Article: REVEALED: The real Tony Soprano.(Entertainment)

BYLINE: Rupert Cornwell

Tony Soprano may be America's most famous fictional gangster. But his exploits, and his modus operandi, are positively cultivated compared with those of the real mobsters on whom he and his family are modelled, according to US police records.

There have long been competing theories for the original inspiration behind Tony. One group of experts on organised crime, who examined the evidence, picked one Michael Taccetta, a boss of the Lucchese family in New Jersey - Tony's fiefdom on the TV series, which last week started its final season - until he was jailed in 1993.

Both wielded power ruthlessly, both lived in opulent ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!