upon his death, and continued to try to run it for profit. In 2006, it proved a burden—the replacement priest, Father José, tried to renegotiate the payment the church would receive from the proceeds of the feast. Paulie refused to pay, and Father José retaliated by refusing to allow St. Elzear's gold hat to be used in the festival. The hat's absence was noticed and complained about by elder residents. Ride maintenance was another area where Paulie decided to save money, which resulted in a malfunction while Bobby Baccalieri
's family was on a ride. Janice
received minor neck injuries. Subsequently, this resulted in temporary bad blood between Paulie and Bobby which Tony ordered to be resolved.
During the festival, Paulie was tested for prostate cancer
because of an elevated PSA. With his uncertain parentage, there was no way of knowing if he was genetically predisposed to the disease or not. During a restless night awaiting his biopsy
results, Paulie awoke at 3 a.m. and went to the Bada Bing
club. There he had a striking vision of the Virgin Mary hovering above the stage. Paulie later visited Nucci at Green Grove, and they had a silent reconciliation. In the episode "Moe N' Joe", Paulie told Tony that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease was apparently caught in an early stage, and Paulie underwent a course of radiation therapy
. Paulie suggested that his luck at having been diagnosed early was a reward for good deeds in his life, and Tony agreed with him. He stated in the episode "Stage 5
", that he beat the cancer, after learning of Johnny Sack's death from lung cancer
.
", Paulie and Tony went to Miami to lie low when the FBI investigated the old murder case of Willie Overall, who was Tony's first murder victim. On the trip and in Miami, Paulie begins to reminisce about the old days at which point he brings up Pussy Bonpensiero and Ralph Cifaretto and how they all four went out to dinner the night Tony whacked Willie Overall. Tony begins to grow somewhat suspicious of Paulie's idiosyncracies and inclination to divulge information to other people, and Tony questioned him several times about the joke Ralph Cifaretto made about Ginny Sacrimoni's weight. Eventually, the Overall's murder was blamed on the deceased Jackie Aprile, Sr
., so Tony took Paulie on a fishing trip to celebrate. Paulie had serious misgivings about going to sea with Tony due to the boat trip that was used to lure informant Pussy Bonpensiero to his death. On the boat, Paulie continues to deny informing Johnny Sack of Ralph's joke about his wife. While Tony seriously considered murdering Paulie, he ultimately decided to spare his life. Seemingly out of "gratitude", Paulie sent Carmela a $2,000 espresso machine
to replace her broken one. The overly expensive gift gave the impression of Paulie to Carmela that "there is something seriously wrong with that man", but Tony defends him, saying it was people like Paulie who allowed Tony and Carmela to live the way they did.
In the episode "Walk like a Man
", Paulie's nephew, Little Paulie, was beaten by Christopher over a dispute and thrown out a second-story window, suffering six broken vertebrae. A furious Paulie tore up Christopher's lawn with his car, leaving Chris's wife shaken. Later in the episode, they seemed to have made up, and drank together at the Bada Bing. However, Paulie made off-color remarks about Christopher's daughter, which caused an inebriated Chris to storm out and later kill his A.A.
friend J.T. Dolan. In the episode, "Kennedy and Heidi
", Paulie was left surprisingly grief-stricken when Christopher was killed, reflecting that their argument over money and respect was trivial and that he should have been nicer to him, in life. Paulie was later "upstaged" when his aunt/adopted mother Nucci's wake was under-attended because his friends were at Christopher Moltisanti's wake instead. In the final episode "Made in America
", Tony asked Paulie to step in and take over the old Aprile/Cifaretto/Spatafore/Gervasi crew. At first, Paulie was hesitant because all the bad luck that had befallen previous capos of that crew but immediately changes his mind after clever persuasion.
drug dealers, the pump and dump
scams, charging HMOs for fake MRI
expenditures, fencing
stolen cars, a phone card scam, gambling
, loan sharking and the crew’s front businesses: Barone Sanitation and Massarone Construction. Throughout the shows run other aspects of the crew's criminal activities developed or were revealed. These include control of the Joint Fitters Union, credit card hijacking
(run by Benny Fazio), betting shop
, cigarette smuggling
(both run by Christopher), and protection racket
ing (run by Patsy). Legit businesses include Pussy’s old auto body shop
(now run by his wife Angie), silent partner in a lawn care business, and the Feast of St. Elisario. Paulie soon became Tony's biggest earner. However, by season four Paulie's business hit a low point, especially in comparison to the Cifaretto and Barese crew. By season 5 Paulie's crew regained its position as one of the best earners in the family. When Paulie was promoted to Underboss between seasons 5 and 6, Christopher took over as Capo of his old crew.
* First mentioned. Happened before events of first The Sopranos episode.
SLS. He drives a beige 1998 Cadillac DeVille
in season 3 (which was stolen in "Pine Barrens
" ) He drives a beige 2001 Cadillac Eldorado
until the end of season 5 and a beige Cadillac CTS
in season 6. One of his Cadillacs plays the "Speak Softly Love" ("Love Theme from The Godfather")
as the melody for the car horn ("Nobody Knows Anything
").
Tony Sirico
Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. is an American character actor who is most famous for his role as Paulie Gualtieri in the television series The Sopranos.- Background and career :Sirico was born in Midwood, Brooklyn...
