Artie Bucco
Played by John Ventimiglia
"You hear your uncle's gonna hurt my business by staging a hit in my place and that's your solution? Burn it down...?"
Artie Bucco is Tony's one close civilian friend. They've known each since high school, and when Tony went into his family's business, so did Artie. He's the owner and chef of the Nuovo (New) Vesuvio Restaurant, Tony's crew's favorite eatery.
Artie is fully aware of what Tony does for a living, and he's both attracted and repelled by it. He enjoys the cachet of hanging out with mobsters, and his affection for Tony is genuine.
