Richie Aprile
Encyclopedia
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. One of the most ruthless characters on the show, he exhibited character traits similar to Ralph Cifaretto, including being impulsively violent, callous, irascible, greedy, and narcissistic. He was sadistically violent and remorseless as demonstrated by his paralyzing of Beansie Gaeta. He almost instantly takes on a feeling of jealousy and resentment when he finds out Tony Soprano
, someone who is younger and who was at one time subordinate to him, is the new boss of the DiMeo Crime Family
after his release from prison. Richie is also embarrassed by his son Richard "Little Ricky" Aprile, Jr's participation in ballroom dancing contests, which some Mafiosi consider to be a sign of homosexuality. Aprile couldn't raise him well, because he was sent to prison in his teenage years, and in 10 years he was grown up and wasn't like his father.
boss Jackie Aprile, Sr., was a capo
in the DiMeo crime family before being sent to prison for ten years. While Richie was in prison, Jackie died and upon his release, Richie came back to a very different family with Tony Soprano
as the boss. Richie had known Tony since before he became a made man
; Tony himself recalled having to pay for dinners for Richie and others as a newly made man. Tony and Richie had gotten along in the old days; Richie intervened on Tony and Jackie's behalf when old-school mobster Feech La Manna wanted them killed for robbing his card game. There was no love lost between them upon Richie's return.
Impetuous and irascible, Richie still saw Tony as his younger brother's friend and subsequently had difficulty accepting orders from someone who was once subordinate to him. Due to Richie's belligerent narcissism
, he automatically felt he was entitled to inherit everything he wanted for paying his dues in prison. Tony recognized that Richie's absence was due to his imprisonment and promised to work to give him his due, to which Richie immediately rebuffed that offer by saying that what is his is not Tony's to give.
Richie was arguably the most ruthless of all Mafiosi cast in the series. His tensions with Tony developed throughout Season Two. One of Richie's first actions as a free man was to confront his old partner Peter "Beansie" Gaeta and try to claim money from him. When Beansie failed to pay Richie at his welcome back party, Richie tracked him down again and threatened to shoot him. Later, Richie waited for Beansie by his car, and when he went to get in, Richie rammed Beansie with his car, crushing Beansie between the two vehicles. Richie then puts the car in gear and drives over the paralyzed Beansie, then puts it in reverse and runs him over again. Richie was later forced by Tony to make amends by building Beansie a ramp for his wheelchair, after which Richie comments to Paulie and Silvio: "I'll build a ramp up to your ass, drive a Lionel up in there".
Richie loaned money to Tony's childhood friend Davey Scatino and eventually cut him off when Scatino started to miss payments. Scatino managed to get a seat at Tony's high stakes executive game and when Richie found him there he flew into a rage. Tony intervened because he could not lose face by allowing one of his players to be harmed and sent Richie away. Tony later punished Richie for his disruptive behavior at the executive game, for which Richie feigned apologies. After the game, Scatino was so heavily indebted to Tony and Richie that both men took over Scatino's sporting goods store, Ramsey Sports and Outdoor, in what became known as "the Scatino bust out".
Richie disliked Tony's protégé Christopher Moltisanti
because of his violent relationship with Richie's niece, Adriana La Cerva
. This friction contributed to a failed attempt on Christopher's life by two young associates, Matthew Bevilaqua
and Sean Gismonte
, hoping to impress Richie. Richie had nothing to do with planning the hit and refused to help Bevilaqua afterward.
Richie and Janice Soprano
, Tony's sister, used to date in high school. When Richie left prison, he and Janice resumed their old relationship and eventually became engaged. Janice frequently encouraged Richie to defy Tony, because she wanted to be married to the boss. One night while having sex, which ended abruptly when Janice said "Oh baby, you're the boss... it should be you," Richie became upset and told Janice he needed to be loyal. Janice's response "Tell that to Paul Castellano
," a reference to the real life slaying of the Gambino boss by John Gotti
.
Richie acted as a mentor to his nephew, Jackie Aprile, Jr.
for a short time before his death; he brought him along to meetings to discuss Mafia business.
In the end, Richie was preparing, with the approval of Tony's Uncle Junior
, to take over the family as boss
. Richie approached acting capo Albert "Ally Boy" Barese to ask for his support in his takeover bid but he declined. After weighing his options, Junior realized he was better off with Tony in charge and tipped him off about Richie's plans. Tony then ordered Silvio Dante
to have Richie killed, but this later proved to be unnecessary.
