Paul Sorvino Biography

The American actor Paul Sorvino was born in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York. Long before he rose to fame for his roles in such films as Goodfellas, Sorvino grew up in a working class Italian American family. After high school, he attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in pursuit of a career on the New York stage.  His stage debut was in the production of the musical Bajour in the early 1960’s, and shortly thereafter his career on screen began to take off as well.

Small and supporting roles followed, in such films as The Panic in Needle Park (1971), A Touch of Class (1973), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), The Gambler (1974), and Oh, God! (1977.) Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, Sorvino became a recognizable actors for such roles, playing authority figures on both sides of the law. Other notable film appearances from Paul Sorvino during this time include: Reds (1981), I, the Jury (1982), The Stuff (1985), and A Fine Mess (1986), and appearances on such television shows as Moonlighting and Murder She Wrote.

In 1990, Paul Sorvino snagged the key role of Paul Cicero in the smash hit Goodfellas, bringing his career to a whole other level. Since that time, he has appeared in the films The Rocketeer (1991), Romeo and Juliet (1996), Money Talks (1997), Knock Off (1998), Longshot (2000), Perfume (2001), The Cooler (2003), Last Hour (2008), and Kill the Irishman (2011.) In 1991, Sorvino began his appearance as Sgt. Phil Ceretta on the hit television series Law & Order. In addition to his role in Goodfellas, his role on the series is another with which he is most frequently associated.

In addition to his work in film and on television, Paul Sorvino is also a skilled and talented sculptor whose work has been shown at various exhibits. He also recently launched his own line of pasta sauces. Paul Sorvino continues to be one of America’s most recognizable and talented actors, with a number of films on the horizon in the coming years.