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the HBO TV series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. He is a caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
(captain) and later underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
in the Soprano crime family.
Plot details
According to The Sopranos, A Family History, Peter Paul Gualtieri, son of Gennaro Gualtieri (although Paulie's biological father was later revealed to be a World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era soldier named "Russ"), has been a troubled street kid from the age of nine. He dropped out of school after the 9th grade and spent time in and out of juvenile correctional facilities during his early youth. When he was 17 he officially became an enforcer/bodyguard for "Johnny Boy" Soprano, Tony's father and captain in the DiMeo crime family. His mother, later discovered to be his aunt, worked at a Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is the name of an international chain of doughnut stores that was founded by Vernon Rudolph in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The parent company of Krispy Kreme is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc...
doughnut shop during Paulie's childhood and early adulthood, but has since retired. Paulie's grandfather, who immigrated to the United States in 1910, is from Ariano Irpino
Ariano Irpino
Ariano Irpino is a municipality in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of Italy on the railway between Benevento and Foggia, c. 40 km east of the former.-Geography:...
, a municipality in the province of Avellino
Avellino
Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...
, in the Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Paulie's grandfather and Tony's paternal grandparents were from the same province in Italy. Paulie spent four years in the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Signal Corps, where he was eventually drummed out through Section 8
Section 8 (military)
The term Section 8 refers to a category of discharge from the United States military for reason of being mentally unfit for service. It also came to mean any serviceperson given such a discharge or behaving as if deserving such a discharge...
(discharged because of psychiatric reasons). Although Paulie did not have a long military career, he still is proud of it, and few of the other Sopranos characters had military experience. Afterwards, he spent more time in and out of prison on various criminal charges. Eventually, he worked his way up through the DiMeo crime family, reaching the rank of Captain
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in 2000, shortly after Anthony "Tony" Soprano
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
became Boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
of New Jersey. In 2006, Paulie was promoted to Underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
, and Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
was put in charge of Paulie's crew, which earlier was Tony's crew. Paulie got his nickname "Paulie Walnuts" due to hijacking a truck in the early 1990s which he believed to be filled with television-sets, but only contained walnuts. His surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
is taken from real life DeCavalcante crime family
DeCavalcante crime family
The DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia...
mobster Frank Gualtieri, who served under Vincent Palermo
Vincent Palermo
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo is a former de facto boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family who eventually became a government witness. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano is said to be loosely based on Palermo.-Background:...
.
Paulie is one of the most colorful characters on the show. Often talked about as a reputed psychopath with no heart-feelings, Paulie is highly paranoid and often refers to the supernatural things he experiences, like déjà vu
Déjà vu
Déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined...
, seeing the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, and especially his constant fear of death, either natural or probable. Paulie has displayed kindness and loyalty, and usually cracks jokes. However, despite his seniority, Paulie is one of the more eccentric of Tony's associates and is arguably one of the most ruthless, as expressed by his paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, mysophobia
Mysophobia
Mysophobia is a term used to describe a pathological fear of contamination and germs. Someone who has such a fear is referred to as a mysophobe. The term was introduced by Dr. William Alexander Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder exhibited in repeatedly washing...
, competitiveness, miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
ly nature, impulsive violence and often childlike dependence on Tony's approval. In the season one finale, "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano", Tony told his crew that he had been in therapy for almost a year, when Paulie revealed that he too had seen a therapist
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, from whom he 'learned some coping skills'. Nevertheless, Paulie is recognized throughout the series as one of the top earners and one of Tony's most trustworthy friends in his "inner circle" of Paulie, Silvio Dante
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante, often referred to as "Sil", played by Steven Van Zandt, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is the consigliere to Tony Soprano in the Soprano crime family. Silvio has one of the lowest profiles on the show. He is usually a behind the scenes figure...
, and Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
.
Uniquely among his colleagues, Paulie remains single and has no children outside marriage. Unlike most of the other Mafiosi, he shuns the married life. A girlfriend of Paulie's, played by Judy Reyes
Judy Reyes
Judy Reyes is an American actress of Dominican heritage. She is best known for her portrayal of nurse Carla Espinosa on the TV comedy Scrubs.-Early life:...
, is briefly seen in episode 2.9 ("From Where to Eternity"). In a rare moment, Paulie shows compassion for her two children, putting them back to bed, sadly citing he shouldn't keep everyone up, (as he is suffering from nightmares after hearing Christopher talk about his trip to Hell after being shot). She recommends a psychic, but the session ends with Paulie calling the group a bunch of "fucking queers" after the psychic sees the spirit of Charles "Sonny" Pagano - the first guy Paulie ever whacked - together with other spirits, including Mikey Palmice
Mikey Palmice
Michael "Mikey Grab Bag" Palmice , played by Al Sapienza, was a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Plot details:Palmice starts out as a soldier in Corrado "Junior" Soprano's crew as his driver and bodyguard. After Jackie Aprile dies, Junior becomes boss, and Palmice is promoted...
, who supposedly tells the psychic to ask Paulie if the poison ivy, which he caught on his face while chasing (Palmice) to execute him, still itches.
