Mrs. Cipriani is a minor character in Grand Theft Auto III and a main character in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and is mentioned in Grand Theft Auto Advance through her restaurant.
She is voiced by Sondra James.
History[]
Background[]
Mrs. Cipriani is the mother of Leone Crime Family member Toni Cipriani (who frequently addresses her as Ma), the wife of Mr. Cipriani, and the owner of Momma's Restaurante in Saint Mark's, Liberty City.
In 1968, she opened her restaurant in the Saint Mark's district of Liberty City. Her husband was later killed by a rival gang which left her to raise her son Toni alone. She is known to have beaten him both as a child, and even as an adult.
She continued to operate her restaurant whilst also raising her son. Four[1] years before the events of GTA Liberty City Stories, she lost all contact with Toni after he killed a made man of a rival Mafia family and had to go into hiding.
Events of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
When Toni reappears, he does not immediately go to see his mother, which angers her. When he does visit, Mrs. Cipriani lays into him for not calling whilst he was away. She then compares Toni to his father and mob men in Liberty City, including Giovanni Casa, saying that Toni doesn't match up to either of them. Toni then sets out to prove his mother wrong, by taking pictures of Giovanni Casa in a diaper chasing two prostitutes. However, this backfires with Mrs. Cipriani thinking less of Toni, with her saying that whether Casa wears a diaper or not that he's still a better man than Toni.
Mrs. Cipriani continues to berate her son Toni, and wants him to kill two groups of Triads, as she thinks that Toni lives in his apartment because he is afraid of the Triads. After that, Toni is forced to win a street race and kill Dan Sucho to prove his mother that he can drive, and apparently, get back at Sucho for being an ideal son to his momma.
Later on, Toni goes on killing Giovanni Casa for not paying protection money and for still being a better man to his momma than Toni himself is. However, Mrs. Cipriani still does not think of Toni as a man, and eventually calls a hit on him, which Toni survives. She eventually calls off the hit after Toni becomes a made man.
Mrs. Cipriani also phones into Chatterbox, a talk show on Liberty City Free Radio in 1998, complaining to Lazlow that Toni won't move back in with her. After being called Grandma, she threatens "Lazarus", saying that she just put a hit on his head. This is unlikely, since Lazlow was still hosting Chatterbox FM in October 2001.
Events of Grand Theft Auto III[]
By 2001, the setting of Grand Theft Auto III, Toni Cipriani had moved back in with his mother at her restaurant, and had noticeably gained weight. In GTA Liberty City Stories, she had complained about Toni not moving back in with her and about his weight. Mrs. Cipriani had not stopped complaining about Toni however, still comparing him to his father and saying that he was not a real man. In the same year, Toni phones Lazlow of Chatterbox FM, complaining about his mother berating him.
In Grand Theft Auto III, Salvatore Leone says to Toni in the mission Salvatore's Called a Meeting that his mother is "Strong, firenze." "Firenze" is the Italian name for "Florence."
Character[]
Appearance[]
The only time in the series when Mrs. Cipriani appears physically is during the mission Dead Meat in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, where she is seen sitting inside a Leone Sentinel behind tinted glass. She uses a generic "Mrs. Menalot" pedestrian model during this appearance.
Influence[]
Mrs. Cipriani is inspired by the character Olivia "Livia" Soprano from the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Like Livia, she is the manipulative mother of the main protagonist, she put a hit on her own son (or in Livia's case is responsible for a hit being put on her son) and still mourns her deceased mafioso husband.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Taking Out the Laundry (Voice)
- The Pick-Up (Voice)
- Salvatore's Called a Meeting (Voice)
- Triads and Tribulations (Voice)
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- Smash and Grab (Post-mission phone call)
- Snappy Dresser (Voice/Boss)
- Big Rumble in Little China (Voice/Boss)
- Grease Sucho (Voice/Boss)
- Dead Meat (Voice/Boss)
- No Son of Mine (Voice/Boss/Betrayal)
- Making Toni (Post-mission phone call/Forgiveness)
Gallery[]
