It’s impressive enough when an actor leaves a memorable mark on movies and TV shows, but to do so in both is a tremendous accomplishment. Paul Sorvino is one of those actors, having both starred in major movies like Goodfellas and appeared in popular TV shows like Law & Order. Sadly, it’s been revealed that Sorvino has died at the age of 83.
The unfortunate news was shared by Paul Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee Sorvino, on her Instagram page. The actor is also survived by his three children: Mira, Michael and Amanda, all of whom came from his first marriage with Lorraine Davis, and the former two joining their father in the acting game. Dee Dee Sorvino didn’t share any specific details about his death, but you can read what she had to say about her late husband in the caption below:
Born on April 13, 1939, Paul Sorvino prepared for a life of professionally acting by attending the The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. By 1964, Sorvino made his Broadway debut in the musical Bajour and starred in numerous plays, both on and off Broadway, in the decades to follow. As far as his film and TV work goes, Sorvino made his big screen debut in 1970’s Where’s Poppa? (which was directed by Carl Reiner), and his early TV appearances included The Streets of San Francisco, We’ll Get By and Bert D'Angelo/Superstar, the latter two being short-lived shows that he led.
Jumping ahead past projects like Reds, The Stuff and The Oldest Rookie, the early 1990s were a particularly big period for Paul Sorvino. In 1990 alone, he starred as Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas (which Netflix subscribers can watch now) and “Lips” Manlis in Dick Tracy, and in the immediate years after, he starred in The Rocketeer (which can be viewed with a Disney+ subscription), The Firm, Nixon and Romeo + Juliet, among other movies. Going back to TV, Sorvino also starred as Sergeant Phil Cerreta in Law & Order Seasons 2 and 3, though he never returned to the recently-revived NBC series after that stint. Regardless, it was pretty clear at this point that Sorvino excelled at playing gangsters and cops.
Looking to Paul Sorvino’s later years, some of this notable film appearances include Once Upon a Time in Queens, Careful What You Wish For, Rules Don’t Apply, Undercover Grandpa and 2021’s The Birthday Cake, the latter of which was his final movie. TV-wise, Sorvino made guest appearances in shows like Elementary and The Goldbergs, and he also recurred as Frank Costello in the first two seasons of the Epix series Godfather of Harlem. Sorvino’s death follows two months after his Goodfellas co-star Ray Liotta died at 67, and the news comes several hours after it was revealed that Titanic and Tron actor David Warner died at the age of 80.
We here at CinemaBlend express our condolences to Paul Sorvino’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed.
