10 TV Villains You Didn't Realise Actually Won

With hair that will baffle TV historians for years to come, Paulie "Walnuts" certainly makes an impression before he even opens his mouth. He also stands out as the most antagonistic, self-serving and unlikeable member of a group of murderous sociopaths.

While Paulie certainly provides his fair share of comic relief, nobody in their right mind could spend more than five minutes with the man. He's easily offended, quick to anger and in terms of intellect, he's a few cannolis short of an Italian bakery.

All of these qualities lead him to be a constant source of antagonism for the main characters; spreading rumours, causing feuds and even looking to defect to the rival New York mob.

While he usually gets a stern talking to from Tony, he always seems to get his way - carried through on his long service and reputation as an old-school tough-guy. Throughout six seasons, he causes 100% more problems than he solves. Despite all this, through a technicality - he survives. Pretty much every other central character dies - a popular theory even claims that the infamous black screen signified that Tony Soprano's final resting place is a plate of onion rings.

If there has ever been an advert for getting ahead in life by being an insufferable, nervously chuckling germaphobe; look no further than the continued survival of Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri.