Tommy Vercetti
Name	Tommy Vercetti
Nickname	Harwood Butcher
Age	35+ (1986)
Born	June, 1951
Weight	6’ 3” (1.91 m)
Gang	Vercetti Gang
Status	Alive
Voice actor	Ray Liotta

Introduced In: Opening Cutscene

History[edit]

Tommy Vercetti, to American mother and Italian-American father in Liberty City, is the playable character of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Vercetti is sent to prison during the 70's in Liberty City for multiple homicide, earning him the nickname, "The Harwood Butcher" Tommy was brought up in the Portland area of Liberty City his mother passed away when he was 11 in 1962.

Date of birth: 1951

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Brown

Height: 6’3”

Tommy Vercetti is depicted as both intelligent but temperamental, easily angered and quick to resort to violence. He has no hesitation about killing, though many of his victims are in turn trying to kill Tommy as well, or have done something that requires them to be killed. The story does not require Tommy to kill innocent people. Tommy does also show a softer side as seen with his relations with Mercedes Cortez and Earnest Kelly, whom he views as a father figure due to his childhood memories of working with his father at a printworks

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[edit]

Tommy Vercetti is released from prison due to the influence of Sonny Forelli, the Don of the Forelli Family Mafia. Sonny realizes that having Tommy working for them would be bad for their image, however, so he sends him to Vice City to oversee a drug deal between the Forellis and the Vance brothers, Victor and Lance. Tommy meets with Ken Rosenberg, a corrupt lawyer working for the Forellis'. The deal is ambushed, and three people, including Victor Vance, are killed. Tommy and Rosenberg narrowly escape, and Tommy reports the incident to Don Forelli. Sonny informs Tommy that either he retrieve the lost money and cocaine or he will be killed.

Tommy joins forces with Lance Vance, who is seeking revenge for his brother's murder, and find out that Ricardo Diaz, a powerful Vice City drug-lord, was behind the setup. Tommy runs errands for Diaz until he is a trusted associate of the gang. Lance had previously infiltrated the gang, and attempts to kill Diaz. He is stopped and taken to a warehouse to be tortured. Tommy rescues him and suggests they take Diaz out quickly before he has a chance to have his revenge.

Tommy and Lance infiltrate Diaz's compound and kill Ricardo Diaz in his office. Tommy takes over control of Diaz's drug empire, expanding their business into gun-running, prostitution and protection rackets. He renames Diaz's compound, the "Vercetti Estate". He quickly becomes one of Vice City's most powerful and influential organized crime figures.

Word reaches Sonny Forelli of Tommy's take-over of Vice City, and he contacts Tommy claiming he still owes him the missing cocaine and money. He also wants Tommy to split some of his profits with the Forellis. It soon becomes clear that Tommy has broken all ties with the Forelli family. Sonny sends "tax collectors" to Vice City to reclaim their money, but Tommy has them killed. Sonny himself travels to Vercetti Estate and confronts Tommy at his mansion. Tommy had set aside $20 million in counterfeit bills to placate Sonny, but, before Sonny accepts it, Lance betrays Tommy and tells Sonny the real fortune is in his safe.

This causes a huge gun-fight to ensue, Tommy kills the Forelli thugs trying to break into his office, then heads to the roof of the mansion to deal with Sonny. He learns that Sonny Forelli was the reason he was sent to prison in the 70's, and kills him and the rest of the Forellis in a massive shower of bullets.

The end cutscene shows Tommy and Rosenberg having a conversation, Tommy tells Ken, "this'll be the start of a beautiful business relationship" before the credits.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[edit]

It is unknown what happened to Vercetti after the events of Vice City, however it is known that he was alive in 1992, before the events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In the introduction scene, which came with the limited edition box set, Ken Rosenberg is seen coming out of rehab in Bone County, and makes a phone call to Tommy, however it is not Tommy who answers, but rather someone who works for him and tells Ken that Tommy doesn't want to take his call. This confirms that Tommy is still alive, but that his relationship with Ken has crumbled because of the latter's drug use.

Trivia[edit]

• Tommy Vercetti earned his "Harwood Butcher" nickname when he was sent to kill eleven men in Harwood, Liberty City in 1971.

• Tommy bears a great resemblance to the fictional Miami drug-lord Tony Montana. He has been exiled from his original home, built up a drug empire and had a climactic gun-battle in his mansion. These all happen to Montana in the film Scarface. The only difference is that Montana is killed in the gun-fight, and Tommy survives.