Sorvino also had notable roles in “Nixon,” “Reds,” “The Panic in Needle Park” and “Romeo + Juliet.”
Actor Paul Sorvino, known for streetwise tough guy roles in “Goodfellas” and “Law & Order,” died of natural causes at the age of 83 on Monday morning.
Sorvino’s wife, the Emmy-winning actor Dee Dee Sorvino, was by his side at the time of his death, according to Sorvino’s publicist Roger Neal.
“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,” Dee Dee Sorvino said in a statement released by Neal.
The Brooklyn-born actor enjoyed more than five decades of work across film, television and the Broadway stage as he portrayed a range of compelling and dramatic characters.
But Sorvino may be best known for his work in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” where he played mobster Paul Cicero. He told AP Radio in 2004 that he was proud of his work in the 1990 film.
“But it’s only one small section of what I am and it’s completely antithetical to my personality,” Sorvino said. “It’s nothing like me as a human being.”
He’s perhaps equally as well known for his stint from 1991 to 1992 on “Law & Order.” Although he was only on the show for one season, Sorvino’s 31 episodes as Sgt. Frank Cerreta forever affiliated him with the venerable television franchise.
Sorvino, an alumni of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, made his Broadway debut in the 1964 musical “Bajour.” He later starred in shows such as “Skyscraper” and “An American Millionaire,” according to Playbill.
Throughout his film career, Sorvino delivered dramatic performances playing real people. In Warren Beatty’s “Reds,” Sorvino played Italian-American communist Louis Fraina. In Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” he played former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, earning him a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination.
He also appeared in notable films such as Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” in 1996; the drug drama “The Panic in Needle Park” alongside Al Pacino in 1971; Warren Beatty’s comic strip adaptation “Dick Tracy” in 1990; the Disney superhero adventure “The Rocketeer” in 1991; and the adaptation of John Grisham’s “The Firm” alongside Tom Cruise in 1993.
Sorvino was also a staple in American homes thanks to his television work, not just for “Law & Order,” but also on the 1988 CBS crime drama “The Oldest Rookie” and more recently in Epix’s “The Godfather of Harlem” from 2019 to 2021.
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