Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was in the cast of the HBO television series "The Sopranos" as Jackie Aprile, Sr. Rispoli reunited with "Sopranos" co-star James Gandolfini in the 2009 thriller "The Taking of Pelham 123". Rispoli was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano that ultimately went to Gandolfini. Rispoli, a second-generation Italian American, was raised in Tappan, New York, one of eight children, and attended Tappan Zee High School, where he played football. He majored in theater at State University of New York at Plattsburgh and graduated in 1982. The feature film
Livia Soprano Livia Soprano Olivia "Livia" Soprano (née Pollio), played by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series "The Sopranos". She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams is sometimes seen in flashbacks. Series creator David Chase has stated that the main inspiration for the character was his own mother. In 2016, "Rolling Stone" ranked her #3 of their "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time". Olivia Pollio Soprano was born in Providence, Rhode Island to Teresa and Faustino "Augie" Pollio, Italian immigrants from Avellino. Livia's