Season 1
In Season One, Paulie was a central member of Tony's crew. He executed a ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n drug dealer and stole a large quantity of drugs and cash from his hotel room. Other tasks he did were retrieving a car for a teacher of Tony's son, torturing a hotel co-owner so the crew can own 25% of the business, and extorting
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
a soccer coach by giving him an unwanted free TV. When suspicions that Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero was an informant first surfaced, Paulie volunteered to investigate (and murder if necessary). His method of taking Pussy to a bath house
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
and trying to get him to undress for a steambath
Steambath
Steambath is the second play by American author Bruce Jay Friedman. It was first performed Off-Broadway at the Truck and Warehouse Theater where it opened on June 30, 1970, closing on October 18, 1970 after 128 performances...
lacked subtlety and drove Pussy into hiding. In Tony's brief and bloody war with the Corrado "Junior" Soprano
Junior Soprano
Corrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun", he is the mentor and surrogate father for capo Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played by Rocco...
crew, following Junior's attempt on Tony's life, Paulie was assigned the hit on Junior's consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Mikey Palmice
Mikey Palmice
Michael "Mikey Grab Bag" Palmice , played by Al Sapienza, was a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Plot details:Palmice starts out as a soldier in Corrado "Junior" Soprano's crew as his driver and bodyguard. After Jackie Aprile dies, Junior becomes boss, and Palmice is promoted...
, with assistance from Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
.
Season 2
In Season Two, when Tony becomes the street boss of the family, while Junior only remains boss in name, Paulie is promoted to capoCaporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
of his old crew. This meant that Pussy, Christopher, and Furio Giunta
Furio Giunta
Furio Giunta, played by Federico Castelluccio, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was an Italian mobster working for Tony Soprano.-Biography:...
amongst others, reported to him. To help set up the crew's stolen car distribution operation in the country, Paulie traveled with Tony and Christopher to Italy. Paulie also helped run the "executive game"; a high stakes poker game. In the episode From Where to Eternity, while Christopher is in the hospital slowly recovering from the bullet wounds caused by Matthew Bevilaqua
Matthew Bevilaqua
Matthew Bevilacqua, played by Lillo Brancato Jr., is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Background:Matthew Bevilacqua, a.k.a. Matt Drinkwater, was Sean Gismonte's partner-in-crime and an associate in the Soprano Crime Family. Matt and Sean were from West Orange, New Jersey....
and Sean Gismonte
Sean Gismonte
Sean Gismonte, played by Chris Tardio, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Background:Sean Gismonte aka Gis is an associate of the Soprano crime family. He was Matthew Bevilaqua's partner in crime and an associate in the Tony Soprano/Gualtieri crew in 2000. Sean and Matt...
's failed assassination attempt (which was engaged in to gain recognition in the DiMeo Crime Family, particularly with Richie Aprile
Richie Aprile
Richard 'Richie' Aprile, Sr., played by David Proval, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Richie was a capo and the older brother of former DiMeo crime family acting boss Jackie Aprile, Sr...
), when Christopher becomes clinically dead for a few minutes after his heart stops while in his coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose state, he has what may have just been a morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
induced dream in which he visits purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
and sees his deceased father "Dickie" Moltisanti along with his deceased, former best friend Brendan Filone
Brendan Filone
Brendan Filone, played by Anthony DeSando, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Background:On The Sopranos, Brendan Filone was Christopher Moltisanti's friend and partner in crime and an associate of Tony Soprano. Brendan was addicted to crystal meth, and often used it with...
and Mikey Palmice
Mikey Palmice
Michael "Mikey Grab Bag" Palmice , played by Al Sapienza, was a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Plot details:Palmice starts out as a soldier in Corrado "Junior" Soprano's crew as his driver and bodyguard. After Jackie Aprile dies, Junior becomes boss, and Palmice is promoted...
who had slain Brendan earlier on in Season One. Ironically, Brendan and Mikey are good friends in the afterlife and even gamble together with Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
soldiers against Irish gangsters whom they constantly lose to according to Christopher's description of what was going on in his ephemeral visit to the realm between Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. Christopher informs Tony and Paulie that Mikey had a message for them: Three o' clock is what Mikey told Christopher to tell them. It is never actually revealed what this esoteric message is supposed to mean, although Paulie thinks it could have been around the time Mikey was executed. Christopher's spiritual experience, which Tony remains skeptical of and deems just a dream, spooks Paulie intensely. Paulie subsequently begins to have disturbing nightmares of being dragged to Hell. Paulie, at the recommendation of his cumare
Cumare
Cumare can refer to:*Cumare , a tessaratomid insect.*Astrocaryum aculeatum, a palm native to South America and Trinidad....
