American actor Paul Sorvino, best known for his role as gangster Paulie Cicero in the mob movie Goodfellas, has died aged 83.
Sorvino, also known for playing Police Sergeant Phil Cerretta on the TV series Law and Order, had worked in film and television for more than 50 years.
“I am completely devastated. The love of my life and the most wonderful man who ever lived is gone. I am heartbroken,” his wife Dee Dee Sorvino wrote on social media.
Image: Sorvino with his Goodfellas co-stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci
The daughter of actor Mira Sorvino, a Hollywood star in her own right, wrote on Twitter: “My father, the great Paul Sorvino, has passed away.
“My heart is broken: a life of love, joy and wisdom with him is over.
“He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. Sending you love to the stars, Dad as you ascend.”
When she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1995 film Mighty Aphrodite, she thanked her father during her acceptance speech. “He’s taught me everything I know about acting,” she said at the time, which brought tears to her eyes.
Sorvino died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., of natural causes, a spokesman said.
In May of this year, his co-star in the 1990 film Goodfellas, Ray Liotta, died at the age of 67 in his sleep while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic.
Sorvino’s other high-profile roles include mob boss Eddie Valentine in 1991’s The Rocketeer and played former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s 1995, Nixon, about the disgraced former president Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins. .
A year later in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, he was Fulgencio Capulet, patriarch of the Capulets.
Image: Paul Sorvino and his daughter Mira in 2007. Photo: AP
He also played an Italian-American communist in Warren Beatty’s Reds.
Sorvino worked continuously, with over 170 credits and dozens of roles over the years, including guest appearances on Godfather of Harlem, Bad Blood, Undercover Grandpa, The Goldbergs and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
He often said that although he was perhaps best known for playing gangsters, his true passions were poetry, painting and opera.
He was born in Brooklyn in 1939 and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.
Image: Paul Sorvino and his wife Dee Dee in 2015
She originally wanted to be an opera singer before turning to acting.
His long career also included roles in the Broadway play That Championship Season and a 1982 film adaptation.
Other film credits include Dick Tracy and Money Talks.
Along with his wife Dee Dee and Oscar winner Mira, Sorvino is survived by his son Michael, daughter Amanda and five grandchildren.