The iconic movie Goodfellas chronicles the lives of real gangsters like Henry Hill, Billy Batts, Tommy DeSimone, and Jimmy Burke — but it only tells part of the story.
The names of several real-life gangsters were altered for the film: Tommy "Two Gun" DeSimone became the character Tommy DeVito; Paul Vario became Paulie Cicero, and Jimmy "The Gent" Burke was portrayed as Jimmy Conway. In the case of Jimmy, the name change actually had some truth to it.
Although the response from the mob was mostly good, there were many others who weren't on board with the themes addressed in Goodfellas and its portrayal of Italian-Americans.
Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese crime family caporegime Paulie Cicero (based on real life gangster Paul Vario) in Martin Scorsese's 1990 gangster film Goodfellas and as NYPD Sergeant Phil Cerreta on the second and third seasons of the TV series Law & Order.
Goodfellas and The Sopranos both feature several actors in common, creating a connection between the two iconic mob stories. Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Frank Vincent are among the actors who appear in both Goodfellas and The Sopranos, showcasing their talent in both projects.
The Lucchese crime family continues to operate today in New York City, with involvement in traditional rackets such as illegal gambling, labor racketeering and extortion.
Henry Hill, seen here in 1997, was played by Ray Liotta in 'Goodfellas. ' PUBLISHED: December 3, 2009 at 11:13 p.m. | UPDATED: January 11, 2019 at 8:39 a.m. Notorious Mob rat rat Henry Hill says his former lawyer isn't such a bad fella.
The majority of the plot points in Goodfellas are 100% real, but some events were slightly sped up or omitted for effect. Robert De Niro's performance as Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas is authentic and chilling, and Martin Scorsese's masterful direction elevates the portrayal.
Who betrayed Tommy in Goodfellas? In the film it's left open to speculation, but in real life Paul Vario almost certainly betrayed Tommy DeSimone to John Gotti. Gotti almost certainly tortured Tommy for days, himself, before personally murdering him.
In 1990, Karen filed for divorce after 23 years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2002. After their divorce, Henry remarried and fathered another child. Karen Hill continues to use an alias to protect her identity, as do her two children, Gregg and Gina.
In 1980, Henry is arrested again and Karen quickly flushes $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet so the FBI wouldn't find it, leaving them broke. After Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) plans to have her and Henry killed, they enroll in the witness protection program, with Henry serving as an informant.
Aftermath. James Burke was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas, renamed Jimmy Conway. Burke was played by John Mahoney in the 1991 television film The 10 Million Dollar Getaway, which details the events of the Lufthansa Heist.
The role of Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas was reportedly offered to Al Pacino first, and while he would have surely been outstanding in it, he turned it down. Al Pacino reportedly turned down playing Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas in order to avoid being typecast in the gangster role.
The real Frankie Carbone from Goodfellas, Angelo Sepe. Angelo John Sepe a.k.a. "Angie" (January 14, 1941 South Ozone Park, Queens – July 18, 1984 New Utrecht, Brooklyn) was an Italian gangster in the Lucchese crime family.
The heist of cash and jewelry from Germany's Lufthansa airline at JFK International Airport was a real event. The Goodfellas characters are based on real individuals, although it changed their names and aspects of their lives.
Jimmy Burke (DeNiro's Jimmy Conway) made another phone call, only to find out that Tommy DeSimone had been whacked by the Gotti family for the murder of Billy Batts and Foxy Jerothe, according to Henry Hill.
Frank Sivero (born January 6, 1952) is an American character actor, perhaps best known for playing the roles of Genco Abbandando in Mario Puzo's and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II and Frankie Carbone (based on Angelo Sepe) in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Paulie angrily berates Henry for going against his back with drugs, but relents in giving him $3,200 for his family's sake. Paulie then disowns Henry by telling him "Now I gotta turn my back on you", to which Henry shamefully accepts.
William "Billy Batts" Bentvena (January 19, 1921 – June 11, 1970), also known as William Devino, was an Italian-American mobster with the Gambino crime family who was a longtime friend of John Gotti in the 1960s.
Tommy DeVito is one of the two main antagonists of Goodfellas. A violent psychopath and sadist, Tommy is a cruel associate of the Lucchese crime family and one of the most feared members of Jimmy Conway's gang.
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo (born June 4, 1944) is an American former mobster who was de facto boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family before becoming a government witness in 1999. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano, the protagonist of the HBO series The Sopranos, is said to be based upon Palermo.
Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. According to Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, the former underboss of the Lucchese crime family, "what John Gotti did was the beginning of the end of Cosa Nostra."
