Key Members of "The Sopranos"

Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini

The center of the show, Tony heads the DiMeo family, the most powerful crime organization in New Jersey. He was born in 1959 and grew up in North Jersey. Violence was prevalent in Tony's childhood; he witnessed his father, Johnny Boy, brutalizing victims, while his mother, Livia, was emotionally abusive. Johnny Boy brought Tony into the family crime business.

As the acting head of the "family," Tony has been responsible for many deaths, including his close associate Big Pussy, his cousin Tony B. and his associate Ralph Cifaretto. Meanwhile, his personal life has had its share of complications, with his marriage almost breaking up because of his infidelity, tension with his children and his own struggle with anxiety.

Dr. Jennifer Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco

Dr. Melfi, Tony Soprano's psychiatrist, arguably knows the mob boss better than anyone else. She is a respected doctor in private practice to whom Tony was referred by a neighbor.

Dr. Melfi hasn't had an easy time with Tony as a patient. She has self-medicated her stress with alcohol, and her own therapist prescribed medication for Melfi's obsessive-compulsive disorder. Tony has made multiple attempts to woo Dr. Melfi, but she has always refused his advances.

Carmela Soprano, played by Edie Falco

Carmela DeAngelis met Tony Soprano in high school and eventually quit her studies at Montclair State University to marry him. While she enjoys the material perks of being married to a mobster, she finds it harder to deal with the constant threat of losing her husband to business.

Tony and Carmela separated once because of his infidelity. While Tony has had numerous extramarital affairs over the years, Carmela also had a flirtation with Tony's business associate Furio Giunta and, during their separation, an affair with their son's guidance counselor. Ultimately, however, Carmela and Tony reunited.

Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli

Christopher is Carmela's first cousin but as Tony's protégé, Tony adopts him as his own nephew. Christopher was a baby when his father was killed and Tony became a father figure to him.

Christopher has an impulsive and sometimes violent nature, which has made for obstacles as the heroin addict has risen in the ranks of the family business. His flirtations with Hollywood have been a constant annoyance to Tony, and he also was not always sure it was the life for him. He did, however, prove his devotion to the Sopranos when he informed on his fiancée, Adriana, who was killed after she tried to convince Christopher to help the Feds.

Uncle Junior, played by Dominic Chianese

Carrado Soprano, Jr., better known as Uncle Junior, is Tony Soprano's paternal uncle.

Junior briefly headed the New Jersey crime family, but because his leadership was perceived as selfish and overbearing, Tony took over. Capitalizing on Junior's vulnerability, Tony's mother, Livia, manipulated Junior into ordering an unsuccessful hit on her son. Junior was also placed under house arrest on federal racketeering charges but his case ended in a mistrial. He has been diagnosed with cancer and has suffered a series of strokes. While awaiting his re-trial, he mistook Tony for an old acquaintance and shot him, nearly to death. He now lives in a mental health facility.

Silvio Dante, played by Steven Van Zandt

Silvio, one of Tony Soprano's associates, owns the Bada Bing club, the topless club where they do business.

Silvio has been around mobsters his entire life. While he is even-tempered and reasonable, he is no stranger to violence. He has recommended Tony to eliminate rivals by having them killed and he personally took part in the murder of Big Pussy. Silvio ran the crew while Tony was in a coma, but he found the stress of being the boss more than he could handle.

Paulie Walnuts, played by Tony Sirico

Peter Paul Gualtieri, aka Paulie Walnuts, has been a part of the business since age 17, under Johnny Boy Soprano, Tony's father.

Paulie has a violent temper, but perhaps what sets him apart from Tony's other associates are his issues with women. He has never been married, but has a strong bond with his "mother," Nucci, whom he discovered was actually his aunt; his real mother was a nun. Paulie considered leaving Tony's organization to become part of a New York crime operation after some of Tony's decisions led to a decreased income for Paulie. But when the leader of the New York organization did not recognize him, Paulie returned to Tony - with a wad of cash for the mob boss.

Anthony Soprano Jr., played by Robert Iler

Tony Soprano's younger child, Anthony Jr., or A.J., is a troubled teenager whose rap sheet includes crashing his mother's car while driving without a license and getting caught smoking marijuana at his confirmation party. He was expelled from high school for cheating on a test.

After his expulsion, A.J. was sent to a tough-as-nails military school, but his enrollment was cancelled when it was discovered he, like his father and grandfather, suffered from anxiety attacks. A.J. set out to kill Uncle Junior for shooting Tony but found himself incapable when he came face to face with his great-uncle. A.J. has been changing his aimless ways since becoming involved with Blanca Selgada, a single mother.

Meadow Soprano, played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Meadow Mariangela Soprano is the older of Tony and Carmela's two children.

She excelled in high school and at Columbia University, but her relationship with her parents has been rocky through the years. Her parents disapproved of her boyfriend Tony, who was of mixed race, and her next boyfriend, Jackie Aprile, Jr., whose father was Tony's late boss and friend. And even though Jackie cheated on Meadow and failed out of college, she was devastated when he was found shot to death, and she blamed her father and the mob lifestyle. She is now engaged to Finn DeTriolio and living in California. She seems to have distanced herself from the family's criminal connections.

Janice Soprano, played by Aida Turturro

Tony Soprano's older sister Janice disappeared from family interaction from high school graduation until her mother, Livia's, stroke -- and the promised inheritance -- prompted her return to New Jersey. Back home, she got engaged to her old boyfriend, Richie Aprile, whom she shot to death after he hit her in the mouth. Tony sent her to Seattle, Washington, but she returned home for good after Livia's death.

Janice's trouble with her Russian housekeeper landed her in the hospital, where she found religion. She had an intense affair with Ralph Cifaretto, but that ended in favor of a relationship with widower Bobby Baccilieri. She became a soccer mom, and after being arrested for assaulting the mother of a peewee soccer player, she enrolled in counseling.

Johnny Sack, played by Vince Curatola

Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni is the head of the New York operation and an ally of Tony Soprano.

Johnny is known for his cool, calm and collected demeanor. However, a disparaging remark about his wife can trigger rage, as was the case when Ralph Cifaretto repeated a comment about her backside and Johnny ordered a hit on Ralph (which was eventually called off). The Feds busted Johnny, but while imprisoned he received permission to attend to his daughter's wedding. He openly cried there, losing the respect of many of his associates and essentially control of the family.

Phil Leotardo, played by Frank Vincent

Tony Soprano's rival, Phil Leotardo, is the head of the New York crime family.

Hostility brewed between Tony and Phil when Tony Soprano took out Tony B. before Phil could get his hands on Tony B. for torturing and killing Phil's brother in front of Phil. The animosity continued with Phil's disrespect toward Tony until Phil suffered a heart attack and Tony made a bedside appeal for reconciliation.