Watch: Paulie Walnuts: The Funniest and Coldest Man in The Sopranos

Paulie Walnuts is the show's funniest character and one of its coldest killers, and The Sopranos never lets you settle on which one he really is. Watch the video above, then read what makes Paulie tick.

Played by Tony Sirico, who brought real street history to the role, Paulie is a survivor above all else: he outlives every regime from Johnny Boy's era to the end, adapts to every boss, and trims every principle that threatens his position. He is also the show's id: germ-phobic, superstitious, cheap, and capable of genuine menace in the same breath as a punchline. In a series about decline, Paulie is the constant, the made man as cockroach, still standing in the final frames outside Satriale's, sunning himself while the family he served disappears around him.

Quick answer: Paulie survives because he adapts: loyal to whoever holds power, funny enough to be forgiven, and ruthless enough to never be worth removing.

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From the shop: the Satriale's Pork Store Mug at MobstersDaily.