150 Fun Facts About Boardwalk Empire

Which actor plays Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in Boardwalk Empire?

Scorsese suggested him after saying he wanted to work with the actor, whom Winter already knew from their earlier HBO work.

Where is Boardwalk Empire chiefly set?

The 300-foot boardwalk set was actually built in an empty lot in Brooklyn.

Who created Boardwalk Empire?

He had spent 2000 to 2007 writing for another HBO mob drama before creating this one.

Which famous film director directed the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire?

It was his first television directing since an episode of Amazing Stories in 1986, and he never directed another episode of the show.

How many seasons of Boardwalk Empire were made?

The run totalled 56 episodes between September 2010 and October 2014.

How many episodes of Boardwalk Empire aired in total?

Seasons one to four had 12 episodes each and the final season had eight.

What is Nucky Thompson's official job title in Atlantic County?

The real boss he is based on was county treasurer among many other posts.

On what real historical figure is Nucky Thompson loosely based?

The real boss ran Atlantic City's political machine from the 1910s until his 1941 tax conviction.

Whose 2002 non-fiction book inspired the series?

The author, a lawyer and later judge, began researching Atlantic City's past to understand why City Hall was so corrupt.

What is the subtitle of the book Boardwalk Empire that the show adapted?

The book became a New York Times bestseller after the show aired.

How much did the Boardwalk Empire pilot ultimately cost to make?

Reports had put the budget at up to $50 million; a $5 million chunk went on the boardwalk set alone.

What year does the first season of Boardwalk Empire take place in?

It runs from the start of national Prohibition in January to the presidential election that November.

Which band performs "Straight Up and Down", the show's opening theme?

Winter picked the anachronistic 1990s track to create a sense of the unexpected.

Which actor plays Jimmy Darmody, Nucky's protégé who returns from World War I?

He was previously known for Murder by Numbers, The Dreamers and Dawson's Creek.

Which university did Jimmy Darmody leave to serve in the war?

In season two he revisits the campus in a heroin haze and recalls how he met Angela there.

Who plays Margaret Schroeder, the widow who becomes Nucky's mistress and later wife?

She was Emmy-nominated for the role for the episode "Family Limitation".

Which actor plays Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden?

He had just been Oscar-nominated for Revolutionary Road when he was cast.

What alias does Nelson Van Alden adopt while living as a fugitive in Chicago?

Under the name he sells irons door to door before becoming muscle for Dean O'Banion.

Who is Eli Thompson to Nucky?

Eli is sheriff of Atlantic County and has eight children with his wife June.

Which real gangster does Michael Stuhlbarg portray?

His character is a New York multimillionaire whose protégés include Luciano, Lansky and Siegel.

Which English actor plays the young Al Capone?

His Capone begins the show as a Chicago driver and ends it heading to court over his ledgers.

Which actor plays Albert "Chalky" White?

He was already famous as Omar Little on The Wire.

What is the name of Nucky's loyal German butler?

The real Nucky Johnson had a Russian valet named Louis Kessel.

What does Richard Harrow wear to cover the war wound to his face?

The mask is molded to mirror the intact right side of his face.

Who plays the disfigured sniper Richard Harrow?

He is the grandson of director John Huston.

What was Richard Harrow's role in the US Army during World War I?

He lost his eye, upper jaw and most of his left cheekbone in the war.

In which state is Richard Harrow's home town of Plover, where his twin sister lives?

His twin Emma, played by Katherine Waterston, cared for him while his wounds healed.

Who plays Gillian Darmody, Jimmy's mother?

She recurred in season one before joining the main cast for seasons two to five.

Which mentor of Nucky's, called the Commodore, is played by Dabney Coleman?

The character is loosely based on a real Atlantic City boss who preceded Nucky Johnson.

Owen Sleater, who has an affair with Margaret, is a volunteer for which organization?

Charlie Cox later played the character's near-opposite, Daredevil, for Marvel.

Who plays the season-three villain Gyp Rosetti?

