Gyp Rosetti Family

The Sicilian-born enforcer who burned Tabor Heights alive.

Giuseppe "Gyp" Rosetti is the primary antagonist of the third season of Boardwalk Empire, portrayed by Bobby Cannavale. A hot-headed New York City gangster working under boss Joe Masseria, Rosetti leads a violent faction that clashes with Atlantic City's establishment. Born in Sperlinga, Sicily, where he grew up poverty-stricken in a cave-hut before his father died when Gyp was 50, he emigrated to the US to run brothels and gambling dens in southern Manhattan. His family life includes living with his wife, two daughters, and mother-in-law, despite their open mockery of him. Rosetti is defined by extreme violence over slight insults yet displays a complex sadomasochistic nature in his personal relationships.

Quick Facts

Leader: Giuseppe "Gyp" Rosetti
Base of operations: New York City
First appearance: Season 3
Portrayed by: Bobby Cannavale

Lore & Background

Rosetti's arrival in Atlantic City on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1922, began with a trivial dispute over 3-in-One Oil that ended with him beating a good samaritan to death. He traveled there to purchase bootlegged liquor from Nucky Thompson but left in anger after learning Nucky sold exclusively to Arnold Rothstein, anticipating a 50% price markup. In retaliation, Rosetti blockaded the only winter road through Tabor Heights, trapping Nucky's shipment. When Nucky attempted to placate him with the phrase "buona fortuna" (good luck), Rosetti perceived it as an insult and escalated by burning the Sheriff of Tabor Heights alive. He subsequently ambushed a convoy transporting liquor to Rothstein, killing 11 of Nucky's men despite prior scouting by Eli Thompson. His campaign included blowing up Babette's supper club on a tip from Gillian Darmody, though Nucky, Rothstein, and Charlie Luciano survived.

Reader's Guide

To understand Rosetti's faction, note their base in New York City versus their expansion target of Atlantic City. They operated under Joe Masseria, running illegal gambling and brothels in southern Manhattan. Key figures include second-in-command Tonino Sandrelli, who ultimately betrayed him, and associates like Benjamin Siegel (sent by Rothstein to kill Rosetti) and Gillian Darmody (who tried to poison him). The faction's violence was personal; Rosetti killed people for insults but tolerated mockery from his own wife. His downfall resulted from a coalition of Northside leader Chalky White, Al Capone, Richard Harrow, and the withdrawal of Masseria's support. The group's history is marked by specific turning points: the Tabor Heights blockade, the 11-man convoy ambush, the failed assassination at Babette's, and the final beach execution by Tonino.

Did You Know?

Rosetti has sadomasochistic tastes, including having lovers choke him with a belt or insult him as foreplay.
Bobby Cannavale won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 for this role.