Whether it was by chance, grace or the simple fact that some talents fit the crowd movies particularly well, there have been a number ofGoodfellas Actors in The Sopranos. Released in 1990, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas was based on the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy: Life in a mafia family By Nicholas Pileggi. It tells the life and crimes of Henry Hill who, in his own words, always wanted to be an outlaw. Although Mean streets deals with young criminals in New York City, Goodfellas was Scorsese’s first full-blown mob movie and still remains one of the greatest entries in the genre.
Just like Goodfellas Stands out like a mafia movie, HBO’s The Sopranos was a highly acclaimed and influential television series that tackled organized crime. Starring James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, David Chase’s The Sopranos Ran for six seasons, offering a contemporary take on Italian-American gangster life in New York City. Both projects are very distinct crowd stories Which do their own thing, but there are definite similarities, including some actors who appear in both Goodfellas And The Sopranos.
Actor |
Goodfellas character |
The Sopranos character |
---|---|---|
Lorraine Bracco |
Karen Hill |
Jennifer Melfi |
Michael Imperioli |
Spider |
Christopher Moltisanti |
Frank Vincent |
Billy Baths |
Phil Leonardo |
Tony Darrow |
Sonny Buns |
Larry Burse |
Chuck low |
Marie Kessler |
Shlomo Teitelman |
Tony Sirico |
Tony Stocks |
Pauly “Walnuts” Gualtieri |
Frank Pellegrino |
Johnny Dio |
Frank Cubitoso |
Vincent Pastore |
Man with coatrack |
Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiro |
Susan Shepherd |
Karen’s mother |
Mary DeAngelis |
Marian Leone Cooper |
Toddy Cicero |
Joan Moltisanti |
John Ciarcia |
Baths’ Crew #1 |
Albi Cianfalone |
Anthony Caso |
Truck hijacker |
Martin Scorsese |
Paul Herman |
Dealer |
Beansie Gaeta |
Tony Lip |
Frank “Frankie the Wop” Manzo |
Carmine Lupertazzi |
Nicole Burdette |
Frankie’s girlfriend |
Barbara Giglione |
Nancy Cassaro |
Joe Buddha’s wife |
Joan Moltisanti |
Frank Albanese |
Mob lawyer |
Pat Blundetto |
Tobin Bell |
parole officer |
Meir Zwingli |
Susan Varon |
Susan |
Joan Gillespie |
Vito Antuofermo |
Prizefighter |
Bobby Zanone |
Daniel P. Conte |
Dr. Dan |
Faustino ‘Doc’ Santoro |
Jerry Wall |
himself |
Soundtrack performer |
Frank Adonis |
Anthony Stable |
Guest #1 |
Angela Pietropinto |
Paulie’s wife |
Helen Barone |
Victor Colicchio |
Henry’s 60’s crew |
Joe |
Gaetano LoGuidice |
Henry’s crew |
Bada Bing Patron |
Anthony Alessandro |
Henry’s friend |
Walter |
Gene Canfield |
Prison guard |
Police investigator |
Vito Picone |
Vito |
Vito |
29
Lorraine Bracco
Sopranos character: Jennifer Melfi
Lorraine Bracco is the most obvious and prominent of these Sopranos Actors who were also in Goodfellas. In 1990, the actress made her name as GoodfellasKaren Hill vs. Ray Liotta. An ordinary girl lured by the money and glamor that came with dating a gangster, Karen would crash and burn as collateral damage from her husband’s illicit activities. She earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in Scorsese’s movie at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards.
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Although Bracco did not want to play a mafia wife again, she joined The Sopranos As Jennifer Melfi, Tony’s therapist with whom she shares a complex attachment throughout the HBO series. Dr. Melfi finally managed to avoid the tragic pitfalls of Braco Goodfellas Character falls in, and she is able to clean away from Tony Soprano without losing her life. She picked up four Primetime Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for her role in The Sopranos.
