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R.I.P. Paul Sorvino, star of Goodfellas and fan-favorite of Law & Order
The multifaceted, gangster-portraying actor was 83.
Remembered for his imposing on-screen presence, actor Paul Sorvino has certainly left his mark on the entertainment industry.
In a career that spanned for over five decades, both on the silver screen and on television, with roles on either side of the law, Sorvino is best known for his mob-boss persona, arguably best portrayed in the 1990 all-time classic Goodfellas.
Sorvino was born in Brooklyn in 1939, and grew up having aspirations to become a singer. With a wide vocal range, he wanted to use his tenor abilities to build a lucrative career on the stage.
After his career took off, it wasn't a surprise to see Sorvino with a microphone in his hand, singing the classic Luciano Pavarotti song "O Sole Mio." He even showcased his vocal talents during the 1995 holiday special The Magic of Christmas singing "Silent Night."
Though he had the dream to make it big as a vocal artist, Sorvino knew he needed a different path if he wanted to have the career he eventually did.
Referencing his early career in his 20s, he told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in 1978, "I sang and acted in New York, but I was only marginally effective."
Though he may have been a late bloomer in the industry, Sorvino had plenty of success before Goodfellas and other roles in the 1990s.
He was alongside Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park before playing Hips in the 1974 movie The Gambler. Sorvino continued his strong decade in the 1970s, appearing in Oh, God and I Will, I Will... For Now before landing a lead romanic role in Slow Dancing in the Big City in 1978.
Sorvino kicked-off the '90s with his career-defining role as Paul Cicero in the 1990 critically acclaimed Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas. His 31-episode stint on the hit crime show Law & Order, as Sergeant Phil Cerreta, is also one of the most remembered roles of his career.
He further embraced the mobster mentality as Lips Manlis in Dick Tracy in 1990 and as Eddie Valentine in The Rocketeer in 1991. Standing at 6-foot-4, his gangster persona was always noticeable, using his height and stature as a natural intimidating factor.
Sorvino starred as Anthony Caruso in the TV movie A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives and portrayed former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the 1995 film Nixon.
His connection to crime continued into the 2010s as Chief Lassiter in the 2018 movie Acts of Desperation before landing a role as Frank Costello in the TV series The Godfather of Harlem.
Sorvino's wife, Dee Dee, took to Twitter on Monday to acknowledge her husband's passing. He was 83.
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He was minority counsel to the Watergate Committee. (He was the one who made public the existence of recording devices in the Oval Office.) And later he represented a woman in a wrongful termination suit against the Governor of Tennessee, Ray Blanton. That case led to Blanton's removal from office for selling pardons.
When Hollywood made a movie about that case ("Marie", 1985) they needed someone to play attorney Fred Dalton, and they ended up using... Fred Dalton.
The rest, as they say, is history. So by 2002 there probably wasn't anyone more prepared to step into the role of D.A. Arthur Branch!
Spun off of The Streets of San Francisco, it posed the question: what if life truly IS a Quinn Martin Production? And how will I distinguish Act IV from Epilogue?
