Paul Sorvino

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Paul Sorvino
Image:Replace this image male.svg
Birth name Paul Anthony Sorvino
Born April 13 1939 (1939-04-13) (age 70)
Brooklyn, New York City
Occupation character actor
Years active 1970 – present
Spouse(s) Lorraine Davis
Children Mira Sorvino (b.1967)

Paul Anthony Sorvino (born April 13, 1939) is an American character actor whose solid career has largely been the portrayal of authority figures, both as a legal enforcer and criminal, in television, stage, and film.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Sorvino was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Italian American parents Marietta, a homemaker and piano teacher, and Ford Sorvino, a robe factory foreman.[1] He attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.[2]

[edit] Career

He began his career as a copywriter in an advertising agency, where he worked with John Margeotes, founder of Margeotes, Fertitta, and Weiss. He took 18 years of voice lessons. While attending The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he decided to go into the theatre. He made his Broadway debut in the 1964 musical Bajour, and six years later he appeared in his first film, Where's Poppa?

He received an avalanche of critical praise for his performance as Phil Romano in Jason Miller's 1972 Broadway play That Championship Season, a role he repeated in the 1982 TCS film version. He appeared also in the 1976 Elliott Gould/Diane Keaton vehicle I Will, I Will...For Now. He has starred in the weekly series We'll Get By (1975, as George Platt), Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (1976, in the title role) and "The Oldest Rookie" (1987, as Detective Ike Porter). He appeared in Larry Cohen's 1985 science fiction horror film The Stuff as a reclusive militia leader, alongside his future Law & Order co-star Michael Moriarty. He helped found the American Stage Company, a group that launched several successful Off-Broadway shows, while living in Teaneck, New Jersey in 1986.[3]

In 1991, he took over from George Dzundza on the popular series Law & Order, and in 1993 he subbed for the late Raymond Burr in a Perry Mason TV movie. He has also appeared as Bruce Willis' father in the weekly series Moonlighting, and the "Lamont" counterpart in the never-aired original pilot for Sanford and Son. One of his most notable film roles were Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990) and Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995). In 1999, friend Jason Miller wrote the screenplay as he directed and again starred in (albeit playing a different role) a lower-budget TV version of That Championship Season.

From 2000 to 2002, he had a starring role as Frank DeLucca in the CBS television drama That's Life. He is filming The Trouble with Cali in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area of Pennsylvania. He is directing and starring in the film which is partially funded by Lackawanna County, where the city of Scranton is the county seat. His daughter, Mira, also stars in the film.

[edit] Personal life

Sorvino lives in Los Angeles and Gilbert, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. He was married to Lorraine Davis, a drama therapist for Alzheimer's patients and has three children: Mira, Michael, and Amanda.

On January 17, 2007, news reports detailed that he displayed a gun in front of his daughter Amanda's ex-boyfriend, Daniel Snee, after the man pounded on her hotel door and made threats. Amanda testified Snee threatened to kill her at a hotel January 3 in Stowe, Vermont; she said she locked herself in the bathroom and called both police and her father. Her 67-year-old father showed up before police, she testified. When police arrived, the young man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, she said. As a deputy sheriff in Pennsylvania, he is legally able to carry a gun in different states. He did not point the gun at Snee, or threaten him.[4]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paul Sorvino Biography (1939-). filmreference.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  2. ^ Paul Sorvino Biography. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  3. ^ Klein, Alvin. ""JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; Executive Producer Search Is On", The New York Times, March 19, 2000. Retrieved on 2000-11-04. "By contrast, the theater was founded with a flourish in 1986, mostly because the actor Paul Sorvino, its first artistic head, lived in Teaneck at the time, opened his home to fund-raising parties, starred in the opening play (All The King's Men) and directed The Diary of Anne Frank, in which his daughter, Amanda Sorvino, played the title role." 
  4. ^ "'Goodfellas' actor, as deputy sheriff, was entitled to weapon", boston.com, January 17, 2007. 

[edit] External links

fr:Paul Sorvino it:Paul Sorvino ja:ポール・ソルヴィノ pt:Paul Sorvino sv:Paul Sorvino

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