| “ | Phil though, I'll never get it. The man was my mentor, it was right there for the taking!
|
„ |
| ― Gerry questioning why Phil didn't take up the boss position |
Gerardo "Gerry the Hairdo" Torciano[1] is a supporting character on The Sopranos. He is a Capo in the Lupertazzi crime family and Phil Leotardo's protégé. He is portrayed by actor John Bianco.
Biography[]
Season 6[]
Part I[]
Phil: "So, Gerry filled me in on the way over, this whole thing was a complete misunderstanding."
Gerry: "Yeah, this Eli kid, I had any idea he was with you, I woulda never."
Tony: "He didn't tell you about Hesh?"
Gerry: "I asked who he was, he high handed me, I thought he was a civilian.
Tony: "Still though, to get dragged by a car?"
Jimmy: "For the record though, the car thing was a hit and run!"
—Gerry discussing his beating of Eli Kaplan[src]
When Phil Leotardo was made acting boss of the Lupertazzi family following Johnny Sack’s imprisonment, Gerry was made acting capo of the Leotardo Crew, despite not being a made man yet.
Gerry acquired some of Hesh Rabkin's shylocking money and put it in his own operation. When Hesh's son-in-law Eli attempted to recover it, Gerry felt he was trying to poach his customers. So later, as Hesh and Eli are about to go home after dining at a new Chinese restaurant in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, some of Gerry's men waiting in a car parked in front of theirs drive backwards into Eli's. They then confront him and tell the pair to get out of the car, attempting to light it on fire to persuade them. After they exit it, the mobsters give Eli a beating, even punching Hesh when he tries to break up the fight. After they drive away, Eli, in the commotion of the moment, stumbles into the road and is hit by a passing car. Tony, Christopher and Vito visit Eli at the hospital, where he is in severe condition, suffering from massive internal bleeding, and losing skin from his hips. They feel they need to sort it out with Phil, and a meeting is arranged.[2]
Gerry at the meeting with Phil, Tony, Christopher and Vito.
Gerry goes along with Phil and his man Jimmy Lauria (one of the men who attacked Eli) to the Bing where they talk with Tony, Christopher and Vito out by the parking lot. Phil clarifies the assault was a total misunderstanding, with Gerry reiterating that had he known Eli was with Tony, he never would have dared attack him. Tony asks whether or not Eli mentioned Hesh, but Gerry says he simply burst out at him, making him think he was a civilian. While Tony mentions the car running him over was extreme, Jimmy declares that was a separate hit and run, which they did not cause. They conclude on a $50,000 agreement for Eli's pain and suffering, and leave it off on good terms.[2]
Gerry is one of the invitees at Johnny Sack's daughter Allegra's wedding, being appalled at the Marshal Service agents escorting Johnny taking him away and back to prison before he can see his daughter off and later listening to Phil's angry rant about how he perceives John to have lost his masculinity for crying in that moment.[3] Some time later, Gerry becomes a made man in the Lupertazzi family during a double ceremony where Burt Gervasi is himself made into the DiMeo family. At an afterparty dinner at Nuovo Vesuvio, Silvio gives his congratulations to both of them, and Tony raises a toast. Phil also comments how he feels honored to be amongst men, then goes into an angry tantrum about Vito's recently revealed homosexuality. They all try to calm him down and Gerry tells him to refrain, saying "you know the wine makes you emotional".[4]
Gerry, Phil and Fat Dom cornering Vito in his motel room, about to kill him.
Along with the rest of the Lupertazzi leadership, Gerry goes to New Jersey for the Feast of St. Elzear.[5] As with the rest of the family, he also sees the television news report about Johnny Sack pleading guilty to racketeering.[6] With the development of the Tidelands construction project and the Lupertazzi and DiMeo families' shared operation there, Gerry accompanies Phil to a meeting with Tony and Silvio at a Costco. He is later seen in the background of Tony and Phil's meeting at the Lou Costello Memorial Park, conversing with Tony's driver Perry Annunziata. After Phil discovers that Vito has returned from hiding and learning Tony won't do anything about him (which he incorrectly believes, as Tony had already sanctioned a hit on Vito), he decides to take matters into his own hands. As Vito is returning to his Fort Lee motel room one night, he is ambushed by Gerry and Fat Dom Gamiello while the lights are out. They beat him to the floor and hold him down, until Phil reveals himself coming out of the closet, a grim insult towards Vito's sexuality. He quietly sits down on the bed, and as Vito pleads and begs, Phil motions the two of them to act. Gerry and Dom beat him to death. It is later commented that Vito was found with a pool cue rammed up his anus, the same one Gerry carried to attack him.[7]
Gerry: "Don't get me wrong, I love Dom more than anybody. My point is we don't know if Tony was behind it."
Phil: "It's payback for Vito."
Gerry: "So why the fuck did they blow up the wire room?"
—Gerry and Phil discuss the motives behind Tony's possible attacks against them.[src]
Gerry at a sitdown with the Lupertazzi leadership.
After Vito's murder, Tony has Phil's wire room in Brooklyn blown up, and coincidentally at the same time Phil was returning to it along with his comare, being knocked to the ground by the explosion. Incidentally, Fat Dom was also killed in a fit by Silvio and Carlo after he joked and tried to imply the DiMeos had more gay members, and all the Lupertazzis know is he disappeared in New Jersey. These incidents raise the question of how to retaliate, and at a sitdown Gerry tells Phil not to misunderstand him, since he cared a great deal for Dom, but that he isn't sure Tony had anything to do with it. Phil declares it's revenge for Vito, but Gerry then questions why he would blow up the wire room as a second retaliation. At one point, when Phil complains about his degrading nickname for him, "The Shah of Iran", Butch, also present, is confused at who calls him that, and Gerry clarifies it's Tony. Later, however, Phil is hospitalized after a severe stroke, and all his loyal confidants, including Gerry, come to visit and look out for him at the hospital.[8]
Part II[]
Gerry: "All due respect, he's a great guy, Doc, but boss material?"