After returning home one night, Richie and Janice entered into an argument over Richie's son's possible homosexuality, a notion Janice both dismissed and defended. As soon as she did this however, Richie punched Janice in the face before settling down for dinner. Appearing in complete shock, Janice left the room but quickly returned with a gun and shot Richie twice, once in the chest and once in the head. A distraught Janice called her brother Tony who had Chris and Furio Giunta
dispose of Richie's corpse by dismemberment
at Satriale's Pork Store
, and sent Janice off to Seattle
to lie low. Apart from Tony and Janice, only Christopher and Furio know what really happened to Richie. Carmela
knows of Richie's death but did not press Tony for the specifics. Everyone else has been told that he became an FBI informant and entered witness protection
. Conversations with Silvio (in All Happy Families...) and Paulie
(in Made in America
) indicate that they also know of Richie's true fate. Later, during her involvement with them, the FBI heavily implied to Richie's niece Adriana
that her uncle had not entered witness protection, regardless of what she had been led to believe.
David Proval
David Aaron Proval is an American actor, known for his roles as Tony DeVienazo in the Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets opposite Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel and as Richie Aprile on the HBO television series The Sopranos .-Biography:Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Jewish heritage,...
, 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
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
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...
. Richie was a capo and the older brother of former DiMeo crime family acting boss Jackie Aprile, Sr. One of the most ruthless characters on the show, he exhibited character traits similar to Ralph Cifaretto, including being impulsively violent, callous, irascible, greedy, and narcissistic. He was sadistically violent and remorseless as demonstrated by his paralyzing of Beansie Gaeta. He almost instantly takes on a feeling of jealousy and resentment when he finds out 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...
, someone who is younger and who was at one time subordinate to him, is the new boss of the DiMeo Crime Family
DiMeo Crime Family
The DiMeo crime family, later referred to as the Soprano crime family, is a fictional Mafia family from the HBO series The Sopranos. It is thought to be loosely based on the DeCavalcante crime family, a real New Jersey Mafia family....
after his release from prison. Richie is also embarrassed by his son Richard "Little Ricky" Aprile, Jr's participation in ballroom dancing contests, which some Mafiosi consider to be a sign of homosexuality. Aprile couldn't raise him well, because he was sent to prison in his teenage years, and in 10 years he was grown up and wasn't like his father.
Plot details
Richie Aprile, the older brother of acting DiMeo crime familyDiMeo Crime Family
The DiMeo crime family, later referred to as the Soprano crime family, is a fictional Mafia family from the HBO series The Sopranos. It is thought to be loosely based on the DeCavalcante crime family, a real New Jersey Mafia family....
boss Jackie Aprile, Sr., was a capo
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 the DiMeo crime family before being sent to prison for ten years. While Richie was in prison, Jackie died and upon his release, Richie came back to a very different family with 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...
as the boss. Richie had known Tony since before he became a made man
Made 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...
; Tony himself recalled having to pay for dinners for Richie and others as a newly made man. Tony and Richie had gotten along in the old days; Richie intervened on Tony and Jackie's behalf when old-school mobster Feech La Manna wanted them killed for robbing his card game. There was no love lost between them upon Richie's return.
Impetuous and irascible, Richie still saw Tony as his younger brother's friend and subsequently had difficulty accepting orders from someone who was once subordinate to him. Due to Richie's belligerent narcissism
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
, he automatically felt he was entitled to inherit everything he wanted for paying his dues in prison. Tony recognized that Richie's absence was due to his imprisonment and promised to work to give him his due, to which Richie immediately rebuffed that offer by saying that what is his is not Tony's to give.
Richie was arguably the most ruthless of all Mafiosi cast in the series. His tensions with Tony developed throughout Season Two. One of Richie's first actions as a free man was to confront his old partner Peter "Beansie" Gaeta and try to claim money from him. When Beansie failed to pay Richie at his welcome back party, Richie tracked him down again and threatened to shoot him. Later, Richie waited for Beansie by his car, and when he went to get in, Richie rammed Beansie with his car, crushing Beansie between the two vehicles. Richie then puts the car in gear and drives over the paralyzed Beansie, then puts it in reverse and runs him over again. Richie was later forced by Tony to make amends by building Beansie a ramp for his wheelchair, after which Richie comments to Paulie and Silvio: "I'll build a ramp up to your ass, drive a Lionel up in there".
