Matt's last words are screaming for his mother. Biographical Information Brancato admitted to developing an addiction to drugs and alcohol at a young age that became increasingly more severe over the years, and it all came to a grisly head onDecember 10, 2005. She tries to use it as an example of Tony's negative thinking contributing to his depression. She is cooking dinner and when she goes over to the oven the scarf drapes across Tony. He also shows that he blames Carmela for preventing his mother from living with them. Charges of second-degree murder were also leveled against him, but they didn't stick. This closeness leads Tony to have something of a "crush" on Dr. Melfi, something that is unattainable. Tony is never suspected of this murder. Following the dream he acts differently to his friends and family, trying to see if they also feel relieved now that Christopher is dead. In October 2004 ("The Test Dream"), Tony comes to terms with having to kill his cousin Tony Blundetto, as well reflecting inner demons and fears ranging from his children's future, his relationship with his wife, his infidelities, deceased acquaintances including some who have died by his hand or by his orders, his fate and even his relationship with his father. Tony asks if he enjoyed the diet soft drink, to which Matt answers in the positive. Tony's attitude to life has been changed by his near death experience. The two killed Matt after he attempted to kill Chris. That the next generation didn't have what the prior generation did to continue "this thing". 's prowess on the football field, even amid his failing grades in high school, but is frustrated with A.J. After extensive testing that includes an MRI scan and blood work no physical cause can be found so Dr. Cusamano referred Tony to psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. He knocks on the door and a female figure descends slowly in shadow; the door creaks ominously. In November 2007 ("Kennedy and Heidi"), a stressed Tony Soprano has a dream following the death of his nephew Christopher Moltisanti. Bevilaqua got into trouble with Moltisanti for needlessly attracting police attention by stealing nearby cars and assaulting an innocent stockbroker. Male [17] As of 2020, Brancato claimed to be thirteen years sober and has returned to acting.[18]. At their next session Tony is still reluctant to face his own psychological weaknesses. The dream ends with Tony confronting Melfi, only to find out he's speaking to his mother, Livia. On March 26 1999 ("Isabella"), Tony is attacked by William Johnson "Petite" Clayborn and Rasheen Ray, two thugs sent by Uncle Junior under orders to execute Tony. Matt's death also appeared to have a psychological effect on Tony. Crime Boss Waste Management Consultant for Barone SanitationCo-owner of Satriale's Pork StoreCo-owner of Bada Bing He manages to dial 911 but loses consciousness before being able to tell the operator what happened. Cops later found Matt's body and a witness told officials about the murder, which according to a transcript was on the night of April 29, 2000, at about 9 PM. Tony takes great pride in Meadow's achievements. Political party Upon seeing the money, Furio is prompted to demand 1,000 dollars from them for himself. on The Stugots, teaching his son how to steer. He was sometimes referred to as "Drinkwater"; "beve l'acqua" is Italian for "drink the water". He has a sentimental attachment towards animals, being traumatized by the loss of his childhood dog (as revealed in the episode, Tony enjoys fishing, as he is seen many times over the course of the show engaging in both freshwater and saltwater angling. From then on, he was on a fast track to becoming a made man. It's too much to deal with almost. Matt heavily blames Sean for the hit, likely as Sean was an easy scapegoat since he is now dead. Anthony "Tony" John Soprano (born August 22, 1959-December 2007), also known as Tony Soprano, is the De facto Boss of the DiMeo crime family. He committed his first murder at the age of 23 on Labor Day weekend in 1982, killing a small-time bookie named Willie Overall. MobsterStockbroker In the sixth season, while in Florida with Paulie, he rents a sport fishing boat, though he is not shown to have caught anything. Brancato's ability to emulate the consequences of getting involved in organized crime and toxic ambitions presented fans with an exciting spectacle to watch, but the dark truth of the matter is that life often imitates art far too closely. Bevilaqua and Gismonte angered boss Tony Soprano by candidly talking about criminal activities, wasting their chances at