Paul Sorvino JERSEY CITY, NJ - MAY 05: Paul Sorvino on location for "Lily of the Feast" on May 5, 2010 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage) (Bobby Bank/WireImage via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. — Paul Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas” and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerretta on “Law & Order,” has died. He was 83.
His publicist Roger Neal said he died Monday morning in Indiana of natural causes. Sorvino had dealt with health issues over the past few years.
“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,” his wife, Dee Dee Sorvino, said in a statement. She was by his side when he died.
In his over 50 years in the entertainment business, Sorvino was a mainstay in films and television, playing an Italian American communist in Warren Beatty’s “Reds,” Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” and mob boss Eddie Valentine in “The Rocketeer.” He would often say that while he might be best known for playing gangsters, his real passions were poetry, painting and opera.
Born in Brooklyn in 1939 to a mother who taught piano and father who was a foreman in a robe factory, Sorvino was musically inclined from a young age and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York where he fell for the theater. He made his Broadway debut in 1964 in “Bajour” and his film debut in Carl Reiner’s “Where’s Poppa?” in 1970.
With his 6-foot-4-inch stature, Sorvino made an impactful presence no matter the medium. In the 1970s, he acted alongside Al Pacino in “The Panic in Needle Park” and with James Caan in “The Gambler,” reteamed with Reiner in “Oh, God!” and was among the ensemble in William Friedkin’s bank robbery comedy “The Brink’s Job.” In John G. Avildsen’s “Rocky” follow-up “Slow Dancing in the Big City,” Sorvino got to play a romantic lead and use his dance training opposite professional ballerina Anne Ditchburn.
He was especially prolific in the 1990s, kicking off the decade playing Lips in Beatty’s “Dick Tracy” and Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” who was based on the real-life mobster Paul Vario, and 31 episodes on Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order.” He followed those with roles in “The Rocketeer,” “The Firm,” “Nixon,” which got him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” as Juliet’s father, Fulgencio Capulet. Beatty would turn to Sorvino often, enlisting him again for his political satire “Bulworth,” which came out in 1998, and his 2016 Hollywood love letter “Rules Don’t Apply.” He also appeared in James Gray’s “The Immigrant.”
Sorvino had three children from his first marriage, including Academy Award-winning actor Mira Sorvino. He also directed and starred in a film written by his daughter Amanda Sorvino and featuring his son Michael Sorvino.
When he learned that Mira Sorvino had been among the women allegedly sexually harassed and blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein in the midst of the #MeToo reckoning, he told TMZ that if he had known, Weinstein, “Would not be walking. He’d be in a wheelchair.”
He was proud of his daughter and cried when she won the best supporting actress Oscar for “Mighty Aphrodite” in 1996. He the Los Angeles Times that night that he didn’t have the words to express how he felt.
“They don’t exist in any language that I’ve ever heard — well, maybe Italian,” he said.
But he wanted to be seen for more than what he was on screen and took particular pride in his singing. In 1996, “Paul Sorvino: An Evening of Song” was broadcast on television as a part of a PBS fundraising campaign. Songs performed included “Torna A Sorriento,” “Guaglione,” “O Sole Mio,” “The Impossible Dream” and “Mama.”
“I’m a pop singer in the sense Mario Lanza was,” Sorvino said in an interview the Tampa Tribune. “It astonishes me that no American male singer sings with a full voice anymore. Where have all the tenors gone?”
The weight of his voice, he thought, made it difficult to train.
“It’s like trying to park a bus in a VW parking space,” he said.
He also ran a horse rescue in Pennsylvania, had a grocery store pasta sauce line based on his mother’s recipe, and sculpted a bronze statue of the late playwright Jason Miller that resides in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Sorvino had starred in Miller’s Tony and Pulitzer-winning play “That Championship Season” on Broadway in 1972 and its film adaptation.
