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Turtle (Entourage)
Encyclopedia
Salvatore "Turtle" Assante is a fictional character on the comedy-drama
television series Entourage
. He is played by Jerry Ferrara
.
's from Queens. He is the only one of the main characters who is not directly involved with the acting business. Turtle is Vincent's driver and takes care of issues around the house. He brings street smarts and an urban flavor to the group and is a frequent user of marijuana and supplier to the rest of the group. Usually, he and Drama stick together and do their own things while E and Vincent are doing business. Turtle seems to be the guy to find the good in all bad situations and bring a relative calm to the group. Turtle's importance is at times overlooked as his insight and personal connections sometimes solve difficult issues. His working status and questionable looks prevent him from being more appealing to women, which the guys joke about on many occasions, particularly Drama, who isn't any more appealing than Turtle. Turtle loves shoes, especially rare Air Force 1's. His appeal to women changes when he starts dating Jamie-Lynn Sigler, when he catches the attention of a couple of sorority sisters at UCLA.
He is mainly seen wearing jerseys of New York
athletes such as Allan Houston
and Alex Rodriguez
, and an omnipresent baseball cap, usually the New York Yankees
. Despite his parasitic relationship with Vince, his loyalty and friendship temper his baser qualities, like working with Eric to protect Vince from a vindictive internet journalist. Turtle has a Rottweiler
named Arnold.
Turtle loves expensive cars, persuading Vince to lease a 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom in Season 1, and driving throughout the series, a yellow Hummer H2 that was given to Dom as a severance package in Season 3, a 2002 Cadillac Escalade in the pilot episode, and four 2004-2008 Cadillac Escalade ESVs, with a new one bought every year. In Season 6, for his 30th birthday, Vince gives him a 2009 Ferrari California, and his girlfriend Jamie-Lynn Sigler buys him a 2009 Porsche 911 convertible, complete with "Turtle" personalized license plates. In Season 6, the 2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV is replaced with a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. In Season 7, the Escalade Hybrid is replaced with a 2010 Cadillac Escalade Platinum.
In season two, a CD is left in Eric's Maserati by two friends as a means of getting their rap demo tape into the hands of a music producer who has exactly the same car. When the car is picked up from the impound lot, the tape is played and all agree that it is good. Loving the music, Turtle gets a track into Queens Boulevard and agrees to manage the promising musician played by real life rapper Saigon
. He doesn't get a formal office until season four in Eric Murphy's "The Murphy Group" corporation. Saigon received a great deal of interest from several record companies after Vince arranged for Saigon's music to be played by Big Boy
on popular L.A. radio station, Power 106
. After Turtle obtained representation for Saigon from Ari, Turtle lost his client when Saigon informed him that a former manager had returned and muscled Turtle out of the picture. Despite his troubles with Saigon, Turtle received a moderate settlement of $40,000 from Saigon. His activities after this episode in terms of producing considerably disappear. Turtle is friends with Kanye West
.
At the end of Season 3, Turtle is dating Kelly, the daughter of a body shop manager. In Season 4, Turtle invests $20,000 in his Cousin Ronnie's scheme to buy a dying Sandy Koufax
's jersey, hoping that he will profit after Koufax dies. However, Turtle learns by the auctioneers that Koufax is actually alive and well, thereby squandering the rest of Turtle's Saigon money and a large sum of Drama's money.
In Episode #2.11 Blue Balls Lagoon, it is revealed that Turtle is Sicilian-American
.
It is also admitted that because of him, Vincent got to L.A., as Turtle used to be a bookie while in high school. He paid for the entire ride to L.A. and food when they arrived with fifteen thousand dollars. He shares with Jamie-Lynn his desires to open up a restaurant one day. Turtle begins to attend college in Season 6.
Turtle's newfound appeal to women and Jamie's decision to star in a New Zealand
-shot TV series forces the two to end their relationship at the moment. Turtle tries to get over her by getting together with Brooke Manning, a UCLA coed who has a crush on him. He finds himself unable to make love with Brooke, realizing that he truly loves Jamie and decides to go see her in New Zealand. Jamie calls him to tell him not to come, because she doesn't want a long distance relationship with someone she loves after a prior heartbreak.