quickly becoming made men. By May/June 2006 Tony is mobile and fully aware and has regained his voice but is still recovering. Matt had tried to kill Chris in order to prove himself to the non-nonsense capo Richie Aprille. In March 1999 ("Isabella"), Tony, suffering from depression after Big Pussy disappears, acquaints himself with a dental student named Isabella who is staying in the Cusamano home while they are on vacation. He was released from incarceration early because of good behavior and educational requirements he agreed to meet. He tries to find a car mechanic (who had worked on his Lincoln when Tony drove Lincolns) to put it back on, but a duck swoops down and snatches it from his hand. Sean Gismonte became an associate in Paulie Gualtieri's crew of the DiMeo crime . On the fateful night of Dec. 10, 2005, a heroic police officer lost his life because of my drug taking and bad decision making," he said (per People Magazine ). Tony has two children: Meadow Soprano and Anthony (A.J.) The FBI continued to try to pin the murder on Tony, but remained unsuccessful. Brancato was born Saul Rodriguez in Bogot, Colombia,[1] on August 30, 1976. Tony's over-protectiveness of Meadow has led to feuds between them on several occasions. Matthew Bevilaqua Nickname (s) Matt Drinkwater Born March 30, 1976, West Orange, New Jersey Died April 2000, Newark, New Jersey (Aged 24) Cause of Death Gunshots Citizenship Italian - American Career Information Occupation Mobster Rank Associate Affiliations DiMeo Crime Family He has yet to discuss his experiences while unconscious with anyone close to him. The three of them were involved with a "pump and dump" of stocks in the website Webistics, Junior Soprano's executive card game, and some burglary jobs. With Jackie's death in September 1998 crisis emerged as to who would run the family, and the soldiers and other captains began to prepare for all-out war within the family, but Tony brought a quick end to the conflict by making Junior the official boss of the family. On the night of June 9 2000 ("Funhouse"), an extended dream sequence exposes many of Tony's subconscious thoughts and feelings through symbolic and sometimes bizarre events: he attempts suicide to preempt a doctor's diagnosis of early death by dousing himself in gasoline and lighting himself on fire, witnesses himself shooting Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri to death during a card game, has an innuendo-laden conversation with his therapist Dr. Melfi while sporting a prominent erection, and a fish that speaks with the voice of Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero confirms his suspicions that the longtime friend and soldier is a federal informant. Among other differences, his accent has changed and his hotel's bartender condescends him (in sharp contrast to the bartender at The Bing, who is a recurring punching bag for Tony). While waiting for a contact in a shopping mall, Tony sees a little boy wandering about crying and asking for his mother, which triggers a mental image of Matt's last moments. Information "[5] Brancato was discovered in 1992, while swimming at New York's Jones Beach, by a talent scout who noticed Brancato's resemblance to Robert De Niro. 's friendship with "the Jasons", sons of two of his associates, and A.J. Children Born on June 9, 1983, Matt was a resident of Atlanta, GA. As a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America. So they were gay for each other. As with Jackie Junior wannabes always misread things and fucked up on relying on old tales of when members stepped up - thinking whacking Chrissy would score points with Aprile was a serious misread. I was raised to eat pasta. Pussy and Tony dragged a beaten Matt to a locked refreshment shack and after interrogating him to make sure that he and Sean were acting on their own, and not for someone else, shot him 21 times in the chest, stomach and head. Matthew needed learn his place and address Tony with some respect. Shot to death [13], Brancato was charged with second-degree murder,[14] and his trial began on November 17, 2008. In the show, Lillo Brancato Jr. plays the role of Matthew Bevilaqua. Tony's referral to therapy allowed a discussion of his thoughts and feelings away from both aspects of his life this forum for reaching into the character's thoughts has been described as a Greek chorus and key to the viewers understanding of the character. