JAKARTA - The actor who played gangster Paulie Cicero in the classic mafia film Goodfellas (1990), Paul Sorvino died at the age of 83 today, Tuesday, July 26. Sorvino, also known for playing police sergeant Phil Cerreta on the TV series Law & Order in the 1990s, has worked in film and television and on stage for more than 50 years.
A spokesman for the actor explained that Paul Sorvino died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, of natural causes.
"I am utterly devastated. The love of my life and the most incredible man who ever lived has gone. I am heartbroken," his wife, Dee Dee Sorvino, wrote on Twitter.
Born in Brooklyn in 1939, Sorvino studied music and initially wanted to be an opera singer before turning to acting.
His long career included roles in the Broadway drama That Championship Season and the 1982 film adaptation. Other film appearances included Dick Tracy, Reds and Nixon, in which he played Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Martin Scorsese chose Sorvino at the age of 50 to play Cicero, a quiet but tough character based on real-life mobster Paul Vario in "Goodfellas" in the 1990s.
Sorvino has three children, including actor Mira Sorvino, who thanked his father when he received the Academy Award for the 1995 film Mighty Aphrodite.
"He has taught me everything I know about acting," he said.
On Monday, Mira Sorvino said her "heart was torn apart" by her father's death.
"A life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over. He is the most incredible father. I love him so much. I send you love in the stars, Dad, while you are there," he wrote on Twitter.
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