Who Was Mikey Palmice? Junior's Driver Who Became a Warning
Mobsters DailyMikey Palmice was Junior Soprano's driver, bodyguard and most loyal soldier — a smirking, tracksuit-loving enforcer, played by Al Sapienza, whose execution in the woods in Season 1 was Tony's declaration that the war with his uncle was total.
Junior's right hand
Mikey was everything Junior had left: driver, ear, trigger. He taunted Tony's crew, spread the word that Tony was seeing a psychiatrist, and carried out the hit on Brendan Filone — Christopher's best friend, shot in his bathtub. Mikey was the knife hand of the old regime: blindly loyal in the way that defines his boss too, as our Uncle Junior profile shows.
November is here and the holidays are closing in, which makes this the season of the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater — the black-and-white Tony stencil on a proper Christmas sweatshirt. Mikey lived in tracksuits and died in one; the modern upgrade for a Sopranos Christmas is a matter of public record at this point.
The forest execution
After the failed hit on Tony, the war turned. Tony caught up with a jogging Mikey — FMLA taunts and all — and he and his men shot him down in the woods, dumping the body where the pines could keep the secret. It closed Season 1's argument: the younger generation would kill the old guard's favourite without blinking. The death sits comfortably on any list of the show's turning points, alongside the ones ranked in The Sopranos' most shocking deaths.
Frequently asked questions
Who played Mikey Palmice? Al Sapienza played Mikey Palmice in The Sopranos.
How did Mikey Palmice die? Tony and his men caught Mikey while he was out jogging and shot him in the woods, in revenge for the Brendan Filone hit and the attempt on Tony.
Why did the crew joke about Mikey's temper? It was a running gag about his home life — his temper got blamed on everything except the obvious.
Keep reading: How Did Richie Aprile Die in The Sopranos? · Christopher Moltisanti: Tony's Heir and Biggest Failure
From the shop: You Look Like a Gangster Tee — the line every wiseguy wishes somebody would say to him.
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