He won the show's first acting Emmy for the role.

Who plays Dr. Valentin Narcisse, the Harlem antagonist of season four?

The character is a doctor of divinity and follower of Marcus Garvey who wants the Atlantic City heroin trade.

What is Roy Phillips, the businessman who courts Gillian in season four, secretly?

He tricks her into confessing to the murder of her lover Roger.

Which university does Eli's son Willie Thompson attend?

He drops out after a prank kills a schoolmate and later becomes a Justice Department lawyer.

What is Mickey Doyle's real surname?

The doltish bootlegger is based on a real Philadelphia beer baron.

Which real Chicago boss does Greg Antonacci play throughout the series?

His character retires to Italy and later quietly sides with Luciano against Nucky.

Which real politician is Assistant US Attorney Esther Randolph based on?

Willebrandt was a US Assistant Attorney General from 1921 to 1929.

Which real Attorney General, played by Christopher McDonald, does Nucky pay off?

In season three Daugherty plans to make Nucky a scapegoat for the Harding scandals anyway.

Which real Treasury Secretary does James Cromwell play?

Nucky offers to run a distillery for him in exchange for a rival bootlegger's arrest.

Which vaudeville star, played by Stephen DeRosa, appears across the first four seasons?

DeRosa also sings two tracks on the show's Grammy-winning soundtrack album.

What is the name of the Tampa speakeasy owner played by Patricia Arquette?

She is shot dead by a Cuban patrol in season five.

Which real Harlem figure inspired the character of Valentin Narcisse?

In the show Narcisse is a follower of Marcus Garvey and is turned into an informant on him.

How long was the boardwalk set built for the show in Brooklyn?

It cost $5 million and was built in an empty lot in Greenpoint.

Which Staten Island location did the show begin filming at in March 2012?

The Greenpoint boardwalk replica was 45 feet wide.

Which Brooklyn effects company created the visual effects for the pilot?

It took the firm two months to complete all the pilot's effects.

Who designed the costumes for Boardwalk Empire?

His designs even included a collar pin for Nucky's shirts.

Which actor did Winter joke they would have cast to match the real Nucky's looks?

Winter wanted to stray from the real Johnson as much as possible.

Which HBO series had the show's creator written for before Boardwalk Empire?

He wrote or co-wrote 25 episodes, including "Pine Barrens" and "Long Term Parking".

Which 2013 Scorsese film did the show's creator write, earning an Oscar nomination?

He later co-created Vinyl for HBO and writes on Tulsa King.

On what date did Boardwalk Empire premiere?

Because of two same-night replays, 7.1 million Americans saw the pilot that evening.

How many viewers watched the pilot's original airing?

Two same-night replays pushed the total audience that evening to 7.1 million.

How much did producers pay the MTA to run vintage subway cars promoting season two?

The four retired Lo-V cars ran as an express between 96th Street and Times Square each September weekend.

What tagline did HBO use on an Atlantic City beautification project it sponsored?

HBO also paid the eastbound tolls into Atlantic City for a weekend in September 2011.

Which award did the show's Volume 1 album win at the 54th Grammys?

It peaked at number eight on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

Which bandleader's orchestra performs many of the period songs on the soundtrack?

The album's tracks include "Livery Stable Blues", "Margie" and "Japanese Sandman".

Which singer-songwriter performs "My Man" on the Volume 1 soundtrack?

The soundtrack was released through Elektra Records in September 2011.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did Boardwalk Empire win from its 57 nominations?

Only two of the nominations were for Outstanding Drama Series, in 2011 and 2012.

Which industry body gave the pilot's director its 2011 drama-series prize?

He also took the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the same episode.

Which director won the 2012 Emmy for directing the season-two finale "To the Lost"?

He was nominated again for "Margate Sands", "Farewell Daddy Blues" and "Eldorado".

Which Golden Globe did the show win in 2011?

Its lead actor also won Best Actor in a Television Series Drama that year.

