Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri was a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series The Sopranos, one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior with Frank Vincent, but Dominic Chianese landed the role. David Chase instead offered him the role of playing Paulie Gualtieri, Sirico agreed under the condition that his character would not "become a rat." Paulie begins the series as a soldier, later becoming a caporegime in the DiMeo crime family. He is violent, impulsive, and paranoid, but he is also ultimately loyal to Tony, making him a valued member of the organization. Billy Magnussen portrays a young Paulie Gualtieri in the 2021 prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.
