July hasn’t been good for actors who played beloved mafia figures in media. First, it was James Caan who played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, then it was Tony Sirico (an actual mobster) who played the goofball Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri in The Sopranos, and by the end of the month, we have also lost Paul Sorvino, the caporegime from Martin Scorsese’s classic Goodfellas. The lead actor from Goodfellas, Ray Liotta, also died in May earlier this year.
The Tony-nominated actor died of natural causes at the age of 83, his wife Dee Dee shared the news. While no official cause of death is given, Sorvino, the father of Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino, is suspected to have died due to natural causes.
Apart from his iconic role in the Goodfellas, Sorvino also played memorable roles as Sergeant Phil Cerreta in Law & Order, James Caan’s bookie in The Gambler, secretary of state Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s Nixon, Claire Danes’ father in Romeo + Juliet, and a heroin-addicted lounge singer alongside Alec Baldwin in The Cooler.
Paul Sorvino was born on April 13, 1939, in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. His father was an Italian immigrant who worked in a robe factory, and his mother was a housewife and piano teacher. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sorvino spent a lot of time living in California with his mom before graduating from Lafayette High School in 1956.
Sorvino started his career as a copywriter in an advertising agency before deciding to go into theatre. He made his debut in the movies in 1970 with ‘Where’s Poppa’ before going on to act with Al Pacino in ‘The Panic in Needle Park’ in 1971, the second Hollywood movie for both of them. Sorvino was nominated for a Tony award in 1973 for his performance as Phil Romano in the Pulitzer-winning Broadway production of Jason Miller’s That Championship Season.
Sorvino’s last appearance on screen was as Uncle Carmine in the American thriller film ‘The Birthday Cake’. Sorvino is survived by 3 kids, actors Mira and Michael, and Amanda.