(mistress), goes to see a medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
but to confirm for sure the guy is real, Paulie gives a pseudo-name when he calls and makes his appointment. Much to Paulie's chagrin, the authenticity of the medium is confirmed when he begins communicating with Charles "Sonny" Pagano who was the first person Paulie ever whacked back in the 1960s and also Mikey Palmice. It becomes abundantly clear that Mikey's spirit is present when the medium informs Paulie that "he" wants to know if the poison ivy
Poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans, better known as poison ivy , is a poisonous North American plant that is well known for its production of urushiol, a clear liquid compound found within the sap of the plant that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it...
still itches (Paulie had inadvertently ran into a batch of poison ivy whilst he and Christopher chased Mikey through the woods on the day they murdered him). Paulie abruptly flips out, grabs the medium, and asks who he's been talking to, as he feels he somehow got some very clandestine information on Paulie through an actually still living person. Paulie continues to remain spooked and paranoid, as he also feels he's being haunted by Mikey Palmice accompanied by others he had murdered throughout his criminal life. However, a skeptical Tony informs him that it means nothing. Later in the season, when it was confirmed that Pussy was an FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
, Paulie accompanied Tony and Silvio Dante on their trip out on a boat to execute Pussy. Paulie, right before execution is carried out, tells Pussy "you were like a brother to me", at which point Tony adds, "to all of us." Paulie has clearly stated the hurtful impact Pussy's betrayal has had on him but seems to have put the experience behind him. Paulie will also be later haunted by the memory of his deceased friend.
Season 3
In Season Three, Christopher often chafed under Paulie's leadership, particularly after Chris became a made manMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in Paulie's crew. Paulie began to demand regular payments and subjected Chris to humiliating random strip search
Strip search
A strip search is the stripping of a person to check for weapons or other contraband.-Legality of strip searches:...
es for wires
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
. One night, Paulie and Patsy Parisi show up unexpectedly at Christopher's apartment and search his apartment for wires; they also confiscate some stolen shoes Christopher got for Adriana to give to their gomares. While meddling through a dresser drawer, Chris observes Paulie sniffing Adriana's panties, about which he later complains to Tony who informs Paulie he must apologize. Paulie grows angry at Christopher's tattle-telling and informs him, "If you ever go to the big man [Tony] again about stuff between you and me, we're gonna have a problem my friend." The tensions between Paulie and Chris culminated in the episode "Pine Barrens
Pine Barrens (The Sopranos episode)
"Pine Barrens" is the thirty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eleventh of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Terence Winter from a story idea by Winter and Tim Van Patten...
". when Tony assigns Paulie and Christopher the task of collecting a payment owed to Silvio by Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
mobster named Valery. They botched the simple assignment after they got into a fight with Valery at his apartment, which Paulie had instigated. Believing Valery is dead after Paulie chokes him with a lamp, they took Valery out into the Pine Barrens to dispose of him. Valery, who was later revealed to be a former commando in the [chechen] military, was still alive, and knocked both Paulie and Christopher to the ground with a shovel. He escaped and led Paulie and Christopher on a brief chase in the woods. Paulie shoots Valery in the head, however, Chris and Paulie they can not find Valery, and the two are dumbfounded as to what happened to him. Afterwards, Paulie and Chris decide to get in the car and look for him, but they lose their way. The two try continuously to communicate with Tony on the cell phone to get him to come pick them up but as they are deep in the woods, the signal is weak, and every conversation becomes incomplete by static and disconnection. Paulie and Chris feud throughout the night. They become hungry, extremely cold, tired, and frustrated with each other. Later, a heated exchange even promts Christopher to pull his gun and threaten to kill him. The next morning, they are rescued by Tony and Bobby Baccalieri
Bobby Baccalieri
Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri, Jr., played by Steve R. Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a Capo and later the acting underboss of the DiMeo Crime Family, as well as Tony Soprano's brother-in-law...
, but Tony is very disappointed at Paulie's failure to complete such an easy task.
In the season finale "Army of One
Army of One (The Sopranos episode)
"Army of One" is the thirty-ninth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the finale of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, directed by John Patterson and originally aired on Sunday May 20, 2001....
", Paulie grew upset after Tony ruled against him in a sit down with Ralph Cifaretto. Paulie, who had provided Ralphie with the security codes he needed to execute a $100,000 robbery, demanded 50% of the take. Ralphie countered by offering only $5,000, claiming Paulie had not done any of the leg work. Ultimately, Tony ruled that Paulie was entitled to $12,000. Paulie, who had just put his mother in the expensive "Green Grove" retirement community, was especially angered by the ruling, as he had been depending on the $50,000 to cover his expenses. Paulie also grew jealous of Ralphie's earning ability, which outpaced Paulie's because of Ralphie's labor union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ties, which helped bring in the highly lucrative Newark Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
project, and Ralphie's consequently rising stock in Tony's eyes.
Season 4
Between Seasons 3 and 4, Paulie was arrested in Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
on a gun possession charge. Albeit no censure was rendered upon him, Paulie's separation from the family, incorporated with Ralphie's continued earning abilities, continued to erode his reputation and credibility in Tony's eyes. During his four months in jail, he communicated with John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni
Johnny Sack
John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni, played by Vince Curatola, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was the longtime underboss and later the boss of the powerful Brooklyn-based New York City Lupertazzi crime family...
