10 Actors From ‘The Sopranos’ Who Also Appeared in ‘Boardwalk Empire’

HBO’s award-winning series, Boardwalk Empire, stars Steve Buscemi as part politician, part gangster, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, who rules over Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era. Boardwalk Empire is somewhat rooted in American history and features notable names such as Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Arnold Rothstein, and Al Capone, and gives an in-depth look behind the glitz and glamour, exposing backdoor deals and immense corruption plaguing the city by the shore as well as the entire country.

Boardwalk Empire was created by Terence Winter, who first gained notoriety as a writer for another HBO hit series, The Sopranos. Since Winter has a lengthy history with the iconic show, it’s no surprise that several stars from The Sopranos were cast in Winter’s brainchild. From obvious Sopranos stars such as Dominic Chianese and Max Casella to some who may have slipped under fans’ noses, like Vincent Piazza and Adam Mucci, these are ten actors from The Sopranos who also appeared in Boardwalk Empire.

10 Kevin O’Rouke – Coach Don Hauser

Played Mayor Edward Bader

Kevin O’Rourke appeared in Season 1, episode 9, “Boca,” of The Sopranos as Meadow’s (Jamie Lynn-Sigler) soccer coach, Don Hauser. While only making one appearance, O’Rourke’s character left a vile lasting impression on fans after Meadow revealed to her parents that the coach had been having a sexual relationship with her teammate and friend, Ally Vandermeed (Cara Jedell).

O’Rourke earned a bit of a larger role in Boardwalk Empire as New Jersey construction businessman and politician, Mayor Edward Bader, who is based on Atlantic City’s mayor by the same name. Bader made his debut in Season 1, episode 9, “Belle Femme,” and went on to appear in twenty more episodes, marking Season 4, episode 12, “Farewell Daddy Blues,” as his character’s final episode.

9 Adam Mucci – Eric DiBennedetto

Played Deputy Ray Halloran

Adam Mucci is another actor from The Sopranos who had a bit role in the hit series as Johnny Sacrimoni’s (Vincent Curatola) son-in-law, Eric DeBenedetto. Mucci’s character appeared in two episodes of the series, making his initial appearance in Season 6, episode 5, “Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request,” where he marries Sacrimoni’s daughter, Allegra, played by Caitlin Van Zandt (no relation to Steven Van Zandt).

Similar to his reserved, obedient character in The Sopranos, Mucci plays Deputy Ray Halloran in Boardwalk Empire, who works for Thompson’s brother, Sheriff Eli Thompson (Shea Whigham), and always does what Thompson tells him to do, knowing better to never ask any questions. Mucci appeared in thirteen episodes as Halloran, spanning from the series’ first and second seasons. Unfortunately, his character meets his demise when he agrees to testify against his former boss in exchange for a plea deal, which ultimately backfires on the simple-minded deputy in Season 2, episode 12, “To the Lost.”

8 Tom Aldredge – Hugh DeAngelsis

Played Ethan Thompson

Tom Aldredge plays Carmela’s (Edie Falco) father, Hugh DeAngelis, who is one of the most underrated characters in The Sopranos. Aldredge appeared in twenty-three episodes of The Sopranos and made his first appearance in Season 2, episode 1, “Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist’s Office.” Alredge’s character has several significant moments, but most Sopranos fans would agree that his best scene is in Season 3, episode 2, “Proshai Livushka,” when he finally says what everyone has been thinking during Livia Soprano’s (Nancy Marchand) wake.

In Boardwalk Empire, Aldredge almost channels his inner Livia as Nucky and Eli’s insufferable father, Ethan, who is just as miserable to be around as Tony’s mother. Audiences first meet the patriarch of the Thompson family in Season 1, episode 5, “Nights in Ballygran,” and learn that, when the boys were younger, he was abusive towards them and, while Eli tries to forgive and forget, this is something Nucky refuses to do. Shortly after Aldredge filmed his last scene in his final episode, Season 2, episode 8, “Two Boats and a Lifeguard,” he sadly passed away. While it’s unfortunate to have lost such a talent, Aldredge’s final role gave fans a string of exceptional performances that make him one of the show’s most memorable.

