Buddha Bonpensiero

Lino "Buddha" Bonpensiero is a secondary character in The Many Saints of Newark. He is a soldier in the Soprano Crew and the father of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero. He is portrayed by Joey Diaz.

Biography[]

Background[]

Buddha is of Sicilian-American heritage,^[2] and said that his mother had once met Frank Sinatra's mother. At some point, Buddha got involved with the New Jersey based DiMeo crime family, eventually becoming a soldier. He also formed a family, and had three children; Salvatore, Edward "Duke" Bonpensiero and Marianucci.

The Many Saints of Newark[]

Buddha first appears at Janice Soprano's confirmation party, sitting at a table with Aldo "Hollywood Dick" Moltisanti and a bishop. Dick introduces the bishop to Silvio "Sil" Dante and Pussy, Buddha's son. Another attendee then tells Buddha that Joe DiMaggio is on the phone at Ercole "Eckley The Boot" DiMeo's mansion. He gets up from the table and picks it up. Later he is hanging out at Satriale's with the rest of the boys. At Hollywood Dick's funeral, Buddha is appalled when Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti kicks over the TV as he and the others were watching the news, and as Dickie tells them all that he wished the rioter that supposedly killed his father would have killed them.^[2]

Four years later, Buddha, Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano, Dickie and Francis "Frankie The Guitarist" are coming out of the Club Silhouette in Newark after a show. Buddha starts talking about Dickie's Italian goomah Giuseppina Moltisanti, saying "I would eat her shit!". This infuriates Dickie, who kicks him to the ground and starts punching him as he's on his knees, telling him not to talk about her at all. As he gives him the beatdown, Buddha is suddenly shot in the head by Harold, who has turned against the DiMeo family and seeks to form his own criminal organization. At Buddha's funeral, Corrado "Junior" Soprano Jr. slips and falls down a set of stairs, which causes Dickie to laugh uproariously. This would be his demise, as Junior feels humiliated and eventually orders Dickie's death.^[2]

Personality[]

An old-school mobster, Buddha was always around a group of people, and always at the heart of the conversation, sometimes annoyingly so, interrupting topics to make it all about himself. He also seems to be a loudmouth, stating how he would "eat [Giuseppina's] shit", which cost him a beating.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Buddha's partner is not known, though if he was prone to having sex with Giuseppina, it is likely that he was not faithful to his wife. Whether or not he had a goomah is also unknown.

Salvatore Bonpensiero[]

Very little is known about Buddha's relationship with his son. It is also unknown how Pussy reacted to his death.

DiMeo crime family[]

Though a relatively high-ranking member, Buddha didn't seem to command much respect within the family. They would get annoyed with his constant interrupting of conversations and his wilingness to be at the center of them.

Dickie Moltisanti[]

Dickie screamed at Buddha and at other family members during his father's funeral for insensibly watching the news and disrespecting his memory. Years later, when Buddha made his comment about Giuseppina, Dickie started to angrily beat him and ordered him never to talk about her at all.

Quotes[]

References[]