28
Michael Imperioli
Sopranos character: Christopher Moltisanti
Unlike Bracco, Michael Imperioli is much more famous for his role in The Sopranos As he is for Goodfellas. As Christopher Moltisanti, Imperioli played Tony Soprano’s protégé nephew and the son of a gangster Tony respected deeply. Famous for his love of tracksuits, Christopher battled several addictions on his way to the top before his inability to get himself straight led to Tony killing Christopher in The Sopranos‘ final season. Imperioli won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in The Sopranos Season 5.
Michael Imperioli has a Short but brilliant Goodfellas Role as Spider – The mafia upstart shot in the foot by Joe Pesci and then killed after an ill advised “Go on himself.” Improioli has enjoyed a successful career since his appearance in the two Mafia productions, including television roles in The White lotus, Blue bloods, LuciferAnd California. He also showed off a gangster shark Shark part and returned to The Sopranos For a voice role in The Many Saints of Newark.
27
Frank Vincent
Sopranos character: Phil Leontardo
When it comes to Sopranos Actors in GoodfellasFrank Vincent enjoyed a Memorable supporting role in Goodfellas Like Billy BatsThe “made man” who raises Tommy and gets himself killed as payback. Along with being one of the most brutal parts in Scorsese’s movie, Batts’ death was significant because of the reason that Tommy gets waxed in GoodfellasMaking him an integral part of the story.
Frank Vincent’s character in The SopranosPhil Leotardo, enjoys an even higher status. Leotardo leads the Lupertazzi crime family and experiences a fractious relationship with Tony and the Dimeo mob. The eventual death of Leotardo is an homage to Billy Batts’ death in Goodfellas. He was shot down, and his head was crushed under a car tire. Vincent died in 2017 after a heart attack at the age of 80.
26
Tony Darrow
Sopranos character: Larry Barce
Tony Darrow Sonny Bunz is an associate of Paulie’s mob in Goodfellas And proud owner of the Bamboo Lounge, which Henry and the others use at their convenience. Sonny’s Lucchese family dealings predictably end with him losing the bar altogether after the required protection money was not paid. This was his breakout role as Darrow had only appeared in one movie before this one Street trashWhere he also played a magician and caught Martin Scorsese’s attention.
in The SopranosDarrow regularly appeared as DiMeo family capo Larry Barce, who remained loyal to Tony throughout his time on screen. In an interesting twist of fate, Tony Darrow later admitted to a genuine relationship with the real Gambino family. He actually went on trial in 2011 for crimes committed in 2004 along with Gambino crime family soldier Joseph “Joey Boy” Orlando and associate Giovanni “Johnny” Monteleone. He was sentenced to six months of house arrest (by New York Daily News).
25
Chuck low
Soprano character: Shlomo Teitelman
One of the conspirators in GoodfellasLufthansa calls, Marie Kessler owns a wig shop and used to hang out with the local Lutz moms.. He is portrayed as a restless man who doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut for his own good, which leads to Tommy stabbing him in the back of the head with an ice pick. Lowe had previously appeared in a Martin Sorceres movie, as his first movie role was in The king of comedy In 1982.
Chuck Low’s character in The SopranosSolomon Tittleman, not faring much better, cuts a deal with Tony in Season 3’s “Denial, Anger, Acceptance” for a share of a motel business. This time it is Low’s character, who abandons the order, and again plays a man who has the arrogance to think he can resist the mob. Low did not have a long career as an actor, however, with only eight credited movie roles, his last coming in 2003. The actor died in 2017 at 89.
24
Tony Sirico
Sopranos: Pauli “Walnuts” Gualtieri
Similar to Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico worked his way up from a minor part in Goodfellas to a major credit in The Sopranos. In the first he played a Bandit by the name of Tony StacksWhich can be seen among Paulie’s crew near the beginning of the movie. This was before he was cast as a Paulie of his own – Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri The Sopranos.
One of Tony’s most loyal, albeit most violent, followers, Paulie Walnuts got his nickname from a botched truck heist, but he proved more competent than the incident suggested, serving as a capo in the Soprano mob before his promotion to underboss. He is one of the few members of Tony’s crew to survive to the end, and took over the old April crew at Tony’s insistence. This wasn’t Sinico’s first gangster movie role either, as he appeared as an uncredited extra in The Godfather Part II.