7 Brian Geraghty – Bakery Employee

Played Agent Jim Tolliver

Every Sopranos fan remembers the bakery employee, played by Brian Geraghty, in Season 1, episode 8, “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti,” who makes the poor mistake of trying to let another customer cut in front of Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli). Despite being a short appearance for Geraghty, it is one of the show’s most memorable scenes, mainly because Chrissy shooting the guy in his foot is a nod to Imperioli’s minor role in Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas.

Geraghty has a much larger part in Boardwalk Empire as an FBI agent, Jim Tolliver, who goes undercover as a young Prohibition agent, Warren Knox, to investigate potential corruption among Atlantic City’s government officials. Geraghty’s character made his debut in Season 4, episode 1, “New York Sour,” serving as one of several antagonists for the series’ fourth season, appearing in ten episodes throughout the season. Despite being a man of the law, Tolliver does his fair share of bending the rules and spilling his fair share of blood, making him one of the show’s most complex and unpredictable characters.

6 Max Casella – Benito “Benny” Fazio

Played Leo D’Alessio

Max Casella starred in The Sopranos as Benny Fazio, who initially started out as a small supporting character and gradually became a larger part as the show progressed. With twenty-eight episodes under his belt, Casella made his first appearance in Season 3, episode 3, “Fortunate Son,” at the pizza parlor with Christopher Moltisanti. Initially, Fazio started out as a member of Paulie Walnut’s (Tony Sirico) crew, but his association with Chrissy helped elevate his status and he eventually started working closely with Moltisanti and his crew.

In Boardwalk Empire, Casella takes on the role of Leo D’Alessio, a small-time hood located in Philadelphia who tries to move in on the bootlegging business coming out of Atlantic City. D’Alessio runs his own crew consisting strictly of his five brothers. D’Alessio made his debut in Season 1, episode 3, “Broadway Limited,” and served as one of the show’s first antagonists to stir things up and appeared in a total of seven episodes. Casella’s character is based on real-life Philly bootlegger, Leo Lanzetta, who formed a gang with his five brothers and was killed in 1925.

5 Vincent Piazza – Hernan O’Brien

Played Charles “Lucky” Luciano

At the time when The Sopranos was originally on the air, actor, Vincent Piazza, wasn’t that well known, so, understandably, fans may have missed his role in the series as AJ Soprano’s friend, Hernan O’Brien. Piazza’s character made his first appearance in Season 6, episode 8, “Johnny Cakes,” and went on to appear in two more episodes. Even though he didn’t have a huge part in The Sopranos, he played one of the biggest players in Boardwalk Empire, Charles “Lucky” Luciano.

The Jersey Boys star takes on the role of one of history’s most notorious and cutthroat mobsters, Lucky Luciano, who ruled over the Five Points in New York and co-founded The Commission. In Boardwalk Empire, Piazza plays a young Luciano and follows the gangster’s climb to the top with Jewish mobster, Meyer Lansky. Piazza appears throughout the entire show and while the showrunners take dramatic liberties with Luciano’s history, they do try to stay as accurate as possible, mainly when it comes to his partnership with Jewish mobster, Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef).

4 Michael Kenneth Williams – Ray Ray

Played Albert “Chalky” White

Michael Kenneth Williams initially rose to fame starring on another popular HBO series, The Wire, but he made a minor appearance in The Sopranos as Ray Ray in Season 3, episode 13, “Army of One.” Ray Ray opens his home to Jackie Jr. (Jason Cerbone) who is currently on the run after botching a robbery of one of Ralph Cifaretto’s (Joe Pantoliano) card games. Williams’ part is very brief, but in Boardwalk Empire, the actor portrays one of the show’s more unique and alluring characters, Albert “Chalky” White.

