Paul Sorvino, known for his work as a stocky, no-nonsense tough guy who also proved he could do so much more, has died. He was 83.
Born Paul Anthony Sorvino in Brooklyn in 1939, his initial career ambition was to sing, and he started taking voice lessons from the age of 8.
He began performing at resorts and charity events and in 1963, scored his Equity card in the chorus of South Pacific at a theatre on Long Island. He then went on to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.
Though he soon started performing on stage, he had to make ends meet and support his family by working various odd jobs including as a bartender, car salesman and acting teacher to children. He also wrote advertising copy, but the office environment led to a stress ulcer.
His luck shifted when he landed his film debut, in 1972's Carl Reiner comedy Where's Poppa? and also won a big role in Jason Miller's play That Championship Season off-Broadway. It proved to be one of his most fruitful jobs. The play moved to Broadway and Sorvino was nominated for a Tony. He reprised the part when Miller adapted the play for the big screen in 1982. Sorvino went on to direct the 1999 TV adaptation that starred Vincent D'Onofrio.
On the small screen, he was seen in the likes of The Streets Of San Francisco, Moonlighting, Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and, more recently, Elementary and The Goldbergs. He was famously on Law & Order for a couple of seasons.
Yet it is Sorvino's movie work that stands out to most people — and most notably, his ability to play mobsters and mafiosos. Martin Scorsese tapped him to play Paul Cicero, AKA Big Pauly in Goodfellas, one of his most iconic roles.
In a career that spanned more than 170 credits, he would show up in the likes of Nixon, Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer, For the Love of Money, Reds, Oh God, A Touch Of Class, Romeo + Juliet, The Brink's Job, Cruising, Bulworth, Perfume, Mr. 3000 and Rules Don't Apply.
“Our hearts are broken,” says wife Dee Dee Sorvino 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.”
Daughter Mira Sorvino, who has forged her own successful acting career, took to social media to pay tribute.