23
Frank Pellegrino
Sopranos character: Frank Cubitoso
One of the few to switch sides when it comes to Goodfellas actors on The SopranosFrank Pellegrino played Moby Goodfellas And an FBI chief in The Sopranos. In the first five seasons of the show, Pellegrino’s Frank Cubitoso does his best to get Tony Soprano and his family behind bars, and goes criminal to make it happen, but always goes wrong.
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The same actor was Johnny Dio in Gutfels – A Lucchese criminal who joins Henry and Jimmy in prison and “Does the meat.” Pellegrino’s acting career lasted for 25 years, but he didn’t have a lot of credits to his name. When it comes to mafia roles, he starred in the TV movie Good Like Carmine “Baby Carmine” Russo and in the movie Knockround guys Like Joey Hook. Pellegrino died in 2017 at the age of 72.
22
Vincent Pastore
Sopranos role: Salvatore “Big Hole” Bonpensiro
Salvatore Bonpensiero was a major Sopranos character throughout the first two seasons and another one of the main soldiers in Tony’s crew. Sal was a member of the Dimeo crime family, who got his nickname from a notorious burglary suspect turned FBI informant on The Sopranos After finding themselves in financial difficulties. Predictably, Tony found out and was forced to whack his good friend.
Pastor has much less to work with in Goodfellaswhere he is Seen helping Henry move a rack of fur coats in the Bamboo LoungeAs he had only been acting for two years when he was cast Goodfellas. The actor also started a podcast in 2020 with comedian Goumba Johnny FuhgeddabouditWhich itself is mafia terminology. He also recently appeared in the TV show Hawaii Five-O Like Uncle Vito and the 2023 movie Spinning gold How great Joey.
21
Susan Shepherd
Sopranos character: Mary DeAngelis
Lorraine Bracco may have been hesitant to revisit Goodfellas territory in The SopranosBut there was no such concern for Susan Shepherd as either of these Sopranos Actors in Goodfellas, Who first portrayed the mother of Karen HillAnd then the mother of Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos. Both times she was the mother-in-law of the main gangster of the story.
Shepherd started her movie and television career late in life.
Just as Karen’s mom was less than delighted about her daughter marrying into the local mafia, Mary DeAngelis had similar reservations about Carmella’s relationship with Tony Soprano. Shepherd began her film and television career late in life, landing her first role in 1988 at the age of 54. However, she has worked in entertainment since the 1960s as a founding member of the Compass Players Improvisational Theater with her husband David Shepherd , Alan Alda, and Alan Arkin. She died in 2023 at the age of 89.
20
Marian Leone Cooper
Sopranos character: Joanne Moltisanti
Marian Leone Cooper briefly graced Goodfellas As the wife of Toddy Cicero, Paulie’s brotherBut the actress is probably more recognizable as Christopher’s mother, Joanne Moltisanti, in The Sopranos. Joan, a difficult woman who shows precious little love to her son, is a difficult woman to like. Regardless, the character returned The Many Saints of NewarkThis time played by Gabriella La Piazza.
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Goodfellas was one of Cooper’s earliest roles, as she only started acting in 1985 with a guest role on a TV show and then worked in re-enactments in the Errol Morris documentary masterpiece, The thin blue line. But, still The SopranosShe has only a handful of roles to her name, including the movies The Three Stooges (as Sister Ricardo), joy (as Sharon), and the 2022 movie with/in. She is also married to actor Chris Cooper (Adaptation).
19
John Ciarcia
Sopranos character: Albie Cianfalone
It is not unusual for actors to cross paths in the gangster genre, but it is much less common for one actor to occupy the same position on both occasions. When it comes to actors on Goodfellas And the sopranos, John Ciarcia is such a person. First Seen alongside Frank Vincent’s Billy Batts in Goodfellas, Ciarcia then followed Vincent to The Sopranoswhere he served as capo for the last own Phil Leotard.
