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Kathrine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco

Charmaine Bucco is a recurring character on the HBO television series The Sopranos. She is played by Kathrine Narducci.

Charmaine is an old friend of Carmela Soprano's and married Tony Soprano's school friend Artie Bucco. Artie and Charmaine are also partnered in the restaurant business and opened their own restaurant, Vesuvio, with Charmaine as manager and Artie as head chef. Artie and Charmaine have two children together - a son and a daughter. Their daughter played with Meadow on the high school soccer team.

In season one of the Sopranos, 1999, Charmaine and Carmela have drifted apart. Charmaine resents Carmela's high standard of living through her husbands criminal lifestyle. She discourages Artie from associating with Tony because of his mafia connections and talks Artie out of accepting suspect gifts from Tony. Charmaine and Carm's friendship reaches a crisis point when Carmela hires the Buccos to cater a silent auction at the Soprano home - Carm treats Charmaine like a servant prompting her to exact revenge by revealing that she once slept with Tony while he and Carmela were dating. Carmela was on a trip with her parents at the time.

Charmaine Bucco and Artie later separate because she was no longer able to tolerate Artie's relationship with Tony Soprano and left, telling him, "you're not getting the kids." Since the split, Charmaine considerably improved her personal appearance and continued work at the Nuovo Vesuvio.

She has since reconciled with her husband and they are living together again. During their restaurant's financial difficulties in 2006 Charmaine remained level headed and supportive of her husband.

• http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/character/charmaine_bucco.shtml