What Metacritic score did the first season receive?

Both of the first two seasons scored in the "universal acclaim" band.

Which season holds the show's highest Rotten Tomatoes rating, at 98%?

Critics praised its "supremely talented ensemble players".

What was the New York production budget for the show's final season?

HBO announced on January 9, 2014, that the fifth season would be the last.

What brand of whisky is being smuggled in the ambush that opens the pilot?

The scene then jumps back three days to the eve of Prohibition.

Where does Nucky give the keynote speech on the eve of Prohibition in the pilot?

He leaves early for Babette's Supper Club, where officials toast the coming bootlegging bonanza.

What is Mickey Doyle's funeral parlor really used for in the pilot?

Jimmy hits Mickey for tricking him into drinking formaldehyde.

How much does Rothstein take Nucky's casino for in the pilot?

Nucky realizes the card shark never intended to pay for the whiskey.

Which Chicago boss at Nucky's dinner declines to buy liquor, calling it too risky?

His funeral is held in the second episode after his murder.

What startles Capone into opening fire during the hijacking in the pilot?

The panic forces Jimmy and Capone to kill all four of Rothstein's men.

Who does Nucky have killed and framed for Jimmy's hijacking?

Hans had beaten Margaret so badly that she miscarried.

Which holiday celebration does Margaret sabotage by tipping off Van Alden?

The tip disrupts the annual Celtic Dinner and Nucky's business partnerships.

Which political gathering does Nucky attend in Chicago in "Hold Me in Paradise"?

He is intrigued by the long-shot candidacy of Warren G. Harding.

Which crime family from Philadelphia allies with Rothstein against Nucky in season one?

Nucky, Jimmy, Harrow and Capone hunt down the remaining brothers after a truce with Rothstein.

Where does Van Alden's confrontation with Agent Sebso end in "Paris Green"?

Van Alden drowns his corrupt partner in front of a Black congregation.

Which real event does the season-one finale, "A Return to Normalcy", build to?

The title quotes Warren G. Harding's campaign slogan.

What does Nucky arrange the Commodore to do to Gillian in exchange for becoming sheriff?

The revelation is what turns Jimmy against Nucky at the end of season one.

How did Nucky's infant son Enoch Jr. die?

The loss drove Nucky's first wife to kill herself.

What did Nucky's abusive father Ethan scar his hand with?

His sister Susan later died of tuberculosis.

How old was Gillian when Jimmy was born?

His father, the Commodore, was 54.

What wounded Jimmy Darmody's leg in France, leaving him with a limp?

He shows signs of what would now be called post-traumatic stress disorder.

What drug does the disfigured prostitute Pearl become addicted to before her suicide?

Jimmy has Richard Harrow kill the gangster who slashed her face.

What is Nucky arrested for at the start of season two?

The Commodore's faction manipulates the KKK into attacking Chalky's warehouse in the same episode.

What medical event forces Jimmy to take control of the Commodore's operation?

Eli resorts to brutal means to keep the Commodore's incapacitation quiet.

What interrupts Richard Harrow's suicide attempt in the woods in "Gimcrack & Bunkum"?

The dog runs off with his mask; two hunters at a campfire talk him into living.

Which disease strikes Margaret's daughter Emily in season two?

Margaret sees it as divine punishment and considers testifying against Nucky.

What does Nucky offer the IRA in Ireland in exchange for Irish whiskey?

He then floods Atlantic City with the whiskey to cripple Jimmy's business.

Which Philadelphia gangster murders Angela Darmody in season two?

He was seeking revenge for Jimmy's failed hit over a $5,000 debt.

Which alderman do Jimmy and Richard kill and stage as a suicide to help Nucky's case?

They force him to type an exonerating note at gunpoint first.

Where does Nucky kill Jimmy in the season-two finale?

Jimmy, sensing a trap, arrives unarmed; Nucky shoots him twice in the head.

Whom does Margaret sign Nucky's valuable land deed over to at the end of season two?

