Actor known for Goodfellas, Law & Order
Paul Sorvino, the cop and crook of stage and screen best known for his roles in projects such as Goodfellas and Law & Order, died Monday at age 83.
The actor had fallen ill Sunday while in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Dee Dee Sorvino. She took him to the Mayo Clinic, where he died Monday morning, according to his publicist, Roger Neal. Cause of death was not disclosed. “We were all taken by surprise,” Neal said.
“Our hearts are broken,” Dee Dee Sorvino said in a statement. “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.”
Throughout his career, the Brooklyn native was an imposing presence on film and stage. He started on Broadway, where he received a Tony nomination for his role in That Championship Season, before taking the film industry by storm in the 1970s. He starred alongside Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park, James Caan in The Gambler, and worked with Carl Reiner on Where’s Poppa and Oh, God! Working consistently through the ‘80s, Sorvino once again hit stardom with his role as Henry Kissinger in Nixon in 1995 and Fulgencio Capulet in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
But his most iconic roles were as mafia man Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas and NYPD sergeant Phil Cerreta on two seasons of Law & Order. At six-foot-two with a glare that could eviscerate any ego, Sorvino seemed typecast for such outsize roles.
Sorvino, who married Dee Dee in 2014, had three children from his first marriage to Lorraine Davis: Michael Sorvino, Amanda Sorvino and Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino. Paul and Mira shared an especially tender public moment in 1996 when Mira won the best supporting actress Oscar for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite. As she accepted the trophy, she dedicated the award to her father: “When you give me this award, you honour my father, Paul Sorvino, who has taught me everything I know about acting, I love you very much, Dad.” He burst into tears.
Mira took to Twitter on Monday after her father’s death was announced.
“My heart is rent asunder — a life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over,” she wrote. “He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. I’m sending you love in the stars Dad as you ascend.”