, the Underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Lupertazzi crime family, while under the false impression that he could earn a place with them. It was Paulie who told Johnny Sack that Ralph Cifaretto made a very insensitive joke regarding Ginny Sack's being overweight to the family which compels an infuriated Johnny to sanction a hit on Ralph that was called off at the last minute. A party was thrown at the Bada Bing
Bada Bing
The Bada Bing! is a fictional strip club from the HBO drama television series The Sopranos. It was a key location for events in the series, named for catchphrase "bada bing", a phrase popularized by James Caan in The Godfather. The popularization of the fictional club benefited the real-life go-go...
when he was released, but his wavering loyalty only served to accelerate his marginalization under Tony. Paulie however, by the end of season four (in 12th episode of the season) , realized he had been duped by Johnny Sack and that Carmine Lupertazzi had never even heard of him, much less offered him a place in his New York family. Following this ascertainment, Paulie once again devoted himself fully to Tony and the Soprano family, reclaiming his status as a top earner and his place within Tony's inner circle.
Paulie has always been devoted to his mother, Marianucci "Nucci" Gualtieri, (it's disclosed in the Season Six episode The Fleshy Part of the Thigh that she is actually his aunt, however) whom he has watched over constantly. She was delighted when he first placed her at "Green Grove" (in stark contrast to Livia Soprano
Livia Soprano
Livia Soprano , played by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams is sometimes seen in flashbacks...
's reaction), and Paulie also interceded in her social problems with the other residents, going so far as to attack their relatives to ensure civility for his mother. He later learned that one of the women Nucci had trouble with, Minni Matrone, kept all her cash in her home. Paulie broke into Minn's home to try to steal this money, but she caught him in the act. When he failed to talk his way out of it, he suffocated her with a pillow. He gave the money to Tony to rejuvenate Tony's confidence in Paulie.
Season 5
In Season Five, Christopher and Paulie's bad blood resurfaces when Christopher reiterates the story of the Pine Barrens incident to Vito SpataforeVito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual...
, Patsy Parisi, and Benny Fazio. The story starts out friendly, but after Chris embarrasses him in front of the guys, Paulie calls Chris "Tony's little favorite". This leads to Chris and Paulie almost starting a fight and later, Paulie tells the rest of the guys that it's over between the two of them. This is one of many fights in the weird relationship that Paulie and Christopher have. At comare
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
night, Christopher refuses to pay for the dinner, forcing Paulie to pay. At Satriale's
Satriale's Pork Store
Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series The Sopranos. As told in the television show, during the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Boy Soprano, a member of The DiMeo Crime Family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling debt and later...
the following morning, Paulie demanded the money back, else Christopher would begin paying points
Point (mortgage)
Points, sometimes also called a "discount point", are a form of pre-paid interest. One point equals one percent of the loan amount. By charging a borrower points, a lender effectively increases the yield on the loan above the amount of the stated interest rate...
. At another dinner in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, Paulie tells everyone to choose whatever they want in order to inflate Christopher's bill. Tapped out, Chris left a small tip and argued with Paulie in the parking lot until the waiter came out to confront them. Chris responded violently and threw a brick at him. The waiter collapsed and went into convulsions. Panicked, Paulie shot the waiter and grabbed the $1200 tab before running away. Paulie later called Christopher and they agreed to "bury the hatchet", and split the $1200 bill.
Paulie also got into a dispute with Michele "Feech" La Manna over their rival landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
companies. Paulie and Feech both resorted to violence, assaulting the others gardeners. Paulie's competition with and antagonism of Feech served to highlight Feech's insubordinate tendencies, which caused Tony to "set up" Feech for a return to prison, making it easier for everyone.
Part I
Between seasons 5 and 6, Christopher Moltisanti was made Capo of Paulie's crew, with Paulie being elevated to underbossUnderboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
of the family. Paulie's reputation for withholding money from his payments "up the ladder" were observed in the episode "Mayham
Mayham (The Sopranos episode)
"Mayham" is the sixty-eighth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the third of the show's sixth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner, directed by Jack Bender and originally aired on March 26, 2006.-Guest starring:...
". While Tony was in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, Paulie took part in a heist with associate Cary De Bartolo that led to an immense score of $1,000,000 in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n drug money, which was to be divided up fairly in terms of percentage amongst Tony, Paulie, and Vito. The heist resulted from a tip by Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual...
. Although they had agreed to split the acquisition, Paulie later tried to withhold some of Vito's share due to an injury he had received during the heist; Silvio had to mediate as acting boss, informing them that under the circumstances Tony's share would be given to Carmela. Vito and Paulie were strongly reluctant to give Tony's share to Carmela, as they speculated Tony could potentially die at any moment but in the end accepted their obligation. When Vito's homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was later revealed, Paulie was outspoken in his condemnation of homosexuality and desire to see Vito killed. When Vito returned after months in hiding, Tony considered letting his proposal of setting up business in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
with Silvio in front of Paulie; Paulie remained quiet, but left the room in apparent protest. Tony largely decided to have Vito killed because Paulie's attitude mirrored the lack of respect his underlings would feel for him letting Vito live free, although Phil Leotardo made it a moot point when he had members of his family beat Vito to death.
In the episode "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh", it was disclosed to Paulie that his dying Aunt Dotty, a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, was actually his mother. She had become pregnant with him by a soldier identified only as "Russ" during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Nucci, the woman Paulie had thought of as his mother, was really his aunt who took him in to hide the scandal. This flabbergasting ascertainment sent Paulie into an emotional tailspin, in the grips of which he severed his ties to his Nucci and did not attend Dotty's funeral. The episode ended with Paulie extorting $4,000 per month (the sum of Nucci's retirement home costs) from the son of the late owner of the Barone Sanitation company, unbeknown to Tony. Earlier, Paulie had witnessed Helen Barone meet with Tony to intercede on her son's behalf, and Tony promised that he would not be harmed; hearing this conversation led Paulie to break down emotionally. This means that Little Paulie Germani is not his nephew, but his first cousin once removed, although he still referred to Little Paulie as his nephew.