He had planned to use the land in a lucrative road-construction deal.

How long is Eli's prison sentence after pleading guilty to voter fraud for Nucky?

His guilty plea protects Nucky from being charged again.

Which real boxer appears in season two, played by Devin Harjes?

The episode "Battle of the Century" is named for his 1921 title fight.

What did Van Alden's parents do to prepare for the second coming they expected in 1892?

The experience estranged him from his parents for good.

On what date does season three open?

Gyp Rosetti is introduced beating a good samaritan to death with a tire iron.

Which product does the good samaritan mention before Rosetti beats him to death?

Rosetti later takes a polite Italian farewell from Nucky as an insult too.

Which small New Jersey town does Gyp Rosetti seize to blockade Nucky's shipments?

It sits on the only winter-passable road to New York and is the last place to buy gas.

Which Italian phrase from Nucky does Rosetti take as an insult, restarting the feud?

He responds by burning the local sheriff alive.

How many of Nucky's men die when Rosetti ambushes the convoy in season three?

Eli had scouted the town in advance and still could not prevent it.

Whom does Rothstein send to kill Gyp Rosetti in season three?

The hit fails but kills four of Rosetti's men and a waitress he had been sleeping with.

What is the name of the New York showgirl who becomes Nucky's mistress in season three?

She dies in a boardwalk explosion meant for Nucky in "The Pony".

What job does Van Alden take in Chicago while on the run at the start of season three?

He eventually burns a mocking coworker's face with one of the irons.

Who kills Gyp Rosetti in the season-three finale?

He is stabbed while urinating on the beach.

Where is Owen Sleater killed in "A Man, a Plan..."?

Margaret had just told him she was pregnant with his child.

Which Ohio bootlegger, played by Glenn Fleshler, does Nucky have arrested for Mellon?

The real Remus famously referred to himself in the third person.

How much a month does Nucky pay Attorney General Daugherty for protection in season three?

Daugherty later plans to make Nucky a scapegoat for the Harding administration's scandals.

Where does Richard Harrow meet Julia Sagorsky's father Paul?

Richard cares for the bitter drunk after a bar fight and falls for his daughter.

Which season-three episode is set at Easter and won an Emmy for art direction?

Nucky and Eli reconcile over the Easter dinner in it.

What is the name of Chalky's boardwalk venue in season four?

His right-hand man Dunn Purnsley kills a booking agent there in the premiere.

Which real FBI director turns out to be Agent Knox's true boss?

Hoover is nonetheless uninterested in the bootleggers' network.

What is Agent Warren Knox's real name?

Gaston Means has secretly known all along.

How does Nucky's butler die in season four?

Guilt over betraying Nucky's trust drives him to it.

Which hotel does Nucky live in during season four?

The real Nucky Johnson lived in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton.

Which singer does Narcisse book for Chalky's club, and who then has an affair with Chalky?

She is played by Margot Bingham.

Which famous 1924 murder case hits the papers in the episode "William Wilson"?

In the same episode Capone kills a policeman in grief over his brother.

Which Capone brother is shot dead by deputized Chicago agents in season four?

Morgan Spector played the character.

Where does Chalky hide out with his old mentor Oscar Boneau in season four?

The blind Oscar is killed when Narcisse's men attack the house.

Whom does Richard Harrow accidentally kill in the season-four finale?

He hesitates as a sniper, she moves into the shot, and he is mortally wounded in return.

Where does Richard Harrow die at the end of season four?

He imagines a reunion with his new family, his face healed.

How does Eli deal with the federal agent who turned him, in the season-four finale?

Nucky then sends Eli to Chicago, where Van Alden meets him.

Which crime novelist co-wrote the season-four episode "Resignation"?

He also wrote for The Wire.

Season five jumps ahead to which year?

It runs from April to October, with flashbacks to Nucky's childhood and his years as a deputy.

Which pair of years is shown in the season-five flashbacks?

They show Nucky's childhood as a pier boy and his time as a deputy sheriff.

