Larry Barese

Infobox character
name = Larry Barese


portrayer = Tony Darrow
creator = David Chase
first = "Meadowlands" "(episode 1.04)"
last = "Stage 5", "(episode 6.14)"
age = 50s
cause = Arrested on violating house arrest
title = Capo of the DiMeo Crime Family
alias = "Larry Boy", Lorenzo
family = Albert Barese (cousin)
spouse = Unknown
children = Unknown

Lawrence "Larry Boy" Barese, played by Tony Darrow, is a fictional character on the HBO original series "The Sopranos". He is the only one of the five original captains of the DiMeo Crime Family that remains in that position of the crime family throughout the show. In the episode I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano his first name is given as "Lawrence", but in the episode Stage 5 he is called "Lorenzo". Larry is arguably the most affable and laid-back member of the Soprano organization, typically polite and relatively soft-spoken, and he is never seen to physically harm anyone or lose his temper. Like Patsy Parisi, he also is not known to have committed any murders, though this does not necessarily mean that he hasn't, only that the audience does not know of it.

A Capo of the Barese crew; cousin of Albert Barese; Godfather of Soprano associate Benny Fazio, Barese managed to become an influential member of the DiMeo Crime Family during the 1990s. Following the death of Acting boss Jackie Aprile, Sr. in 1999, Larry suggested Tony Soprano as a possible candidate for new Boss, while first rejecting Tony's wish of his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano becoming new Boss instead of himself. However, Larry supported Tony's plan to use Junior as a figurehead boss and agreed to follow Tony's orders as he was the de facto leader at the time, although Larry later complained that Junior abused his new authority. Larry later moved his mother to the Green Grove retirement community (where Tony kept his mother) so that he could conduct clandestine meetings with Tony, Capo Jimmy Altieri and even New York Lupertazzi crime family Underboss John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni.

Later, Larry played a major role in reporting to the other mob crews and associates of the Mob Indictments of 1999. Soon after, along with Junior actually, he was arrested and charged with violations of racketeering and fraud. Larry could often be seen as a second defendant in the courtroom during Junior's major RICO trial. During the trial and the time he was incarcerated, Larry promoted his cousin Albert "Ally Boy" Barese to acting capo of his crew.

Three years after the indictments, Larry was released following a mistrial and put under house arrest, however, he took control of his crew back from his cousin Ally Boy at this point. Larry remains the only one of the original five DiMeo family captains in control of his crew (Tony was promoted to boss, Junior was removed from power by the family, Raymond Curto died of a stroke and Jimmy Altieri was executed for turning an informant).

Larry was also a regular fixture at Tony's ICU waiting room following his shooting in 2006. Fellow captain and the family's biggest earner at the time, Vito Spatafore, approached Larry to suggest himself as a candidate to take over as Boss if Tony should not recover from his coma after his uncle had shot him. Although Tony recovered, Larry stayed loyal to him and his nephew Christopher Moltisanti, with whom he began producing the upcoming fictional slasher film "Cleaver." At this time, Larry had routinely broken the terms of his bail since his release in order to run business and socialize, including giving a toast at Christopher Moltisanti's belated bachelor party. In 2007, Larry was finally arrested at the premiere after-party for "Cleaver" by federal marshals for violating house arrest. His current status is unknown.

His last reference in the show is in the season 6 episode "Remember When", when Federal authorities begin digging up a body from a murder 25 years ago, which happens to be Tony's first murder. There is minor discussion about Larry which indicates that he gave the Feds the location of the body, however, in order to save Tony and Paulie Gualtieri, he also told them (falsely) that it was the sole work of Jackie Aprile.