In the mafia, that is. What real-life mobster would his degree of control and importance be similar to? John Gotti?
He is acting boss of one of the several crime families. The real “boss” is Mr. DiMeo but you never actually see him on the show, and you hardly ever hear about him because he’s very old and has been in jail for a long time. So for all intents and purposes Tony is the boss of the New Jersey crime family.
More info here.
The other family, the New York one, went through several bosses. First it was Carmine Lupertazzi, an old and wise man, who died of a stroke. His son Carmine Jr. was going to take over, but he didn’t want the responsibility so he moved to Miami. Johnny Sacrimoni, aka Johnny Sack, the short, well dressed guy with combed back graying hair, became the boss of the family, with Phil Leotardo as the underboss. With John arrested at the end of Season 5, Leotardo becomes boss of the Lupertazzi family, named for its departed leader.
To be more accurate, Tony Soprano’s position changes over the lifetime of the show. In the pilot (the first episode) he is referred to several times as the boss and as ‘running North Jersey’. This was changed when the show was picked up and became a series a year later. It then becomes the DeMeo crime family. With the boss, DeMeo, in prison the acting boss is Jackie Aprile, who is already shown as suffering from the cancer that will kill him a couple of episodes later.
Tony and his uncle, Junior, are street bosses, capos. When Jackie dies, Tony, who has the support to take the top position for himself, hits on a plan to make his Uncle boss, as a figurehead to take the heat of federal prosecution. Tony will be the real power behind the throne. (Junior is unaware that he’s only boss in name,)
Tony’s plan works, the Feds go after Junior as the boss of North Jersey and he is hit with Rico charges. After Junior attempts an unsuccesful hit on Tony, he is demoted and in the second season Tony actually assumes the position as boss of the North Jersey crime family.
It is also important to note that while Tony “runs” North Jersey, he is looked down on upon by his peers in New York like Johnny Sac, since, after all, Jersey is “the sticks”. I seem to recall that Tony did pay tribute to Carmine Lupertazzi, Sr. when he was in charge in New York. Johnny Sac didn’t appreciate when Tony got a swell head in regards to his status to New York after Carmine died. And Tony didn’t appreciate Johnny moving to Jersey, even if Sac moved to placate Mrs. Sac.
Not Gotti, because Gotti was head of one of the big New York families. Chances are, the guys at Tony’s level of control and importance are people you’ve never heard of.
I think he is capo de tutti capo… or just a capo?
Capo di tutti capi is a phrase used to indicate a Boss of Bosses, ie someone like Lucky Luciano, who headed the Commission. Few, if any, mafia bosses have had the power to dominate the other families in New York since his time. Even though Gotti headed the Gambino family, the largest of the Five Families, even he didn’t have the power to control the other heads.
I’ve seen Tony Soprano compared to the real life Michael Taccetta, who ran the Lucchese family’s New Jersey faction.