He now is promoting a tequila brand called Avión
with his girlfried Alex and is in some trouble with the tequila supplier, Carlos, involving Mark Cuban. Apparently there is a real tequila brand called Avión. Avión was chosen as Turtle's new business because of Doug Ellin's friendship with Kenny Dichter, the creator of Avión.
, with whom he is starting a relationship, that his name is Sal.
The name "Salvatore Assante" appears hidden under the boxlid, in the graffiti art, on the Nike Air Force Ones that Fukijama custom made for Turtle in episode 11 of season 3.
Nearing the end of the final season of the Entourage TV show, HBO held an auction for props used during the filming. One set of items was a Turtle Collectable Set, which included a passport with his name being "Salvatore Vacara", evidently his full, real name.
Jerry Ferrara asked that Turtle's real name be "Sal" in tribute to a friend of his who died at a young age.
Birthday August 6th.
attack. Donkey and Wahlberg had a dispute earlier in 2005 because Carroll claimed Wahlberg never paid him for appropriating his life story for Entourage. He said all the other real-life characters had been taken care of but that he'd been cut out.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television series Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
. He is played by Jerry Ferrara
Jerry Ferrara
Jerry Ferrara is an American actor best known for his work as "Turtle" aka Sal on the HBO comedy series Entourage.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ferrara attended New Utrecht High School. Ferrara is of Italian descent....
.
Plot details
Turtle aka Salvatore Assante is a childhood friend of VinceVincent Chase
Vincent "Vince" Chase is a fictional character on the comedy-drama television series Entourage. He is played by Adrian Grenier.-Personal life:...
's from Queens. He is the only one of the main characters who is not directly involved with the acting business. Turtle is Vincent's driver and takes care of issues around the house. He brings street smarts and an urban flavor to the group and is a frequent user of marijuana and supplier to the rest of the group. Usually, he and Drama stick together and do their own things while E and Vincent are doing business. Turtle seems to be the guy to find the good in all bad situations and bring a relative calm to the group. Turtle's importance is at times overlooked as his insight and personal connections sometimes solve difficult issues. His working status and questionable looks prevent him from being more appealing to women, which the guys joke about on many occasions, particularly Drama, who isn't any more appealing than Turtle. Turtle loves shoes, especially rare Air Force 1's. His appeal to women changes when he starts dating Jamie-Lynn Sigler, when he catches the attention of a couple of sorority sisters at UCLA.
He is mainly seen wearing jerseys 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...
athletes such as Allan Houston
Allan Houston
Allan Wade Houston is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, and currently the Assistant General Manager for the New York Knicks. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA until a knee injury forced him to retire...
and Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
, and an omnipresent baseball cap, usually the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Despite his parasitic relationship with Vince, his loyalty and friendship temper his baser qualities, like working with Eric to protect Vince from a vindictive internet journalist. Turtle has a Rottweiler
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is a medium to large size breed of domestic dog that originated in Rottweil, Germany. The dogs were known as "Rottweil butchers' dogs" because they were used to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat and other products to market...
named Arnold.
Turtle loves expensive cars, persuading Vince to lease a 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom in Season 1, and driving throughout the series, a yellow Hummer H2 that was given to Dom as a severance package in Season 3, a 2002 Cadillac Escalade in the pilot episode, and four 2004-2008 Cadillac Escalade ESVs, with a new one bought every year. In Season 6, for his 30th birthday, Vince gives him a 2009 Ferrari California, and his girlfriend Jamie-Lynn Sigler buys him a 2009 Porsche 911 convertible, complete with "Turtle" personalized license plates. In Season 6, the 2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV is replaced with a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. In Season 7, the Escalade Hybrid is replaced with a 2010 Cadillac Escalade Platinum.
In season two, a CD is left in Eric's Maserati by two friends as a means of getting their rap demo tape into the hands of a music producer who has exactly the same car. When the car is picked up from the impound lot, the tape is played and all agree that it is good. Loving the music, Turtle gets a track into Queens Boulevard and agrees to manage the promising musician played by real life rapper Saigon
Saigon (rapper)
Brian Daniel Carenard, better known by his stage name Saigon, is an American rapper and occasional actor.Saigon is currently signed to Suburban Noize Records and Just Blaze's Fort Knocks Entertainment record label. After years of delay due to former record label interference, his album The Greatest...
