According to the LA Times, Tony Sirico has a pretty impressive criminal rap sheet. Arrested 28 times, the first of which was at the age of 7, he had a bit of a reputation as a stick-up artist in his neighbourhood. It's not surprising to learn, then, that his character Paulie was based largely around Sirico's own life story. Paulie, a prince of criminals among a cast of many crooks, is more than a match for the man that portrays him. There are other similarities too. The fact that Sirico was utterly dedicated to his mother was carried across to show, as was his OCD about neatness. Paulie is one of The Sopranos' most memorable characters, and that is mainly down to just how realistic he actually is.