Mikey Palmice

Quick Answers

Who played the character of Mikey Palmice in The Sopranos?

American actor Al Sapienza portrayed the character Mikey Palmice in The Sopranos. His performance spanned 10 episodes, from '46 Long' to 'The Test Dream'.

Provided by: Fandom

What role did Mikey Palmice play in Junior Soprano's crew?

Al Sapienza, known as Mikey Palmice in The Sopranos, was a soldier and later Consigliere in Junior Soprano's crew. He managed Junior's loan shark businesses and was his driver. His loyalty to Junior was notable. His tenure ended with his death, orchestrated by Paulie Gualtieri and Christopher Moltisanti.

Provided by: Fandom

How did Mikey Palmice's character meet his end in The Sopranos?

In The Sopranos, Mikey Palmice met his end after an attempted hit on Tony Soprano. He was chased down during a jog by Christopher Moltisanti and Paulie Gualtieri, fell, and was subsequently shot to death in the woods. Mikey had tried to attribute recent events, including Brendan Filone's death, to Junior.

Provided by: Fandom

What businesses was Mikey Palmice in charge of in Junior's crew?

Al Sapienza's character, Mikey Palmice, in the Sopranos, held significant roles in Junior's Crew. He managed most of Junior's loan shark operations and executed orders related to Junior's protection racket. Additionally, he served as Junior Soprano’s driver and later as his Consigliere.

Provided by: Fandom

What was Mikey Palmice's relationship with Junior Soprano like in The Sopranos?

In The Sopranos, Mikey Palmice, played by Al Sapienza, was a devoted aide to Junior Soprano. He acted as Junior's driver and managed most of his loan shark operations. He later became Junior's Consigliere. Mikey initiated a conflict that escalated tensions between Junior and Tony Soprano, a situation that ultimately resulted in Mikey's death.

Provided by: Fandom

Biography

Mikey Palmice starts out as a soldier in Junior's Crew, normally acting as Junior Soprano's driver, and also was in charge of most of Junior's loan shark businesses. He is a very loyal and obsequious minion to Junior, practically worshipping the man. He is very respectful and kind to those whom he deems worthy. However, he is very bitter and intolerant of those who get under his skin or undermine himself or Junior. He dislikes Anthony "Tony" Soprano Sr., and Tony often teases him with implicit, insulting jokes and one liners such as referring to him as having "fuck-face-itis"; he is one of Tony's first close enemies on the show.

He is married to Josephine "Jo-Jo" Palmice, and has two sons. Albert Francis Palmice, who was presumably very young during the events of season 1, as JoJo set up child care for him when planning her and Mikey's Vegas trip, and Michael Palmice Jr., who was in his teenage years during season 4.

When acting boss Jackie Aprile is diagnosed with cancer and it is apparent that he is going to die, Junior is quick to act to ensure that he becomes boss. Mikey wants to take care of any opposition to Junior Soprano, including Tony Soprano and Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti. He makes this goal of his clear when he states that "Junior Soprano is the new boss and he ain't respecting old arrangements."

He works alongside his friend, Charles "Chucky" Signore, another soldier in Junior's crew. Mikey advises Junior to take care of business and not allow anyone to step over him. He kills Brendan Filone on Junior's orders after Brendan and Christopher hijack trucks belonging to a firm supposedly under Junior's "protection,” in the episode Denial, Anger, Acceptance, Mikey hires two Russians to perform a mock execution on Christopher. Christopher is enraged and wants to kill Mikey himself, but he is warned by Tony not to, because Palmice is a made man and Christopher, at the time, was not. Tony instead beats Mikey severely using a staple gun.