Which rum company does Nucky court in Cuba in the season-five premiere?

He is hoping to be positioned for the repeal of Prohibition.

Which mob boss is gunned down at a table after Luciano excuses himself in season five?

Bugsy Siegel and Tonino Sandrelli do the shooting.

Which future political patriarch turns down Nucky's rum partnership in season five?

He tells Nucky that scotch and rum don't really mix.

What is the name of the company whose stock Nucky manipulates in the series finale?

Margaret persuades Kennedy to short-sell his shares.

Which two movie stars visit Al Capone in "Devil You Know"?

Both would soon star in gangster pictures modelled on Capone.

Who shoots Van Alden dead in season five?

The undercover agent silences him before he can reveal the federal investigation.

Who kills Mickey Doyle in "Friendless Child"?

He is shot in the throat while trying to wheedle his way into keeping the club.

What is the true identity of the bellboy Joe Harper who shoots Nucky in the finale?

Nucky is shot three times and dies seeing his younger self swimming for a coin.

Which real psychiatrist operates on Gillian in the mental hospital in the finale?

The real Cotton removed patients' teeth and organs at Trenton State Hospital.

Which crime-fighting body do Luciano and Lansky form in the series finale?

It is a singular body to mediate relations between crime organizations.

Where is Narcisse assassinated in the finale?

Luciano orders Bugsy Siegel to carry out the killing.

How is Chalky White killed in season five?

He takes Narcisse's deal to secure the singer's future, knowing he will be betrayed.

Which four actors left the main cast before the final season?

Ben Rosenfield was promoted to the main cast in their place.

What flower did the real Nucky Johnson wear fresh daily on his lapel?

He also rode in a $14,000 powder-blue limousine and owned a $1,200 raccoon coat.

On which floor of the Ritz-Carlton did the real Nucky Johnson live?

He was known as both the Czar of the Ritz and the Prisoner of the Ritz.

What crime finally sent the real Nucky Johnson to prison in 1941?

He got ten years and a $20,000 fine, and was paroled after four.

What was the name of the real Nucky Johnson's first wife?

He reportedly began drinking only after her death in 1912.

Which 1929 gathering of national mob leaders did the real Nucky Johnson host?

A famous photo of him walking the boardwalk with Capone is of doubtful authenticity.

Which political boss did the real Nucky Johnson succeed after a 1911 corruption trial?

Kuehnle was convicted and jailed while Johnson was acquitted.

Which real Atlantic City protégé may have inspired Jimmy Darmody?

Boyd was a former Ritz-Carlton bellhop who became Johnson's top enforcer.

Which real Philadelphia gangster is the bootlegger Doyle based on?

Duffy was a Polish-American beer baron of Prohibition Philadelphia.

What was Lucy Danziger's job before becoming Nucky's mistress?

Years later her daughter Abigail knows only vaguely that her mother was a dancer.

What did the real Nucky Johnson study at New Jersey State Normal School?

He abandoned the studies for politics.

Which actor plays Nucky's younger brother Eli, the sheriff of Atlantic County?

Eli is loosely based on Alf Johnson, the real Nucky's brother, and later ends up working for Al Capone's organization.

Which Hollywood star served as an executive producer alongside Scorsese and Terence Winter?

Wahlberg's producing partner Stephen Levinson and Sopranos director Tim Van Patten rounded out the executive team.

What did HBO pay for on the Atlantic City Expressway for one weekend in September 2011?

The stunt accompanied a beautification project tagged 'Compliments of Nucky Thompson' to promote season two.

Michael Shannon had just earned an Oscar nomination for which film when he was cast as Van Alden?

His turn in the Sam Mendes drama came shortly before he joined Buscemi, Pitt, Macdonald and Piazza in the cast.

The pilot was Scorsese's first TV directing since an episode of which 1986 anthology series?

Steven Spielberg's anthology gave Scorsese his only previous television episode; he said HBO now offered the freedom he had hoped for in the 1960s.