[1] Silanus was a descendant of the noble Roman house of the Junii Silani.
His grandfather was Marcus Junius Silanus, consul with the emperor Augustus in 25 BC.
[2] Torquatus married Aemilia Lepida, daughter of Julia the Younger, and great-granddaughter of Augustus.
[3][4] Consul for the whole year of AD 19, he and his colleague Norbanus brought forward the lex Junia Norbana, which prevented slaves manumitted by praetors from receiving the franchise, and precluding their descendants from inheritance.
[6] Silanus and Aemilia had five children, all of whom suffered as a result of their connection to the imperial family.