Chalky White is a local racketeer and the unofficial leader of the Black community in Atlantic City and is also a friend and associate of Thompson’s. Thompson and White’s relationship is incredibly intriguing and one of the main attractions of the show. Despite their occasional disagreements, White is undeniably loyal to Thompson and is one of the few people Thompson can trust in his inner circle. Williams is one of eight stars in Boardwalk Empire to have appeared in all fifty-six episodes of the show, delivering a solid performance in every single one.

3 Greg Antonacci – Butch “Butchie” DeConcini

Played Johnny Torrio

Greg Antonacci starred in The Sopranos‘ final season as a high-ranking member of the Lupertazzi crew and close associate of Phil Leotardo’s (Frank Vincent), Butch “Butchie” DeConcini. Antonacci’s character made his first appearance in Season 6, episode 12, “Kaisha,” appearing in a total of nine episodes up until the show’s finale. In Boardwalk Empire, Antonacci takes on the role of real-life Chicago Outfit boss, Johnny Torrio, who was the mentor of the city’s most famous mobster, Al Capone.

Torrio made his first appearance in the show’s first episode and partnered with Thompson and New York gangster, Arnold Rothstein, as they started their initial business venture into bootlegging. Torrio was one of the show’s main characters for the first three seasons, but after a failed assassination attempt on his life in Season 4, Torrio retires and hands over the reins to Capone. Aside from Antonacci appearing a bit older than the real Torrio at the time, his portrayal of the character is highly accurate and without a doubt one of the best in the series.

2 Dominic Chianese – Corrado “Junior” Soprano

Played Leander Cephas Whitlock

Dominic Chianese is one star of The Sopranos who doesn’t need an introduction, as any fan of the show will have no problem remembering him as Tony’s uncle, Corrado “Junior” Soprano. Chianese appeared in fifty-five episodes as Uncle Junior, each performance more brilliant and memorable than the last, and was known for his character’s cheeky one-liners and witty puns. It’s no secret that Junior not only plays a major role in the show but is also a fan favorite among many Sopranos fans.

For twelve episodes of Boardwalk Empire, Chianese played Leander Cephas Whitlock, making his first appearance in Season 2, episode 1, “21.” Whitlock is the Commodore’s long-serving attorney as well as a member of a group of wealthy local investors. Similar to his role as Junior, Chianese conveys an intelligent and tactful character who manages to keep his hands clean of any wrongdoing while still being a valuable asset to those around him. Even though Chianese plays a smaller part in Boardwalk Empire, he always makes use of his screen time and never ceases to disappoint viewers with his string of performances.

1 Steve Buscemi – Tony Blundetto

Played Enoch “Nucky” Thompson

Sopranos fans will remember Steve Buscemi as Tony’s cousin, Tony Blundetto, who made his first appearance in Season 5, episode 1, “Two Tonys,” which earned the actor a Primetime Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Before taking on the role of Blundetto, Buscemi also worked behind the camera, directing four episodes in the series, most notably Season 3, episode 11, “Pine Barrens,” which many fans consider to be the best episode in the entire show. Buscemi also received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for the iconic episode. While Buscemi’s time on The Sopranos was excellent but short-lived, he never missed a beat as the star of Boardwalk Empire, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson.

Buscemi’s character was inspired by real-life Atlantic City politician, Enoch Lewis “Nucky” Johnson, who was prominent during the days of Prohibition and was known to have been associated with gangsters such as Capone, Luciano, and Lansky. Buscemi’s character embodies many of Johnson’s similarities, all the way down to the red carnation flower slipped into the buttonhole of his suits, which Johnson was famous for wearing. Buscemi gives one of his greatest performances, fully capturing the sophistication and gritty side of his character that effortlessly captivated audiences for five straight seasons. Buscemi’s portrayal of Thompson earned him two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012.

NEXT: Actors From ‘The Sopranos’ Who Also Appeared in ‘The Godfather’ Trilogy