Who played Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.?

Carmine Lupertazzi Sr. was played by Tony Lip, the stage name of American actor Frank Anthony Vallelonga Sr. Lip portrayed the character throughout his recurring appearances in The Sopranos.

Carmine Sr. is the old-school boss of New York’s Lupertazzi crime family and maintains close business ties with Tony Soprano’s New Jersey organization. He is presented as cautious, experienced, and politically shrewd, but his relationship with underboss Johnny Sack is increasingly tense. His son, Carmine “Little Carmine” Lupertazzi Jr., is positioned as a possible successor.

Carmine Sr. suffers a massive stroke while having lunch with Tony, Johnny Sack, and Angelo Garepe. He dies soon afterward, leaving a power vacuum that drives the conflict between Little Carmine and Johnny Sack during the fifth season.

Tony Lip had a long career in gangster films and television. He appeared in The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Donnie Brasco, and his life as pianist Don Shirley’s driver inspired the film Green Book. He died in 2013 at age 82. Chazz Palminteri, Ray Abruzzo, and John Ventimiglia played different characters in the Sopranos universe.