Goodfellas was the second role of Ciarcia’s career after appearing in the Abel Ferrara movie China girl in 1987. However, Goodfellas Really led to more mafia roles. He followed the Sorceress movie with Hoffa in 1992, Me and the crowd In 1994, and A Brooklyn state of mind In 1998. Still The SopranosCiarcia appeared in a few more movies, including SpyBefore he passed away in 2015 at the age of 75.
18
Anthony Caso
Sopranos character: Martin Scorsese
In an unlikely meta twist, Anthony Caso both worked for Martin Scorsese and later played the legendary director. in GoodfellasThe actor is a Simple truck hijacker grifting along JimmyBut in the very first season of The SopranosCaso plays a fictionalized Martin Scorsese, who enters a nightclub complete with a full celebrity entrance. The cameo also includes a hilarious joke where Christopher writes to the filmmaker about his love for the underappreciated. Kundon.
Kaso is someone who has been acting for a long time when he appeared in Goodfellas. His first appearance was in the television soap opera Search for tomorrow In 1970. Most of his work was on television, with roles in The equalizer And the street Before he went out in Goodfellas. He hasn’t done much noteworthy in between Goodfellas And The SopranosBut then after the TV show, he took on small TV roles and minor appearances in movies, with his last in 2021 with Making the day.
17
Paul Herman
Sopranos character: Beansie Gaeta
A regular collaborator of Martin Scorsese, Paul Herman is the “Pittsburgh Connection” in GoodfellasWhere Henry and Karen go for their cocaine. On top of this small role in GoodfellasHerman also appeared in Scorsese movies the color of money (a player in a casino bar), The Last Temptation of Christ (like the apostle Philip), Casino (as a gambler), and The Irish (whispers Ditullio).
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Herman also appeared in a handful The Sopranos Episodes such as Peter “Beansie” Gaeta, a magazine turned restaurant owner who is badly beaten by Richie April, his former mafia associate. Since his role in The SopranosHerman picked up some bigger roles, including parts in movies like Analysis That, We Own The Night, Crazy Heart, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, And joy. The Irish was his last movie before his death in 2022 at 76.
16
Tony Lip
Sopranos character: Carmine Lupertazzi
Carmine Lupertazzi led the crime family of the same name from season 3 to season 5 of The Sopranos. Despite their obvious differences in approach (mostly due to both being people of different generations), Carmine and Tony stayed respectful to each other for the most part. Before Carmine, Tony Lipp Played real-life gangster Frank “Frankie the Wop” Manzo in GoodfellasWhich gets a quick introduction in the iconic scene of Henry’s Bamboo Lounge voice-over.
Goodfellas Wasn’t Lipp’s first mafia movie role, and it wasn’t even the biggest mafia movie he ever appeared in. Godfather Movie. He also appeared in Martin Scorsese Raging Bull and Sidney Lumet S Dog day afternoon. After his death in 2013, the best-picture winning movie Green Book was made about Lip, as he was the bouncer who drove and protected Don Shirley in the Jim Crow South. Viggo Mortensen played Lip.
15
Nicole Burdette
Sopranos character: Barbara Giglione
Nicole Burdette has a bit of a mirror with Marianne Leone Cooper Frankie Carbone’s unnamed girlfriend in Goodfellas but enjoyed a greater presence in The Sopranos. She played Tony’s youngest sister, Barbara, who lived a legitimate life with her husband and children away from the violence in which other members of her family participated. Despite the fact that they went their separate ways, she remained a part of Tony’s life.
Before getting her role in GoodfellasBurdett was a stage actor and co-founded the theater company “Naked Angels”. Her first movie role was in angel of the heart With Robert De Niro, and more GoodfellasShe stared in A river runs through it As Mabel, Paul Maclean’s (Brad Pitt) girlfriend. Her movie and television career has been limited since The SopranosBut she teaches screenwriting and playwriting at the New School of Drama.
