Announcing the sad news, the actor's wife Dee Dee calls him 'the love of my life and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage' in a statement.
- Jul 26, 2022
AceShowbiz - Paul Sorvino has died. The "GoodFellas" actor's wife Dee Dee has announced that the father of actress Mira Sorvino passed away from natural causes at the age of 83 on Monday, July 25.
"Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino," she said in a statement, "he was the love of my life and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage." According to publicist Roger Neal, the "Gambler" actor died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Paul, who was also a respected tenor who fulfilled a life-long dream when he performed for the New York Opera in 2006, was best known for his portrayal of mobster Paulie Cicero in "GoodFellas". He previously admitted he was convinced he would "ruin" both his career and director Martin Scorsese's vision for the movie ahead of filming.
"I'd done a lot of comedies as well as dramas, but I'd never done a really tough guy. I never had it in me. And this [part] called for a lethality, which I felt was way beyond me," he previously said. "I called my manager three days before we started shooting and said, 'Get me out. I'm going to ruin this great man's picture, and I'm going to ruin myself.' He, being wise, said, 'Call me tomorrow, and if necessary I will get you out.' "
"Then I was going by the hall mirror to adjust my tie. I was just inconsolable," he went on recalling. "And I looked in the mirror and literally jumped back a foot. I saw a look I'd never seen, something in my eyes that alarmed me. A deadly soulless look in my eyes that scared me and was overwhelmingly threatening. And I looked to the heavens and said, 'You've found it.' "
Just two months ago, the "Romeo and Juliet" actor paid tribute to his "Goodfellas" co-star Ray Liotta, after he died at the age of 67. He said at the time, "Ray was a terrific actor and a 'goodfella' in the best sense of the word. He was great to work with and a good friend. I'm really going to miss him."
