‘Goodfellas’ 30 Years Later: Where Are the Stars Now?
There are few Hollywood auteurs who have a résumé as impressive as Martin Scorsese‘s. Scorsese’s 1990 film Goodfellas is one of his biggest claims to fame, and now, 30 years later, it remains one of his best movies.
This was due in part to the phenomenal cast of Goodfellas that brought the story to life. Scorsese liked to work with the same actors on multiple projects, and Goodfellas was either his first time working with some talented actors or one of the many repeat collaborations he’s done.
Because Goodfellas has remained such a timeless classic, the actors in the film also enjoyed successful careers after the movie’s release in September of 1990.
Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci has appeared in just about every kind of movie throughout his lengthy career, but Goodfellas will always be one of the biggest highlights. Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as psychopathic gangster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. He’s collaborated with Scorsese a total of four times over 40 years, most recently earning an Oscar nomination for his role in The Irishman.
Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta has been working steadily since his time in Goodfellas 30 years ago. In addition to movies such as last year’s Marriage Story, Liotta has also enjoyed TV roles as a lead character on Shades of Blue and a guest on shows such as Modern Family and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro starred alongside Joe Pesci in Raging Bull, so Goodfellas was not their first time working together under the direction of Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro has had one of the most prolific and decorated careers in Hollywood and has appeared in nine different Martin Scorsese films, most recently as the star of last year’s crime epic The Irishman.
Frank Sivero
Frank Sivero, like Robert De Niro, gained recognition as an actor after his appearance in The Godfather Part II. As an Italian American character actor, Sivero spent most of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s playing various walk-on roles in movies, his most recent cameo being in 2008’s Hotel California. Sivero has since taken a step back from the spotlight.
Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows since his time as Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas. He joined the cast of Law & Order the year after Goodfellas‘ release, and has appeared in productions like The Bronx Bull and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. He currently is a main cast member on the popular new crime drama series Godfather of Harlem, where he plays famed Italian American crime boss Frank Costello.
Lorraine Bracco
After Goodfellas, Lorraine Bracco became many people’s TV therapist as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on The Sopranos, which earned her several award wins and nominations. In recent years, she’s flexed her acting chops on different shows, including Blue Bloods, BoJack Horseman, and AJ and the Queen.
Frank Vincent
Just like Paul Sorvino, Frank Vincent also ended up on Law & Order after Goodfellas, albeit for a guest role. Vincent was a frequent collaborator of Scorsese’s, but his crowning achievement came nearly a decade after Goodfellas when he took on the role of Phil Leotardo on The Sopranos. Vincent died in 2017 at the age of 80.