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Paul Sorvino TORONTO - SEPTEMBER 6: (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actor Paul Sorvino participates in the "Mambo Italiano" press conference during the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival at the Delta Chelsea Hotel September 6, 2003 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images) (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino American actor Paul Sorvino backstage during a Broadway production of 'That Championship Season,' New York, New York, November 1972. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) (Jack Mitchell/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 26: Actor Paul Sorvino attends The 50th Anniversary World Premiere Restoration of "The Producers" Opening Night Gala and Robert Osborne Award at the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 26, 2018 in Hollywood, California. 350620. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM) (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK - APRIL 21: Actor Paul Sorvino (L) and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder, Robert De Niro attend the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival opening night premiere after party for "Shrek Forever After" at the MOMA on April 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images For Tribeca Film Festival) (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images For Tribeca Film Festival)
Paul Sorvino FILE - Mira Sorvino, right and father Paul Sorvino attend the premiere of "Reservation Road" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007. Paul Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas” and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerretta on “Law & Order,” has died. He was 83. (AP Photo/Kathleen Voege, File) (Kathleen Voege/AP)
Paul Sorvino SANTA BABY 2: CHRISTMAS MAYBE - Jenny McCarthy reprises her role as Mary Class, Santa's business minded daughter, starring alongside Paul Sorvino and Dean McDermott. Santa (Sorvino) is in the midst of a late-life crisis and is ready to pass on the reins to Mary, who is torn between taking over the family business and running her own high stakes firm in New York City, all the while trying to balance her relationship with the love of her life, Luke (McDermott). The situation gets increasingly dire when a disgruntled former elf, Teri (Kelly Stables), in cunning disguise, sows dissension at the North Pole in an effort to take over Christmas. "Santa Baby2: Christmas Maybe" airs as part of Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Family's 25 Days of Christmas. (Photo by Andrew Bako/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Family via Getty Images) LYNNE GRIFFIN, PAUL SORVINO (Andrew Bako/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino LAS VEGAS - AUGUST 20: Actors Mario Lopez (L) and Paul Sorvino watch the International Pool Tour World 8-Ball Championship at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino August 20, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest was the first-ever championship match between the best male and female pool players in the world and featured Mike Sigel vs. Loree Jon Jones. Sigel won the match to claim the top prize of $150,000 and Jones earned $75,000 as the runner-up - the biggest single payday in the history of the sport. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino JERSEY CITY, NJ - MAY 05: Paul Sorvino on location for "Lily of the Feast" on May 5, 2010 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage) (Bobby Bank/WireImage via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK - APRIL 21: (L-R) Actors Melanie Griffith, Paul Sorvino and Paul Sorvino attend the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival opening night premiere after party for "Shrek Forever After" at the MOMA on April 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images For Tribeca Film Festival) (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images For Tribeca Film Festival)
Paul Sorvino Front Row: Brian White, Bernie Mac, Angela Bassett, Paul Sorvino and Michael Rispoli Back Row: Amaury Nolasco, Earl Billings, Dondre Whitfield and Ian Anthony Dale (Photo by Lee Celano/WireImage) (Lee Celano/WireImage via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino Paul Sorvino gives his daughter, Mira Sorvino, a kiss at Capitol File Magazine's Holiday Party hosted by Niche Media CEO Jason Binn and Mira Sorvino at The Park at Fourteenth on Novermber 27, 2007 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage) (Paul Morigi/WireImage via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino MARINA DEL REY, CA - JUNE 09: Paul Sorvino attends the Bodvar House Of Roses Celebrates Official National Rose Day at Marina Del Rey Hotel on June 9, 2018 in Marina del Rey, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY--August 23: Actor Paul Sorvino performs the National Anthem when he attends the New York Jets vs New York Giants game at the Meadowlands (a.k.a.Giants Stadium) on August 23, 2008 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). (ªªXu^((/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 30: Paul Sorvino attends Paul & Dee Dee Sorvino celebrate their Bestselling Book "Pinot, Pasta & Parties" in the Hollywood Hills at 1476 Blue Jay Way on April 30, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Joshua Blanchard/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: Actor Paul Sorvino attends The Thalians: Hollywood for Mental Health Presidents Club Party at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on February 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/WireImage) (Greg Doherty/WireImage via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 31: Actor Paul Sorvino (L) chatting wtih comedian Rich Little (R) as he accepts the honor of the Johnny Grant Award from the Hollywood Chamber's Hollywood Community Foundation at Taglyan Cultural Complex on May 31, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Chrissy Hampton/Getty Images) (Chrissy Hampton/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 31: Actor Paul Sorvino just finishing singing to the the Heroes of Hollywood Fundraiser presented by the Hollywood Chamber's Hollywood Community Foundation at Taglyan Cultural Complex on May 31, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Chrissy Hampton/Getty Images) (Chrissy