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. In 2000, the two men failed in their attempt to assassinate Christopher Moltisanti as a favor to Richie Aprile, with Gismonte being shot dead by Moltisanti during the attempted drive-by at the Skyway Diner. Christopher was driving while high on heroin and serves off off the road to avoid hitting an oncoming car. When Dr. Melfi asks him to remember good experiences from his childhood he has difficulty. Police Say Statements Differ", Former 'Sopranos' Actor Brancato Gets Parole, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lillo_Brancato&oldid=1141728889, Prisoners and detainees of New York (state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Petty Officer Third Class Russell Vossler, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:02. Final Appearance Due to their lower status, Matt and Sean could not refuse. Siblings "Early on in my career, I spoke to Bob [Robert Dinero] and Chazz [Palminteri] about how profound changes would occur in my life," Lillo Brancato told People Magazinein October of 2017. The witness identified Tony from a picture without knowing that he was a mob boss. Carmela Soprano Tony sometimes has vivid dreams that are shown to the viewer. Tony Blundetto was arrested for his part in a hijacking when the two cousins were young men. Matt ran away from the scene and went to Richie to tell him that the hit was done for him as a favor. Tony realized this when he caught Jackie at strip clubs and a casino. From the beginning, Tony had doubts that his son could succeed him as Boss of the Dimeo Crime Family. Tony is an avid animal lover and enjoys feeding the ducks which visit his pool. Lol. Or have paid off the person doing the testing. Now obviously this isn't what got Matthew killed but it shows his true character. Matthew Bevilaqua (1976-2000) was an associate of the DiMeo crime family and the partner-in-crime of Sean Gismonte. However, Tony reassures himself that Moltisanti's murder was necessary, despite the hurt caused to his family and friends. After that he also tells her that he murdered Salvatore Bonpensiero and his cousin Tony Blundetto. While at the brokerage they got into trouble with Chris for stealing other brokers' cars and beating a broker who advised a client against buying into Webistics. Sean and Matthew shared an apartment together. I think these two guys watched too many movies and thought it was all fun and games. Portrayed By In the second season finale, Tony asks Pussy if he may have tipped off the FBI about the Bevilaqua hit. He had a stockbroker license the same way Christopher did. Melfi prescribes Prozac as an anti-depressant, telling him that no one needs to suffer from depression with the wonders of modern pharmacology. Anthony John Soprano Vic Musto's subtle change in facial expression after Davey describes how Tony collects his debts amounts to this as well. Under Jackie's rule, the DiMeo Family was peaceful and prosperous until 1998, when Jackie was diagnosed with intestinal cancer; afterward, the family slowly descended into turmoil. Sean Gismonte is an associate of the DiMeo crime family. Chrissy himself would have got whacked very early but for who he was related to. He talks philosophy with John Schwinn, another patient at the hospital, and mentions that while in the coma he had the experience of being drawn towards somewhere he did not want to go and narrowly avoiding it. Pussy also ends up paying the teenager $20. He is best known for his portrayal of Calogero C Anello in Robert De Niro's 1993 directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. Bevilaqua first appeared in the second-season premiere, "Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office", and appeared in five more episodes. Jackie was eventually killed by Vito in January 2001 for his involvement in the robbery at Christopher's and Furio's executive card game, and for shooting Furio. Behind the Scenes Salvatore realizes this is his last day alive and begs not to shot in the face. However, Matt runs off and is chased by Richie. Tony tells Dr. Melfi a story about ducks landing in his pool. Tony becomes the official boss after Junior is retired by the family, following Junior's shooting of Tony. BEVILAQUA, Matthew Matthew Newton Bevilaqua passed away on February 20, 2015. While nervously guzzling down the drink, Tony again asks Matt if Richie Aprile was responsible, to which Matt answers in the negative. Career information The feds continued to try to pin the murder on Tony, but remained unsuccessful. He did lack any form of common sense however. Matthew Bevilaqua is played by Lillo Brancato Jr. Matthew was Sean Gismonte's partner-in-crime from West Orange, New Jersey and an associate working under Christopher Moltisanti in the Gualtieri crew. The feds continued