Manny Horvitz, Butcher Man

Boardwalk Empire character Manny Horvitz (nickname: Munya) first appeared in Season 2.

Manny is portrayed by actor, William Forsythe, also known for his roles in:
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Dick Tracy (1990)
The Untouchables (1993)
Gotti (1996)
Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)

What Does the Bee Do: Jimmy Darmody meets Horvitz at his butcher shop in Philadelphia through Mickey Doyle. Horvitz takes a liking to Jimmy and his sidekick Richard Harrow and agrees to do business with them, although he warns Jimmy that the consequences of double-crossing him can be fatal (“my freezer is full of pieces of fellas who tried to bleep me over”).

Manny Quotes: “Call me Munya or Manny.”
“… I got a daughter. She’s an angel. My wife — her ankles got thick,
but I love her anyway.”
On Waxey Gordon: “He’s a greedy prick with his hand in my ass pocket
where my wallet should be.”
“… we stick it right up Waxey’s tuchis.”

Age of Reason: Manny calls Jimmy in response to a message. Jimmy informs him that he saw Manny’s associate Herman Kaufmann on the boardwalk with Nucky Thompson. Manny find Kaufman and tortures him in the basement of his butcher shop, then insists Jimmy come to Philadelphia. He allows Jimmy to interrogate Kaufman before telling Jimmy to kill Herman. They plan to intercept and hijack Nucky Thompson’s liquor with the information extracted from Kaufman.

The hijacking turns out different than it was planned when Jimmy and Manny find out that Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky are guarding the shipment. The New York gangsters suggest a partnership but Manny thinks their involvement with Waxey Gordon is enough for him to kill them. Jimmy would prefer to collaborate, but the driver, Nathan Klein, makes the mistake of saying Waxey Gordon’s time is not over. Manny kills him.

Manny Quotes: “I’m not the one who screwed you in a business deal, boychik.”
“He’s injured. Makes him treif. We all gotta live by rules.”
“You work with Waxey Gordon. He’s a piece of shit.”

Two Boats and a Lifeguard: Manny comes to Atlantic City and Mickey Doyle brings him over to visit Jimmy at the Commodore’s. Manny has heard about the assassination attempt on Nucky Thompson but Jimmy feigns ignorance. Horvitz angers Jimmy by insinuating that he is a boy, rather than a man, over the $5,000 that Jimmy still owes him.

Later at a celebration at Babette’s over Nucky’s decision to step down, Mickey brings Manny. From the first floor, Manny yells up at Jimmy to come down. Jimmy takes his anger out on Mickey and throws him over the balcony on to a table that Manny is standing by. Manny recognizes this as an insult and challenge and glares up at Jimmy.

Manny Quotes: “I can see that boychick — and that you hid behind papa when he pulled the trigger.”

Battle of the Century: Jimmy Darmody continues to refuse to pay Manny his $5,000. He meets with Waxey Gordon to do business with him. He tells Waxey that Manny murdered Klein and Kaufman, knowing that Waxey will want to kill Manny. He tells Waxey he has no problem with that.

Gordon’s flunky, Albert Gordetsky, attempts to kill Manny Horvitz but ends up getting the axe — literally. Manny finds a box of toothpicks from Atlantic City in Albert’s pocket.

Manny Quotes: “Go to the Polack — he’s open.”

More Boardwalk Empire characters:

Georgia Peaches: Jimmy Darmody changes his mind about paying Manny Horvitz and sends Mickey Doyle to Philadelphia to pay him off with liquor. Horvitz has a gun when he takes a peek outside but lets Doyle in. Horvitz says they are the “walking wounded” — he’s been shot in the shoulder and Darmody threw Doyle off the balcony, resulting in his present injuries that keep him in a neck brace. Doyle assures Horvitz that Darmody had nothing to do with the attempt on his life — it was all Waxey Gordon, but Horvitz doesn’t believe it, throwing the box of toothpicks from Heilig’s in Atlantic City at Doyle. He demands to know where Darmody is, but Doyle indicates he can’t divulge his partners whereabouts. Horvitz proceeds to choke Doyle who asks him what he’s doing. “Changing your mind,” Manny says.

Horvitz then pays a visit to Darmody’s beach front home. He enters the home cautiously and makes his way to the bedroom where Jimmy’s wife, Angela is sleeping. Hearing the shower running, he clamps his hand over Angela’s mouth and waits for Jimmy Darmody to come out of the shower. As soon as the door opens, he fires and then sees he has shot a woman (Angela’s current lady love, Louise). “What the bleep!” Manny exclaims. Angela runs to Louise and Manny demands to know where Jimmy is. He also clarifies that she’s Jimmy’s wife. Angela admits he is not there and begs Horvitz not to kill her, informing him that she has a child. She can get him money, whatever he wants. He doesn’t have to do it. He shoots her, then fires another shots into Angela and another one into Louise.

Manny Quotes: “He who dies pays all his debts.”
“Your husband did this to you.”

To The Lost: After closing his butcher shop and securing his family’s safety, Manny hides out in the basement of a Philadelphia synagogue, fearing retaliation for Angela’s murder. Mickey Doyle brokers a meeting between Manny and Nucky Thompson. Owen Sleater is also there. Manny rambles on about his rough childhood in Odessa but Doyle cuts him short. Manny names Waxey Gordon as the source of his bad luck. Nucky informs him that he does business with Waxey. Manny reveals that Jimmy Darmody is also in business with Waxey. “Let us help each other,” Manny says, “You give me Waxey. I give you Darmody, and we make business together.” Nucky is not impressed. Manny reveals that he killed Angela. Nucky recoils but says he will consider the proposition and leaves. Nucky considers killing Horvitz but instead uses him to lure Darmody to the War Memorial and kills Jimmy.

Manny Quotes: “The big crook in Odessa — he’s somebody.”
“[Nucky Thompson] would be nothing in Odessa.”

Resolution: Season 3 of Boardwalk Empire jumps ahead to 1923. Manny has been working for Nucky and with Mickey Doyle. After Nate, a guy who has been hijacking Nucky’s liquor, gives up his partner’s name, Manny kills him. He is then assigned to find and kill the partner, Rowland Smith. Manny also tells Nucky he wants his own operation. He never gets it because he is shot in the face by Richard Harrow, in revenge for the death of Angela Darmody.