In "The Ride
The Ride (The Sopranos episode)
"The Ride" is the seventy-fourth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the ninth of the show's sixth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Alan Taylor and originally aired on May 7, 2006.-Guest starring:...
" Paulie was responsible for organizing the annual festivities at the Feast of St. Elzear
Elzéar of Sabran
Saint Elzéar of Sabran, O.S.F., Baron of Ansouis, Count of Ariano, was born in the castle of Saint-Jean-de-Robians, near Cabrières-d'Aigues in Provence, southern France, in 1285. He died in Paris, France, on September 27, 1323...
. Paulie had taken over running the festival from Johnny Boy Soprano upon his death, and continued to try to run it for profit. In 2006, it proved a burden—the replacement priest, Father José, tried to renegotiate the payment the church would receive from the proceeds of the feast. Paulie refused to pay, and Father José retaliated by refusing to allow St. Elzear's gold hat to be used in the festival. The hat's absence was noticed and complained about by elder residents. Ride maintenance was another area where Paulie decided to save money, which resulted in a malfunction while Bobby Baccalieri
Bobby Baccalieri
Robert "Bobby Bacala" Baccalieri, Jr., played by Steve R. Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a Capo and later the acting underboss of the DiMeo Crime Family, as well as Tony Soprano's brother-in-law...
's family was on a ride. Janice
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri, played by Aida Turturro, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is Tony Soprano's elder sister. A young Janice has appeared in flashbacks, played by Madeline Blue and Juliet Fox.-Biography:...
received minor neck injuries. Subsequently, this resulted in temporary bad blood between Paulie and Bobby which Tony ordered to be resolved.
During the festival, Paulie was tested for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
because of an elevated PSA. With his uncertain parentage, there was no way of knowing if he was genetically predisposed to the disease or not. During a restless night awaiting his biopsy
Biopsy
A biopsy is a medical test involving sampling of cells or tissues for examination. It is the medical removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
results, Paulie awoke at 3 a.m. and went to the Bada Bing
Bada Bing
The Bada Bing! is a fictional strip club from the HBO drama television series The Sopranos. It was a key location for events in the series, named for catchphrase "bada bing", a phrase popularized by James Caan in The Godfather. The popularization of the fictional club benefited the real-life go-go...
club. There he had a striking vision of the Virgin Mary hovering above the stage. Paulie later visited Nucci at Green Grove, and they had a silent reconciliation. In the episode "Moe N' Joe", Paulie told Tony that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease was apparently caught in an early stage, and Paulie underwent a course of radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
. Paulie suggested that his luck at having been diagnosed early was a reward for good deeds in his life, and Tony agreed with him. He stated in the episode "Stage 5
Stage 5 (The Sopranos episode)
"Stage 5" is the seventy-ninth episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It is the second episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, the fourteenth episode of the season overall...
", that he beat the cancer, after learning of Johnny Sack's death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
Part II
In the episode, "Remember WhenRemember When (The Sopranos episode)
"Remember When" is the eightieth episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It is the third episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, the fifteenth episode of the season overall. It was written by Terence Winter and was directed by Phil Abraham...
", Paulie and Tony went to Miami to lie low when the FBI investigated the old murder case of Willie Overall, who was Tony's first murder victim. On the trip and in Miami, Paulie begins to reminisce about the old days at which point he brings up Pussy Bonpensiero and Ralph Cifaretto and how they all four went out to dinner the night Tony whacked Willie Overall. Tony begins to grow somewhat suspicious of Paulie's idiosyncracies and inclination to divulge information to other people, and Tony questioned him several times about the joke Ralph Cifaretto made about Ginny Sacrimoni's weight. Eventually, the Overall's murder was blamed on the deceased Jackie Aprile, Sr
Jackie Aprile, Sr
Giacomo Michael "Jackie" Aprile, Sr., played by Michael Rispoli, was a fictional character on the HBO original series The Sopranos. He was the first Acting Boss of the DiMeo Crime Family, after longtime reputed Boss Ercole 'Eckley' DiMeo was sent to prison in 1995...
., so Tony took Paulie on a fishing trip to celebrate. Paulie had serious misgivings about going to sea with Tony due to the boat trip that was used to lure informant Pussy Bonpensiero to his death. On the boat, Paulie continues to deny informing Johnny Sack of Ralph's joke about his wife. While Tony seriously considered murdering Paulie, he ultimately decided to spare his life. Seemingly out of "gratitude", Paulie sent Carmela a $2,000 espresso machine
Espresso machine
An espresso machine is used to produce the traditional Italian coffee beverage called espresso.-History:The first machine for making espresso was built and patented by Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, who demonstrated a working example at the Turin General Exposition of 1884. He was granted patent no...
to replace her broken one. The overly expensive gift gave the impression of Paulie to Carmela that "there is something seriously wrong with that man", but Tony defends him, saying it was people like Paulie who allowed Tony and Carmela to live the way they did.
