What inspired The Sopranos? Clearly, it was two crime families in North Jersey: the DeCavalcante crime family and the Genovese crime family. Here are some of their stories.
The DeCavalcante Crime Family
It’s evident that the DiMeo crime family in the show could be inspired by the real-life DeCavalcante crime family in North Jersey. Ted Sherman of NJ.com noted that three members of this crime family might have inspired The Sopranos: Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante, Giovanni Riggi, and Vincent Palermo.DeCavalcante, also known by the nickname "Sam the Plumber," earned his moniker from his plumbing business. According to Sherman, he controlled the construction industry and was once convicted of conspiracy to extort. Riggi manipulated a labor union to funnel money into the family and was later convicted of fraud and murder.
The most intriguing comparison to Tony Soprano is Vincent Palermo. Palermo eventually became a government witness in 1999 after leading the DeCavalcante family. Like Soprano, Palermo ran a strip club in Forest Hills, Queens. He was known for being a caring and very protective figure toward his family.
Greg Smith from the New York Daily News noted that Palermo’s strip club was described as a “haven for drugs and prostitution.” Palermo started his career legally, eventually marrying DeCavalcante’s niece, becoming his nephew-in-law, and rising to the top of the crime family. This bears similarities to Christopher Moltisanti’s character in The Sopranos.
Palermo made his mark by eliminating a suspected informant for John Gotti named Fred Weiss. Eventually, after Riggi was imprisoned, Palermo became the powerful boss of the family. While living in Houston, Palermo would go on to run strip clubs.
The Genovese Crime Family
According to Eric Schaal at Cheat Sheet, another possible inspiration for The Sopranos was 'Tony Boy' Boiardo, a gang leader in Essex County during the late 1960s, part of the North Jersey branch of the Genovese crime family. He primarily operated in North Newark before retreating to his suburban home. He was also overweight, much like Tony Soprano. His children had high ambitions and wanted to stay away from the family business—one of his sons became a doctor, despite originally wanting to become a lawyer, similar to Meadow Soprano's career path and aspirations.
Schaal noted that, just like Tony Soprano, 'Tony Boy' Boiardo also saw a therapist, which was highly stigmatized within the crime circles of the time. Furthermore, Tony Boy Boiardo’s enforcer was named John “Big Pussy” Russo, the same nickname as one of Tony Soprano's closest friends. Boiardo succeeded his father, Ruggerio “Richie the Boot” Boiardo, a Prohibition-era gangster. Many believe that Richie the Boot was the inspiration for Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Mike Parker distinguishes The Sopranos from the Boiardo family by noting that the Boiardos showed very little remorse for their actions and "recounted their most gruesome murders with glee." In The Sopranos, however, the show's killers exhibit immense guilt for their actions and struggle with their identity as murderers.
However, in FBI wiretaps, Tony Boy would often describe murders in vivid detail. His subordinates were also quite pleased to reminisce about their killings. Another similarity between the Genovese family and The Sopranos is the restaurant they frequented—Vittoria’s Castle, which, according to Parker, would later serve as the model for Satriale’s, the deli and meat shop in The Sopranos. Other members of the organization tried to break into the film business, just as Christopher Moltisanti did in the show.
Ted Sherman recalls that Boiardo was also involved in government corruption, having ties to Newark’s mayor, Hugh J. Addonizio. Addonizio was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy and extortion.
The Genovese family remains active in New Jersey to this day.
Read more: Review The Sopranos: The Futile Life, Masculinity, And a Vanishing Old World