The Sopranos to "going straight" (to Tony's dismay), but also has an intense violent streak. Those in Tony's closest circle within the DiMeo crime family include Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt). Silvio is Tony's consigliere and best friend. He runs the family's strip club headquarters, and other businesses. Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), a tough, short-tempered, aging soldier who is fiercely loyal to Tony and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), a veteran gangster who runs an automotive body shop. Paulie "Walnuts" and "Big Pussy" (often called just, "Pussy") have worked with Tony and his father. Also in Tony's criminal organization are:
College (The Sopranos) College (The Sopranos) "College" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO television drama series "The Sopranos", which originally aired on February 7, 1999. It was written by co-producer James Manos Jr. and series creator/executive producer David Chase and directed by Allen Coulter. The episode was rated as the best of the series by "TIME" magazine, and was ranked #2 on "TV Guide"s list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time". "* = credit only" Tony takes Meadow on a trip to Maine to visit three colleges she is considering. Having looked at Bates College they then