Paul Sorvino, best known for his portrayals as a street smart wise guy in “Goodfellas” and “Law & Order,” died from natural causes on Monday morning. He was 83.
According to Sorvino’s publicist, Roger Neal, Sorvino’s wife, Emmy-winning actress Dee Dee Sorvino, was by his side.
“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.
Sorvino, who was raised in Brooklyn, New York, worked for more than 5 decades in cinema, tv, and on Broadway, embodying a wide range of captivating and compelling roles.
He is perhaps best recognized for his role as mobster Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.” In 2004, he told AP Radio that he was proud of his efforts in the 1990 picture.
“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 is possibly equally well recognized for his appearance on “Law & Order” from 1991 to 1992. Despite the fact that he was only on the program for one season, his 31 episodes as Sgt. Frank Cerreta indelibly linked him to the iconic television franchise.