In the episode "Walk like a Man
Walk Like a Man (The Sopranos episode)
"Walk Like a Man" is the eighty-second episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It is the fifth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, the seventeenth episode of the season overall. It was written and directed by executive producer Terence Winter in his directorial debut...
", Paulie's nephew, Little Paulie, was beaten by Christopher over a dispute and thrown out a second-story window, suffering six broken vertebrae. A furious Paulie tore up Christopher's lawn with his car, leaving Chris's wife shaken. Later in the episode, they seemed to have made up, and drank together at the Bada Bing. However, Paulie made off-color remarks about Christopher's daughter, which caused an inebriated Chris to storm out and later kill his A.A.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
friend J.T. Dolan. In the episode, "Kennedy and Heidi
Kennedy and Heidi
"Kennedy and Heidi" is the eighteenth episode of the two-part sixth season—the sixth episode of the second part—of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and the show's eighty-third overall episode. It was written by Matthew Weiner and series creator and showrunner David Chase,...
", Paulie was left surprisingly grief-stricken when Christopher was killed, reflecting that their argument over money and respect was trivial and that he should have been nicer to him, in life. Paulie was later "upstaged" when his aunt/adopted mother Nucci's wake was under-attended because his friends were at Christopher Moltisanti's wake instead. In the final episode "Made in America
Made in America (The Sopranos)
"Made in America" is the twenty-first episode of the sixth season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and the series finale. It is the eighty-sixth overall episode of the series and the ninth episode of the second part of the sixth season, which was broadcast in two batches with a break...
", Tony asked Paulie to step in and take over the old Aprile/Cifaretto/Spatafore/Gervasi crew. At first, Paulie was hesitant because all the bad luck that had befallen previous capos of that crew but immediately changes his mind after clever persuasion.
Gualtieri crew
When given control of the Soprano crew Paulie oversaw all of Tony’s old business dealing, which included amongst others, the Paving Union, extortingExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
drug dealers, the pump and dump
Pump and dump
"Pump and dump" is a form of microcap stock fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price....
scams, charging HMOs for fake MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
expenditures, fencing
Fence (criminal)
A fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen property for later resale, sometimes in a legitimate market. The fence thus acts as a middleman between thieves and the eventual buyers of stolen goods who may or may not be aware that the goods are stolen. As a verb, the word describes the...
stolen cars, a phone card scam, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, loan sharking and the crew’s front businesses: Barone Sanitation and Massarone Construction. Throughout the shows run other aspects of the crew's criminal activities developed or were revealed. These include control of the Joint Fitters Union, credit card hijacking
Credit card hijacking
Credit card hijacking is a form of credit card fraud and the term is used when a person’s credit card is used by some unauthorized person to buy goods or services...
(run by Benny Fazio), betting shop
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
, cigarette smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
(both run by Christopher), and protection racket
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
ing (run by Patsy). Legit businesses include Pussy’s old auto body shop
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
(now run by his wife Angie), silent partner in a lawn care business, and the Feast of St. Elisario. Paulie soon became Tony's biggest earner. However, by season four Paulie's business hit a low point, especially in comparison to the Cifaretto and Barese crew. By season 5 Paulie's crew regained its position as one of the best earners in the family. When Paulie was promoted to Underboss between seasons 5 and 6, Christopher took over as Capo of his old crew.
Murders committed by Paulie
The following is a list of murders committed by or referenced to on the show by Paulie. With nine murders, he holds the record of having killed the most people in the show.| Victim | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Reason | Episode | |
| Charles "Sonny" Pagano | mid-1960s | Paulie "made his bones" (performed his first contract/ordered killing) by murdering Pagano. | From Where to Eternity* |
| Gallegos | 1999 | Shot in the forehead by Paulie for operating a drug business within DiMeo Family territory. | A Hit Is a Hit |
| Mikey "Grab Bag" Palmice Mikey Palmice Michael "Mikey Grab Bag" Palmice , played by Al Sapienza, was a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Plot details:Palmice starts out as a soldier in Corrado "Junior" Soprano's crew as his driver and bodyguard. After Jackie Aprile dies, Junior becomes boss, and Palmice is promoted... |
1999 | Executed in the woods by Paulie and Christopher for conspiring with Junior to kill Tony & for killing Brendan Filone. | I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano |
| Big Pussy Bonpensiero | 2000 | Killed on Tony's boat by Paulie, Silvio, and Tony for being an FBI informant. | Funhouse Funhouse (The Sopranos episode) "Funhouse" is the twenty-sixth episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It is the thirteenth and final episode of the show's second season. It was written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and co-producer Todd A. Kessler, and was directed by frequent The Sopranos director... |
| Valery | 2001 | Possibly killed for attacking Paulie and Christopher. Apparently shot in the head. Though officially, according to HBO, his fate is ultimately unknown | Pine Barrens Pine Barrens (The Sopranos episode) "Pine Barrens" is the thirty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eleventh of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Terence Winter from a story idea by Winter and Tim Van Patten... |
| Minn Matrone | 2002 | Suffocated with a pillow in her apartment, after she caught him searching her bedroom for cash. | Eloise Eloise (The Sopranos episode) "Eloise" is the fifty-first episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the twelfth of the show's fourth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by James Hayman and originally aired on Sunday December 1, 2002.-Plot summary:... |
| Raoul the Waiter | 2004 | Shot by Paulie after suffering blunt force trauma from a brick thrown at his head by Christopher after a brief argument with them. | Two Tonys |
| Colombian #1 | 2006 | Shot in the neck by Paulie and Cary De Bartolo during an armed robbery. | Mayham Mayham (The Sopranos episode) "Mayham" is the sixty-eighth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the third of the show's sixth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner, directed by Jack Bender and originally aired on March 26, 2006.-Guest starring:... |
| Colombian #2 | 2006 | Shot in the chest by Cary De Bartolo and then stabbed by Paulie during armed robbery. | Mayham Mayham (The Sopranos episode) "Mayham" is the sixty-eighth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the third of the show's sixth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner, directed by Jack Bender and originally aired on March 26, 2006.-Guest starring:... |
Family tree
- In "Commendatori", when Paulie still believes that Nucci is his mother, he mentions having two brothers and a sister. Only Gerry and Rose are mentioned by name in the series; one of the brothers is a doctor.