. He doesn't get a formal office until season four in Eric Murphy's "The Murphy Group" corporation. Saigon received a great deal of interest from several record companies after Vince arranged for Saigon's music to be played by Big Boy
Big Boy (radio host)
Big Boy is a radio host currently heard on Los Angeles Rhythmic contemporary station KPWR in the mornings from 5 to 10, as well as numerous radio stations across the United States...
on popular L.A. radio station, Power 106
KPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
. After Turtle obtained representation for Saigon from Ari, Turtle lost his client when Saigon informed him that a former manager had returned and muscled Turtle out of the picture. Despite his troubles with Saigon, Turtle received a moderate settlement of $40,000 from Saigon. His activities after this episode in terms of producing considerably disappear. Turtle is friends with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
.
At the end of Season 3, Turtle is dating Kelly, the daughter of a body shop manager. In Season 4, Turtle invests $20,000 in his Cousin Ronnie's scheme to buy a dying Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
's jersey, hoping that he will profit after Koufax dies. However, Turtle learns by the auctioneers that Koufax is actually alive and well, thereby squandering the rest of Turtle's Saigon money and a large sum of Drama's money.
In Episode #2.11 Blue Balls Lagoon, it is revealed that Turtle is Sicilian-American
Sicilian-American
Sicilian Americans are American people from Sicily or of Sicilian heritage. They are considered Italian Americans but are sometimes treated as a separate group due to cultural and historical differences between Sicily and the mainland....
.
It is also admitted that because of him, Vincent got to L.A., as Turtle used to be a bookie while in high school. He paid for the entire ride to L.A. and food when they arrived with fifteen thousand dollars. He shares with Jamie-Lynn his desires to open up a restaurant one day. Turtle begins to attend college in Season 6.
Turtle's newfound appeal to women and Jamie's decision to star in a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-shot TV series forces the two to end their relationship at the moment. Turtle tries to get over her by getting together with Brooke Manning, a UCLA coed who has a crush on him. He finds himself unable to make love with Brooke, realizing that he truly loves Jamie and decides to go see her in New Zealand. Jamie calls him to tell him not to come, because she doesn't want a long distance relationship with someone she loves after a prior heartbreak.
He now is promoting a tequila brand called Avión
Avión
Avión is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ourense. It has a population of 2775 and an area of 121 km²....
with his girlfried Alex and is in some trouble with the tequila supplier, Carlos, involving Mark Cuban. Apparently there is a real tequila brand called Avión. Avión was chosen as Turtle's new business because of Doug Ellin's friendship with Kenny Dichter, the creator of Avión.
Character name
Throughout the first 5 seasons, the audience is told his name only once. In Episode 11 of Season 5, he tells actress Jamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
, with whom he is starting a relationship, that his name is Sal.
The name "Salvatore Assante" appears hidden under the boxlid, in the graffiti art, on the Nike Air Force Ones that Fukijama custom made for Turtle in episode 11 of season 3.
Nearing the end of the final season of the Entourage TV show, HBO held an auction for props used during the filming. One set of items was a Turtle Collectable Set, which included a passport with his name being "Salvatore Vacara", evidently his full, real name.
Jerry Ferrara asked that Turtle's real name be "Sal" in tribute to a friend of his who died at a young age.
Birthday August 6th.
Inspiration
The Turtle character was based on Mark Wahlberg's real-life assistant, 39-year-old Donnie "Donkey" Carroll. Donkey carried Wahlberg's bags for more than 14 years while trying to launch a career as a rap musician under the name Murda One. Donkey died suddenly on December 18, 2005 of an asthmaAsthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
attack. Donkey and Wahlberg had a dispute earlier in 2005 because Carroll claimed Wahlberg never paid him for appropriating his life story for Entourage. He said all the other real-life characters had been taken care of but that he'd been cut out.
External links
- Turtle Official MySpace
- Turtle Official HBO web page
- Entourage Official HBO web page
- Entourage Official MySpace
- Turtle on Entourage Wiki at WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...