Junior discovers his long-time tailor's teenage grandson has killed himself by jumping off Paterson Falls bridge after he took some ecstasy sold to him by Russell "Rusty" Irish, one of Lawrence "Larry Boy" Barese's top earners. Mikey nonchalantly remarks that the boy was found battered by the waters, causing Junior to tacitly demand Mikey shut up and show some respect for the boy's death in front of his paternal grandfather, who is obviously hurt at having to talk about such as painful family tragedy. Junior orders Mikey to have Rusty killed to prevent him from selling any more drugs to kids. Mikey and Joseph "Joey Eggs" Marino respond by throwing Rusty off the same bridge the boy fell off of, which doesn't sit well with the capos, especially Larry, who remarks that while Junior as boss could have approved such an action, most bosses clear such actions with their capos before making such a move.

Subsequently, in a meeting, Larry Barese, Raymond "Buffalo Ray" Curto, and James "Little Jimmy" Altieri complain to Tony about Junior and Mikey's behavior. After word gets out that Tony's own mother wants him dead, an associate named Donald "Donnie P" Paduana organizes a hit on Tony. Tony, along with the other capos, were meeting Lupertazzi family underboss John "Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni behind Junior's back at the Green Grove Retirement Community and Junior felt they were conspiring against him. After being given the task, Donnie's contract killers fail to fulfill the job, as there are too many witnesses. At a later meeting, Mikey shoots Donnie in his car. Mikey then informs his wife about the plan to kill Tony, and tells her that it means much more money for them.

Tony and other capos describe Palmice as having been "a disease" since childhood due to his violent and psychopathic personality. Junior sets the order in motion the second time around, but it doesn't work since Tony survives the assassination attempt and manages to kill one of his assailants. Tony later decides to get rid of both Chucky and Mikey in order to cut Junior's ability to attempt another hit on him. Tony catches Chucky off guard at the marina and executes him, and Mikey is killed after Chris and Peter "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri chase him down while he is jogging, leaving his dead body in the forest.

After death

• In the episode "From Where to Eternity," when Christopher is revived after being pronounced clinically dead from an assassination attempt, he tells Paulie and Tony of a trip he made to hell, where he saw Brendan Filone and Mikey in an Irish bar, as friends. They had a message for Tony and Paulie: "three o'clock".
• In the same episode, Paulie, being superstitious, visits a psychic who names people Paulie has killed, including Mikey. The psychic then tells Paulie that Mikey wants to know if it still itches, a reference to Paulie running into a poison ivy bush when chasing Mikey through the woods.
• In "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood," in the FBI headquarters, a photo of Mikey Palmice with a caption underneath stating "Mikey Palmice Consigliere (Deceased)" was part of the FBI's DiMeo crime family tree
• In "Whoever Did This," Tony and Christopher take Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto's severed head to be buried in Palmice's hospitalized father's farm in Upstate New York.
• Mikey's last appearance is in the episode "The Test Dream." Tony dreams he is riding in the backseat of his late father Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano's 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. Other deceased DiMeo crime family members present include Mikey, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, Ralph Cifaretto, Richard "Richie" Aprile, and Gianluigi "Gigi" Cestone. When Tony looks at Mikey and tells him, "You know, douchebag, I realize I'm dreaming.", Mikey simply replies, "I got no opinion one way or another."
• In episode 6 of season 2, Paulie Gualtieri appears to be wearing the same clothes in the poker game as Mikey Palmice when talking to his wife in episode 11 of season 1 “Nobody Knows Anything”.

Appearances

Murders committed by Mikey Palmice

• Brendan Filone - Shot in the eye while in his bathtub on Junior's orders for hijacking trucks under his protection. (September 1998)
• Russell "Rusty Irish - Thrown off the Paterson Falls pedestrian bridge for selling drugs to Old Man Capri's teenage grandson, Ralphie. (October 1998)
• Donald "Donnie" Paduana - Shot on Junior's orders for making jokes about Tony's mother wanting him killed. (April 1999)

Trivia

• Mikey Palmice has a collectible trading card (#16) in "The Sopranos: Season One Ultra-Premium Trading Card" series released by Inkworks in July, 2005.
• Janice mentioned how Mikey's son, Michael Jr., was going through his teenage years on Ritalin.
• On the name card beneath his photo on the FBI board, his name was misspelled as "Micheal."