- In the series finale, Tony mentions a niece of Paulie's who has MSMultiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. Because it now is known that Paulie has no siblings, he is referring to one of his cousin's/"siblings'" children.
Vehicles
Like many other gangsters, Paulie is partial to Cadillacs - favoring beige colored Cadillacs. During seasons 1 and 2 he drove a green 1996 Cadillac SevilleCadillac Seville
The Cadillac Seville is a luxury-type car that was manufactured by the Cadillac division of American automaker General Motors from 1975 to 2004, as a smaller-sized top-of-the-line Cadillac...
SLS. He drives a beige 1998 Cadillac DeVille
Cadillac DeVille
The de Ville was originally a trim level and later a model of General Motors' Cadillac marque. The first car to bear the name was the 1949 Coupe de Ville, a prestige trim level of the Series 62 luxury coupe. The last model to be formally known as a de Ville was the 2005 Cadillac Deville, a...
in season 3 (which was stolen in "Pine Barrens
Pine Barrens (The Sopranos episode)
"Pine Barrens" is the thirty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eleventh of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Terence Winter from a story idea by Winter and Tim Van Patten...
" ) He drives a beige 2001 Cadillac Eldorado
Cadillac Eldorado
The 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible . It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car, and borrowed bumper bullets from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car...
until the end of season 5 and a beige Cadillac CTS
Cadillac CTS
The Cadillac CTS is a mid-size car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors currently available in three body styles: Sedan, Coupe, and Sport Wagon. It was introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, replacing the Cadillac Catera. The CTS and the supercharged CTS-V variant have been named...
in season 6. One of his Cadillacs plays the "Speak Softly Love" ("Love Theme from The Godfather")
Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)
"Speak Softly Love " is a song written for The Godfather , the first film in the Godfather trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather Love Theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words are by Larry Kusik but the music itself is by Nino Rota...
as the melody for the car horn ("Nobody Knows Anything
Nobody Knows Anything (The Sopranos episode)
"Nobody Knows Anything" is the eleventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It was written by Frank Renzulli, directed by Henry J. Bronchtein and originally aired on Sunday March 21, 1999.-Starring:* James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano...
").
Appearances in other media
Since his appearance on The Sopranos, Tony Sirico has appeared in several TV commercials. Although it is never explicitly stated that he is "Paulie Walnuts," his performances in all of them have been consistent with that character.- Denny'sDenny'sDenny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...
commercials:- In the first one, he is in a fast food restaurant trying to pay with MonopolyMonopoly (game)Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
-like money for a breakfast meal. When the cashier says he can't accept the money because it is not real, Sirico responds, "That's not a real breakfast!" The commercial ends when Sirico throws down a wad of Monopoly money and says to the cashier, "Go buy yourself something nice." - In the second one, he plays a police detective standing with a victim behind a one-way mirror in a police line-up. The victim points to a suspect and says, "That's the one who sold me the fake breakfast." Sirico responds, "Calm down, chief. He can't harm you no more."
- The third one shows Sirico tying a rope to the bumper of his Cadillac DeVilleCadillac DeVilleThe de Ville was originally a trim level and later a model of General Motors' Cadillac marque. The first car to bear the name was the 1949 Coupe de Ville, a prestige trim level of the Series 62 luxury coupe. The last model to be formally known as a de Ville was the 2005 Cadillac Deville, a...
, and connecting the other end to a billboard advertising breakfast. When someone asks what he is doing he responds, "Is that the Grand Slam?" The next shot shows him driving away and pulling the billboard down.
- In the first one, he is in a fast food restaurant trying to pay with Monopoly
- In addition, Sirico appeared in a NetflixNetflixNetflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
commercial in 2003.
- He appears in a commercial for AftonbladetAftonbladetAftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
, advertising the tabloid's being shipped with a free Sopranos DVD weekly in the 2009 period.
External links
- http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/character/paulie_walnuts.shtml
- http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/fbifiles/paulie_walnuts.shtml