Legendary actor Paul Sorvino, best known for playing mobster Paulie Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 masterpiece Goodfellas, died this morning with his wife Dee Dee by his side. Dee Dee was quoted by entertainment website TMZ as saying, “Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage.”
Sorvino’s daughter, actress Mira Sorvino, announced her father’s death on Twitter.
My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed. My heart is rent asunder- a life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over. He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. I’m sending you love in the stars Dad as you ascend.
— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) July 25, 2022
Sorvino often portrayed authority figures on both sides of the law and, beyond his work in Goodfellas, was widely-known for his role NYPD Sergeant Phil Cerreta on the TV series Law & Order. He took on supporting roles in A Touch of Class, Reds, The Rocketeer, Nixon, and Romeo + Juliet, among others.
Sorvino was born and raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. His father, Ford Sorvino, was an Italian immigrant who worked in a robe factory as a foreman. His mother, Angela Maria Mattea, was a homemaker and piano teacher who was born in Connecticut of Italian descent. He attended Lafayette High School and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he first developed his love of acting.
He was the father of Mira and actor/producer Michael Sorvino.
Sorvino’s co-star in Goodfellas, Ray Liotta, who played the lead role of Henry Hill, one of Sorvino’s mobsters in the film, passed earlier this year at the age of 67.