Richie loaned money to Tony's childhood friend Davey Scatino and eventually cut him off when Scatino started to miss payments. Scatino managed to get a seat at Tony's high stakes executive game and when Richie found him there he flew into a rage. Tony intervened because he could not lose face by allowing one of his players to be harmed and sent Richie away. Tony later punished Richie for his disruptive behavior at the executive game, for which Richie feigned apologies. After the game, Scatino was so heavily indebted to Tony and Richie that both men took over Scatino's sporting goods store, Ramsey Sports and Outdoor, in what became known as "the Scatino bust out".
Richie disliked Tony's protégé 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:...
because of his violent relationship with Richie's niece, Adriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...
. This friction contributed to a failed attempt on Christopher's life by two young associates, 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...
, hoping to impress Richie. Richie had nothing to do with planning the hit and refused to help Bevilaqua afterward.
Richie and Janice Soprano
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:...
, Tony's sister, used to date in high school. When Richie left prison, he and Janice resumed their old relationship and eventually became engaged. Janice frequently encouraged Richie to defy Tony, because she wanted to be married to the boss. One night while having sex, which ended abruptly when Janice said "Oh baby, you're the boss... it should be you," Richie became upset and told Janice he needed to be loyal. Janice's response "Tell that to Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
," a reference to the real life slaying of the Gambino boss by John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
.
Richie acted as a mentor to his nephew, Jackie Aprile, Jr.
Jackie Aprile, Jr.
Giacomo Michael Aprile, Jr. , played by Jason Cerbone, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. In the episode "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power", Cerbone's younger brother Matt played a younger Jackie Jr. in a flashback sequence.-Plot details:Jackie Aprile, Jr. was born into...
for a short time before his death; he brought him along to meetings to discuss Mafia business.
In the end, Richie was preparing, with the approval of Tony's Uncle Junior
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...
, to take over the family as 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...
. Richie approached acting capo Albert "Ally Boy" Barese to ask for his support in his takeover bid but he declined. After weighing his options, Junior realized he was better off with Tony in charge and tipped him off about Richie's plans. Tony then ordered 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...
to have Richie killed, but this later proved to be unnecessary.
After returning home one night, Richie and Janice entered into an argument over Richie's son's possible homosexuality, a notion Janice both dismissed and defended. As soon as she did this however, Richie punched Janice in the face before settling down for dinner. Appearing in complete shock, Janice left the room but quickly returned with a gun and shot Richie twice, once in the chest and once in the head. A distraught Janice called her brother Tony who had Chris 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:...
dispose of Richie's corpse by dismemberment
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
at Satriale's Pork Store
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...
, and sent Janice off to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to lie low. Apart from Tony and Janice, only Christopher and Furio know what really happened to Richie. Carmela
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...
knows of Richie's death but did not press Tony for the specifics. Everyone else has been told that he became an FBI informant and entered witness protection
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
. Conversations with Silvio (in All Happy Families...) and Paulie
Paulie Gualtieri
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri played by Tony Sirico, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is a caporegime and later underboss in the Soprano crime family.-Plot details:...
(in 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...
) indicate that they also know of Richie's true fate. Later, during her involvement with them, the FBI heavily implied to Richie's niece Adriana
Adriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...
that her uncle had not entered witness protection, regardless of what she had been led to believe.
After Death
In the season 5 episode The Test Dream, Richie briefly appears in Tony's dream riding in the backseat of a car being driven by Artie Bucco. Sitting next to Richie is also the deceased, former Aprile Crew capo Gigi Cestone.Appearances
- Appears in: "Toodle Fucking-Oo", "Big Girls Don't CryBig Girls Don't Cry (The Sopranos episode)"Big Girls Don't Cry" is the eighteenth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the fifth of the show's second season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on Sunday February 13, 2000.-Starring:...
", "The Happy WandererThe Happy Wanderer (The Sopranos episode)"The Happy Wanderer" is the nineteenth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the sixth of the show's second season. It was written by Frank Renzulli, directed by John Patterson and originally aired on Sunday, February 20, 2000.-Starring:...
", "D-GirlD-Girl (The Sopranos episode)"D-Girl" is the twentieth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the seventh of the show's second season. It was written by Todd A. Kessler, directed by Allen Coulter and originally aired on Sunday, February 27, 2000.-Starring:...
", "Full Leather Jacket", "From Where to Eternity", "Bust Out", "House ArrestHouse Arrest (The Sopranos episode)"House Arrest" is the twenty-fourth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the eleventh of the show's second season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on Sunday March 26, 2000.-Starring:...
", "The Knight in White Satin Armor", "The Test Dream".