to try to pin the murder on Tony, but remained unsuccessful. For a time in Summer 1998, Jackie seemed cured and was back on the street as boss and the family's woes were eased. He had one very short encounter with an Asian-American escort during "The Test Dream". Police later find Matt's dead body and a witness told detectives about the gunshots he heard and saw two men leave the scene in a car. Brancato and his associate also suffered gunshot wounds from Enchautgui who was armed at the time, but they both survived. He ended up in a car accident in an unrequested "stake-out" gone wrong. He was released from prison in 2013. In April 2003 ("Calling All Cars"), Tony has two dreams featuring Ralph Cifaretto. Bobby Boriello played Tony in the episode "Down Neck" in which Tony recalls many childhood events relating to his childhood realization that his father was involved in organized crime, including his recollection of father's relationship with his older sister, Janice, and his use of her as a cover for attending meetings with criminal associates at a children's amusement park. In this dream he tells his therapist Jennifer Melfi that Christopher was a burden and that he was relieved that he was dead. away from a life of crime, gets him a job working construction. They worked under DiMeo soldier Christopher Moltisanti at a stock firm assigned to push Webistics, selling shares in the company to naive clients to pump the share price before Soprano crew members dumped their shares for a profit. As the song "Don't Stop Believin'" plays in the background, the screen instantly cuts to black as Tony looks up, representing the fact that he himself, has been hit. In "Fortunate Son" Tony discusses a childhood memory of an early panic attack. "They said once this movie goes out, you will have people around you who will expose you to dangerous things and you have to be careful." Tony sees Isabella several times during the episode and later learns that she never existed. [10], Brancato started using drugs and alcohol shortly after beginning his acting career in 1992. "Wasted Talent: The Rise and Fall of Lillo Brancato" became his tell-all that outlined the success, regret, trauma, and redemption that has defined most of his life. Tony maintains an avid interest in history, particularly World War II. He gave police permission to look in a cigarette box, where they found four bags of heroin. He helped to build a church in Tony's old neighborhood in Newark that Tony has taken his children to, so he can tell them about their heritage, and the value of hard work. In a later session Dr. Melfi pushes Tony to admit he has feelings of anger towards his mother and he again storms out. In November 2002 ("Everybody Hurts"), Tony dreams of his ex-comar Gloria Trillo shortly after learning of her suicide by hanging. In the second season of The Sopranos, which HBO broadcast in 2000, Brancato starred as Matthew Bevilaqua, a young mobster associated with Tony Soprano's crime syndicate. The director, whose brother-in-law is a police officer, edited down all of Brancato's scenes during post-production. [2] While in prison, Brancato continued his drug use, suffering a heroin overdose on at least one occasion. He often tells people about her aspiration to become a pediatrician. Lillo Broncato told police that he broke into the empty home in order to obtain drugs and any other valuables. He has his first on-screen panic attack while cooking sausages at his son's birthday party this occurs in a flashback in the Pilot. By the end of the first session Tony has admitted that he feels depressed, but storms out when Dr. Melfi presses him further about the relationship between his symptoms and the ducks. [2] Adopted when he was four months old, he was raised by Italian-American parents, Lillo Brancato Sr., a construction worker, and Domenica, an electrolysist,[3] in Yonkers, New York. Affiliations In "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" Tony discusses Jackie's cancer with Dr. Melfi. Matthew Bevilaqua and his buddy Sean Gismonte were associates of the Soprano crew and at times did odd jobs and scams with Christopher. Sean was distractingly good looking compared to Drinkwater. Brancato was arrested on December 10, 2005, in the Bronx for the murder of police officer Daniel Enchautegui, who was at home and off-duty at the time of his death, during a botched burglary. Lillo Brancato Jr. (born Saul Rodriguez; August 30, 1976) is an American actor. Matt and Sean pulled a drive-by hit as Chris left the Skyways Diner in Kearny. Tony has mistakenly taken another man's briefcase - Kevin Finnerty's - along with all of his identification and work. Soldiers from Johnny Boy's crew, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, passed their loyalty on to Tony after Johnny Boy died, Tony then became acting capo of his father's old crew in 1986, making him the youngest capo in the family, at only 27. He earned his brokerage license from Pace University and first sold shares in Webistics through a stock brokerage . Tony has to juggle North Jersey's most powerful criminal organization, keeping it functioning properly and keeping dissonance to a minimum. On the fateful night of Dec. 10, 2005, a heroic police officer lost his life because of my drug taking and bad decision making," he said (per People Magazine). The actor who plays Sean Gismonte was a teenager when his role was filmed, in which case he was the oldest teenager I've ever seen. Tony Soprano He is last shown having dinner with his family at the famous Holstein's restaurant in New Jersey, though the possibility of a criminal indictment, thanks to a gun charge and testimony from Carlo Gervasi, looms over his head. Brancato's last film before being charged in 2005 for first-degree burglary was Saturday Morning, released in 2007. In 2018, a documentary chronicling the actor's infamous descent was released. In a previous episode he calls Tony "T" and Tony tells him to refer to him as Tony. His father was always involved in crime and Tony recalls some of his activities in flashbacks on the show. He was also the older brother of former DiMeo acting boss Jackie, Sr. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Find Matthew Bevilaqua obituaries and memorials at Legacy.com. Sopranos residence, North Caldwell, New Jersey Tony was on bed rest for a few days and quickly recovered. In "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" Tony abruptly ends his therapy and persuades Dr. Melfi to go into hiding when he discovers that his Uncle Junior has found out about their sessions. During a meeting with recently released DiMeo capo Richie Aprile, they make fun of Christopher's nose and also learn of Richie's disdain for him because Chris hit his niece, Adriana La Cerva. Tony hears his cries for help, and rescues him. is released from a mental health ward, Tony and Carmela dissuade him from joining the Army, and convince him instead to become involved in a film bankrolled by Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr., with the possibility of opening his own club. On December 22, 2008, a jury found him not guilty of murder, but found him guilty of first-degree attempted burglary. Tony had been using his putative nephew Christopher Moltisanti as a buffer between him and his capos during the past two seasons in order to insulate himself from the FBI. This won him the role of De Niro's son in A Bronx Tale.[4]. Before Tony realized his mother had helped to plan the attack on him, he had been very close to her and had taken care of her. DiMeo enforcer Furio Giunta and an associate visit Matt and Sean at their apartment for Tony's cut from the burglaries. Nationality When Ralph mocks Tony for his sentimental attachment to the horse, claiming he loves animals yet "eats steak and sausage by the truckload", Tony loses control, already disturbed by Ralph's murder of Tracee due to her resemblance to Meadow, and violently murders Ralph with his bare hands. He grew up living with his mother, father, and two sisters Janice and Barbara in the Ironbound in Newark, New Jersey. . After flunking out of Ramapo State, A.J. American MafiaDiMeo crime family He had a stock broker licence so was probably better than buying fish and sweeping cheese. also realized with guidance from his sister. His adoptive brother, Vinny, briefly worked as a fashion model and now works as a Yonkers civil servant. He eventually beat Jackie up to warn him about abusing his daughter's feelings and confiscated a gun from him. His old friend Silvio Dante also joined him as a soldier in his crew. He was elevated to permanent capo in the late-eighties. Matt"Drinkwater""Cheese-Fuck" Eventually, Soprano crew soldier Pussy Bonpensiero learns of Matt's whereabouts from a teenager after implying that whoever tells them where he is hiding will gain "points" with the DiMeo crime family. Tony is later seen with A.J. He was arguably one of the most ruthless characters on the show; he exhibited some of the same similar traits as . The witness identified Tony from a picture without knowing that he was a high ranking mobster. Gloria is suddenly back at the table and offers Tony a choice between seeing what she has under her dress or under her scarf.