Paul Sorvino, well remembered for his role as Paulie Cicero in the 1990 gangster film Goodfellas, has died at the age of 83.
His publicist, Roger Neal, stated that he died of natural causes at his home in Indiana.
Throughout his film and television career, which began in 1970, the Tony Award-nominated actor was best recognized for his performances as cops and gangsters.
His wife and three children survive him.
Dee Dee Sorvino, his wife, said in a statement following his death, “there will never be another Paul Sorvino.”
“He was the love of my life and one of the greatest actors to ever grace the movie and stage,” Mrs. Sorvino continued.
Sorvino, who was born in Brooklyn in 1939 and whose mother was a piano instructor, began his career in show business in 1964 with the musical “Bajour.
Four years later, he made his cinematic debut in Carl Reiner’s 1970 black comedy “Where’s Poppa?”
In the decades thereafter, Sorvino, who stands at 6’4 (1.93m), has been a staple in American cinema, co-starring with Al Pacino in 1971’s “The Panic in Needle Park” and the recently deceased James Caan in 1974’s “The Gambler.”
His most famous part was as Paul Cicero, an underworld boss, in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” in 1990. Paul Vario, a real-life Brooklyn mobster, inspired the character.
That portrayal, along with dozens of episodes of “Law and Order,” solidified his reputation as a “tough guy” criminal or cop in the eyes of many viewers.
Sorvino appeared in almost 50 films and dozens of television episodes. Despite deteriorating health, he played his final two parts, as a corrupt politician and a Luciano crime family boss, in 2019.
Sorvino and his first wife had three children, two of whom became performers and one of whom became writers.
Mira Sorvino, one of his children, eventually won an Academy Award for her portrayal in Woody Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite” in 1996.
Mira Sorvino gave a popular interview after being exposed as a victim of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, in which he prophesied that the disgraced Hollywood tycoon would perish behind bars.
Many of Sorvino’s notable roles were mentioned during the interview.
“Because if he doesn’t, he’ll have to meet me, and I’ll kill [him],” he explained. “Simple.”
Mira Sorvino paid tribute to her father on Twitter on Monday.
“The great Paul Sorvino, my father, has died away,” she wrote. My heart is shattered; a life of love, laughter, and insight with him are over.” He was an excellent father.