Silvio: "Important thing is we all work together, whoever winds up in the driver's seat."
—Gerry and Silvio discuss the Lupertazzi family leadership void[src]
Gerry and Phil laughing together after the latter's recovery.
Following Phil's recovery, his friends organize a "welcome home" party for him. Gerry congratulates him on his appearance. Phil isn't receptive, believing it to be an "empty compliment", but Gerry jokes around with him and they both laugh together. Phil's fondness for his protégé is made very clear.[9] After Christopher premieres his movie Cleaver in New York, Gerry attends the afterparty with other Lupertazzi members, posing with them for a photoup. While all appears well, around this time Johnny Sack is in declining health due to his lung cancer, and his successor must be chosen. Tony confides in Phil, telling him Gerry's the prime candidate, and Phil backs him up, now that he himself is planning on retiring. At a mob talk show with Geraldo Rivera, Jerry Capeci and Manny Safier, they cite Gerry as candidate as well, but brought up also is Doc Santoro, a veteran mobster and captain in the family.[1]
Gerry dies after being shot in the head.
Gerry and Silvio are later having dinner at an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, waiting for their respective comares to join them. They go over the Lupertazzi leadership void and Gerry expresses that while he cares for Doc, he doesn't believe him to be "boss material". For his part, Silvio is simply concerned about maintaining their business relationship, "whoever winds up in the driver's seat". Gerry is frustrated Phil didn't pick up the mantle, being his mentor and looking up to him, but Silvio tells him his heart problems were a real issue, but Gerry states that that's precisely his point. He says it's now Phil's turn in the driver's seat and suddenly "his heart gives out", reiterating the comment. Silvio doesn't understand his metaphor, and Gerry tells him he believes Phil to have gone soft. Then, their comares arrive, and they join them at their table. Gerry's asks if they should order more wine, with him questioning why the waiter is taking so long. As Silvio talks to his mistress, a high-pitch sound drowns his words, and suddenly, blood is splattered all over him. After looking to the side, he sees Gerry getting hit by multiple shots a gunman fires at him, causing commotion in the entire restaurant as the comares scream traumatized. Silvio quickly gets up and gets the mistresses and himself out of the place, as Gerry falls to the ground riddled with bullets. He desperately attempts to crawl away to no avail, as the hitman delivers the coup de grâce to his head, killing him. He then flees through the restaurant kitchen unrecognized.[1]
Doc had Gerry killed to take out the competition in his way to becoming boss. Tony later complains to Little Carmine that Silvio could have gotten hurt, and sponsors him for the top position, but he backs down. After Gerry's death, Phil is now more distraught than ever, and decides not to retire as he had planned.[1] He avenges his protégé's murder by ordering Doc's killing. He then takes over as boss.[10]
Personality[]
Gerry was an underling of Phil Leotardo, and being in that position he usually stayed in the background and didn't implicate himself in business discussions unless necessary.[7] When he was in a social environment, he showed himself to be amicable and quite charismatic, cracking lighthearted jokes with Phil and the others.[9] Unlike other mobsters in the Lupertazzi family, Gerry was shown to be fair and objective in regards to the DiMeo family, not immediately jumping the gun or criticizing them, like when he didn't blame Tony for Fat Dom's murder because he perceived conflicting evidence.[8] Despite being looked at by many as a perfect fit for boss of the Lupertazzis, Gerry didn't actually demonstrate any particular interest in being at the top, even hoping Phil could have gone for the position, which demonstrates a level of shrewdness in that he would prefer to avoid the constant pressure that comes with being in that spot.[1]
Relationships[]
Partners[]
Mistress[]
Gerry invited his comare to dinner along with Silvio and his mistress, and she screamed in fear and disbelief when Gerry was being shot to death.[1]
Lupertazzi crime family[]
Phil Leotardo[]
Tony: "Well, word on the street is Gerry's the favorite to take over."
Phil: "He's my protégé. I don't stand in his way."
Tony: "Oh well, there's a ringing endorsement."
—Phil demonstrates his fondness for Gerry when supporting him to be the boss[src]
Gerry and Phil.
Gerry acted as Phil's protégé and most trusted man, and the two of them shared an intimate and loving relationship. They laughed with each other at social events and joked around with one another.[9] When a leadership struggle was brewing, Phil, now planning to back down from the business, sponsored Gerry for the boss spot. It was only after Gerry was killed that Phil felt so devastated that he decided to get back on track.[1]
Fat Dom Gamiello[]
Gerry and Fat Dom were the pair who beat Vito to death,[7] and after his disappearance, Gerry expresses that he "love[s] Dom more than anybody".[8]
Jimmy Lauria[]
Jimmy was one of Gerry's enforcers and he beat Eli on his orders for "poaching his customers".[2]
Appearances[]
- Played by: John Bianco
Appears in:
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 6 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Murders connected to Torciano[]
- Vito Spatafore - Executed by Torciano alongside Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamiello by severe beating. A pool stick was found shoved up Spatafore's backside. (November 2006)
Trivia[]
- Gerry's execution mimics the attempted murder of the Patriarca crime family boss Frank Salemme. In June of 1989, mobster Angelo Mercurio lured Salemme to a meeting outside a Saugus, Massachusetts restaurant. Gunmen ambushed Salemme, wounding him in the chest and leg. This was a highly publicized botched mob slaying. Unlike Torciano, Salemme survived his multiple gunshot wounds.
Gallery[]
 Gerry Torciano speaks to Phil Leotardo |