Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto , portrayed by Joe Pantoliano , is a soldier, and later capo in the Soprano crime family. Ralph is not present in Season 1 or 2, as he spends a prolonged amount of time in Miami overseeing the family's real estate interests from Spring to September , returning following the "disappearance" of Aprile Crew capo Richie Aprile.
Cifaretto is cunning and an excellent earner, but his unstable and obnoxious personality often infuriates many of his associates; especially his boss Tony Soprano. According to Ralph, he lost his dad when he was six years old, and therefore had to step up and help his mother with raising his brothers and sisters. However, it's implied by Tony in cut dialogue in the script of the episode University that during their high school days, Ralph was on a canoe with a girl named Deborah Detillio during a junior picnic, and he caused her death when he sank the canoe, and she drowned.
This would lead to him being expelled. Though later on, while dating Rosalie Aprile, he told her that he dropped out. Together they all carried out hijackings, robberies, and selling pot. Ralph later became a made man in the DiMeo crime family , and was a member of the Aprile Crew. Ralph married a woman named Ronnie , and they had a son named Justin. At some point, he was sent to Miami to handle the DiMeo family's real estate businesses there. It was here where he developed a cocaine addiction.
He recalled the day of his son's seventh birthday while he was in Miami, that he was so high on cocaine that he forgot to call and say happy birthday to him. As he was a soldier at the time, albeit a high ranking one, he unofficially tried to take over the Aprile Crew as its new capo, and often referred to it as "my crew". Tony however was reluctant to give Ralph this promotion. Although they had gotten along in their youth, recent years had Tony having problems with Ralph; he viewed Ralph as obnoxious, disrespectful, and insubordinate, which is why he passed Ralph over for promotion and gave it to the less qualified, but more docile Gigi Cestone.
Although Ralph was the highest earning member of his crew, Tony could not bear to promote someone whom he despised so much. During his stay in Miami, Ralph had developed a coke addiction, which he continued in New Jersey and which led him to act in brazen, unpredictable ways. At the time, Ralph had become obsessed with the film Gladiator and would incessantly quote the film, occasionally acting out the most violent scenes, which became very annoying to others around him. Ralph was always totally oblivious to others' feelings and would make the most inappropriate comments at the worst possible times.