Hampton/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Viggo Mortensen, Paul Sorvino, Dee Dee Sorvino, Federico Castelluccio and Peter Greene attend Universal Pictures With The Cinema Society Host The After Party For "Green Book" at Jimmy At The James Hotel, NYC on November 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Paul Bruinooge/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 4: Dee Dee Sorvino and Paul Sorvino attend Focus Features Hosts The After Party For "Mary Queen of Scots" at Tavern On The Green on December 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Paul Sorvino and Gerard Butler attend the "Hunter Killer" World Premiere - After Party at Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum on October 22, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 17: Paul Sorvino and Dee Dee Sorvino attend The Cinema Society With FIJI Water, Lindt Chocolate, Entertainment Weekly & People Host The After Party For Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns" at Top of The Standard Hotel on December 17, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino American actor James Earl Jones in the titular role of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival production of 'King Lear' in Central Park, New York, New York, July 1973. With Paul Sorvino, Rosalind Cash, and Ellen Holly. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) (Jack Mitchell/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino PARSIPPANY, NJ - OCTOBER 24: Paul Sorvino and Abe Vigoda attends day 2 of Chiller Theatre Expo on October 24, 2015 in Parsippany NJ, United States. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images) (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino Paul et Mira Sorvino lors de la soirée AMFAR au Moulin de Mougin pendant le Festival de Cannes le 15 mai 1997, France. (Photo by ARNAL/CHARRIAU/CATARINA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) (Pool ARNAL/CATARINA/CHARRIAU/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino San Francisco, CA - 1976: (L-R) Paul Sorvino, Dennis Patrick appearing in the ABC tv series 'Bert D'Angelo / Superstar', episode 'The Book of Fear'. (Photo by American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images) (Walt Disney Television Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 7: Paul Sorvino and Dee Dee Sorvino attend Opening Of CMX CineBistro With Special Screenings Of BlacKkKlansman, City Lights & Pretty Baby at CMX CineBistro, NYC on November 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Paul Bruinooge/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paul Sorvino Paul Sorvino arrives at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images) (Danny Moloshok/Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino FILE - Paul Sorvino, right, and his wife Dee Dee Sorvino attend the AMBI Gala benefiting The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation on Sept. 9, 2015, in Toronto. Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in "Goodfellas" and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerretta on "Law & Order," has died. He was 83. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File) (Arthur Mola/Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino Dee Dee Benkie, left, and Paul Sorvino, right, attend a screening of "A Walk Among The Tombstones" on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP) (Andy Kropa /Andy Kropa /Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino From left, Andrea Iervolino, Danny Glover, Lady Monika Bacardi and Paul Sorvino and Dee Dee Benkie arrive at the 2nd Annual AMBI Gala at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) (Arthur Mola/Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino Paul Sorvino, right, and guest attend The 35 Most Powerful People in Media hosted by The Hollywood Reporter at The Four Seasons Restaurant on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision for The Hollywood Reporter/AP Images) (Amy Sussman/Amy Sussman/Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino From left, Mira Sorvino and Paul Sorvino gather to celebrate the worldwide blockbuster "Star Trek Into Darkness" home entertainment debut on Tuesday, Sept, 10, 2013 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for Paramount Pictures/AP Images) (Casey Rodgers/Casey Rodgers/Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino FILE - Actor Paul Sorvino poses at the Bijou Theater where he is directing "Wheelbarrow Closers" in New York City on Oct. 6, 1976. Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas” and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerretta on “Law & Order,” has died. He was 83. (AP Photo, File) (AP)
Paul Sorvino Dee Dee Benkie, left, and Paul Sorvino, right, attend a Tribeca Film Festival closing night special screening of "Goodfellas" at the Beacon Theater on Saturday, April 25, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP) (Andy Kropa /Andy Kropa /Invision/AP)
Paul Sorvino Actor Paul Sorvino poses with celebrity socialite Paris Hilton at the Carousel of Hope ball to benefit The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, in Beverly Hills. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) (Mark J. Terrill/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Paul Sorvino Actor Blair Underwood announces nominees for the 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards on live television, Dec. 19, 1996 in Beverly Hills. Actors Paul Sorvino, left rear, Laura Dern, center rear, and Andy Garcia, right rear, joined Underwood in the announcements. The motion picture ?The English Patient? had the most nominations, picking up seven from a variety of categories. The awards ceremony will be broadcast January 19. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) (Rene Macura/AP)
In 2014, he married political pundit Dee Dee Benkie and said that a goal of his later life was to “disabuse people of the notion that I’m a slow-moving, heavy-lidded thug.”
As with most who starred in “Goodfellas,” the image would follow him for the rest of his life which he had complex feelings about.
‘Most people think I’m either a gangster or a cop or something,” he said. “The reality is I’m a sculptor, a painter, a best-selling author, many, many things — a poet, an opera singer, but none of them is gangster.... It would be nice to have my legacy more than that of just tough guy.”
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