Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos, portrayed by Steven Van Zandt.His early criminal activity often involved Tony and Jackie Aprile Sr. His original career plan was to be a professional singer, but this dream never materialized.Through his association with the Soprano crew, Silvio formed friendships with Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri.It was Silvio who reported to Tony that Uncle Junior planned to murder Pussy Malanga in Artie Bucco's restaurant and who was later entrusted with starting the fire which would ensure the original Vesuvio's burnt down, therefore not ruining its reputation.Silvio's criminal interests include loan sharking and bookmaking but his day-to-day role is that of managing the Bada Bing, the most recent in a string of strip clubs that he has operated.When his daughter's soccer coach was found to be involved with one of his young players, Silvio looked for vengeance but followed Tony's decision to let the authorities deal with him.Silvio responded by encouraging Gualtieri crew soldier Patsy Parisi to steal from the Esplanade construction site against Tony's and Christopher's orders.When Tony ends up in a coma after being shot by his uncle in a fit of dementia, it falls upon Silvio to take the reins as acting boss of the Soprano family.His ambitions quickly subside when he feels the immense pressure of being boss and begins to have asthma attacks brought on by anxiety, as later alluded to by Tony when he says, "All due respect, you got no fucking idea what it's like being #1".When Vito Spatafore was outed to the organization, Silvio convinced Tony of the need to restrain his desire to "give him a pass" because of the effect it would have on the other captains' view of his leadership.Eventually, Phil Leotardo has contracts put out on Silvio, Bobby Bacala, and Tony in order to incapacitate the leadership of the family.Shortly after Bobby is killed, while Patsy Parisi drives Silvio outside of the Bada Bing club, a car moves in front of them, with two men coming out shooting multiple times.Sopranos creator David Chase was impressed with Van Zandt's humorous appearance and presence after seeing him induct the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and invited him to audition.