14
Nancy Cassaro
Sopranos character: Joanne Moltisanti
Whether a sign of the era or of the subject matter, the wives of Goodfellas Don’t see much screen time, and so it proves with Nancy Cassaro, who was cast as Joe Buddha’s spouse in Martin Scorsese’s classic. Cassaro would become the first actress to play Joan Moltisanti, Christopher’s mother The SopranosAppeared in a single episode before Marianne Leone Cooper took over.
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Goodfellas was actually Casasro’s first role and helped her break into the movie industry. She landed a role in the TV show Family albumBut after that, she only made one appearance in several TV shows before playing recurring character Shelly Tucci in the 1998 show Get personal. After The Sopranos, she got several roles in big-name shows like Bull, The King of Queens, supervision, The West WingAnd Without a trace. She has not appeared in anything since she had a role in Dirt in 2008.
13
Frank Albanese
Sopranos character: Pat Blundetto
Frank Albanese will be best known for his turn as The Sopranos‘ Pat Blundetto, known to Tony as “Uncle Pat.” The character’s niece is married to Dickie Moltisanti in The Sopranos Prequel, too. Retired as a gangster when the story begins, Pat still crops up in a handful of episodes, usually to give Tony the benefit of his wisdom and experience. in GoodfellasAlbanese can be found Playing a crowd-friendly legal representative When a young Henry Hill was arrested for the first time.
His movie career does not have much in it, although he appeared in a small role in The Godfather: Part III In 1990 and Dead presidents In 1995. However, other than his role in The SopranosHis career wound to a close after that with small roles in minor movies and a couple of shorts in 2012 and 2013. Albanese died in 2015 at the age of 84.
12
Tobin Bell
Sopranos Character: Major Zwingli
The man better known as Jigsaw in the Saw Franchise has a single credit in The Sopranos To his name, featuring as Major Zwingli in season 3’s finale, “Army of One.” Zwingli tries unsuccessfully to recruit Tony and Carmela’s son into military school. Bell makes An even less prominent appearance in Goodfellas In A Small role as a parole officer.
Before GoodfellasBell has a burgeoning career, with uncredited roles in some big movies like Manhattan, Sophie’s Choice, The Verdict and Tootsie. yet GoodfellasHe got some bigger roles in The company, in the line of fire, evil, the fast and the dead. But, it was still The Sopranos That master became a star. He was John Kramer in the Saw Franchise and is the key to the success of the horror franchise. He also took on the role of Doctor Alchemy/Savitar in The bottle.
11
Susan Varon
Sopranos character: Joan Gillespie
Susan Varon made her screen debut as one of the few non-gangsters in GoodfellasPlaying a background character simply credited as “Susan.” Over a decade later, she was a Real estate agent in The SopranosShowing Christopher and Kelly around a new house. Between the two small roles in the mafia productions, she appeared in the movie Clifford And the TV shows Coach And Married with children.
Outside of her mafia entertainment exploits, Varon will be more familiar to audiences from another New York-based television series, DaredevilIn which she appeared in nine episodes as Josie. She was the owner of Josie’s Bar, which Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson would frequent. She also often appeared in one-shot episodes of TV shows like Bull, manifestAnd ElementaryAnd she had a three-episode run on Boardwalk Empire Like Madame Regina.
10
Vito Antuofermo
Sopranos character: Bobby Zanone
transition from boxing to acting, Goodfellas marked Vito Antuofermo’s introduction to Hollywood, and, true to life, He played a prize fighter. Antuofermo continued to frequent the casting rooms of the gangster genre and later on The Sopranos Like Bobby Zanone. The owner of a garbage company, Bobby, had dealings with Richie April, who distributed drugs using garbage truck routes as cover.
The character is also mentioned for having trash dumped on an angry customer’s driveway. Before his acting career, he was a very successful boxer and was the undisputed middleweight world champion with a record of 50 wins (21 by knockout), seven losses and two draws. When he got into acting, he got two mafia roles in the same year, as he also appeared in The Godfather Part III Like Anthony “The Ant” Squigliaro, along with Goodfellas. Since then he hasn’t The Sopranos.