Summary

• 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 overlapping actors bring a sense of familiarity and continuity to the mob genre, with their performances adding depth and authenticity to both Goodfellas and The Sopranos.

Whether it was coincidence, homage, or the simple fact that some talents fit mob movies especially well, there were a number of actors that appeared in both Goodfellas and The Sopranos. Released in 1990, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas was based on Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi. It recounts the life and crimes of Henry Hill who, in his own words, always wanted to be a gangster. Though Mean Streets dealt with young criminals in New York City, Goodfellas was Scorsese's first full-blown mob movie and still remains one of the greatest movies in the genre.

Just as Goodfellas stands out as a mafia movie, HBO's The Sopranos was a hugely acclaimed and influential television series that tackles the genre. 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 mob stories that accomplish their own things, but there are definite similarities, including several actors who appear in both Goodfellas and The Sopranos.

Lorraine Bracco

Sopranos Character: Jennifer Melfi

The most obvious and prominent casting connection of actors on Goodfellas and The Sopranos is Lorraine Bracco. In 1990, the actress made her name as Goodfellas' Karen Hill opposite Ray Liotta. An ordinary girl lured by the cash and glamour that came with dating a gangster, Karen would crash and burn as collateral damage from her husband's illicit activities.

Though Bracco was reluctant 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 ultimately manages to avoid the tragic pitfalls Bracco's Goodfellas character falls into.

Michael Imperioli

Sopranos Character: Christopher Moltisanti

Unlike Bracco, Michael Imperioli is far more famous for his role in The Sopranos than he is for Goodfellas. As Christopher Moltisanti, Imperioli played Tony Soprano's protégé nephew, and the son of a gangster Tony respected deeply. Renowned 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. Michael Imperioli had a brief but brilliant Goodfellas role as Spider — the mafia upstart shot in the foot by Joe Pesci, and then killed following an ill-advised "go f**k yourself."

Frank Vincent

Sopranos Character: Phil Leontardo

When it comes to Goodfellas actors on The Sopranos, Frank Vincent enjoyed a memorable supporting role in Goodfellas as Billy Batts, the "made man" who riles up Tommy and gets himself killed as payback. Along with being one of the most brutal parts in Scorsese's movie, Batts' death was significant for being the reason Tommy gets whacked in Goodfellas.

Frank Vincent's character in The Sopranos, Phil Leotardo, enjoys an even loftier status. Vincent's Leotardo leads the Lupertazzi crime family, experiencing a fractious relationship with Tony and the DiMeo mob. Leotardo's eventual demise in The Sopranos acts as a homage to Billy Batts' death in Goodfellas.

Tony Darrow

Sopranos Character: Larry Barese

Tony Darrow's 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 doesn't get paid. In The Sopranos, Darrow regularly appeared as DiMeo family capo Larry Barese, who remains loyal to Tony throughout his time on-screen. In a curious twist of fate, Tony Darrow later confessed to a genuine affiliation with the real Gambino family.

Chuck Low

Sopranos Character: Shlomo Teittleman

One of the conspirators in Goodfellas' Lufthansa heist, Morrie Kessler owns a wig store and frequents with the local Lucchese mobsters. He is depicted as an obnoxious 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 icepick.

Chuck Low's character in The Sopranos, Shlomo Teittleman, doesn't fare much better, cutting a deal with Tony in season 3's "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" for a share of a motel business. This time it's Low's character who reneges on the arrangement, once again playing a character who has the arrogance to think he can defy the mob.

Tony Sirico

Sopranos: Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri

Similar to Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico worked his way up from a minor part in Goodfellas to a main credit in The Sopranos. In the former, he played a gangster by the name of Tony Stacks, who can be seen among Paulie's crew near the start of the movie. This was before being cast as a Paulie of his own — Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in The Sopranos.

One of Tony's most loyal, albeit most violent, followers, Paulie Walnuts got his nickname from a botched truck heist but proved more competent than that incident suggested, serving as a capo in the Soprano mob before his promotion to underboss.

Frank Pellegrino

Sopranos Character: Frank Cubitoso

One of the few to switch sides when it comes to Goodfellas actors on The Sopranos, Frank Pellegrino played a mobster in Goodfellas and an FBI chief in The Sopranos. Across the show's first five seasons, Pellegrino's Frank Cubitoso does his best to get Tony Soprano and his family behind bars, going to criminal lengths to make that happen but always falling short. The same actor was Johnny Dio in Goodfellas — a Lucchese criminal who joins Henry and Jimmy in jail and "does the meat."

Vincent Pastore

Sopranos Role: Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero

Salvatore Bonpensiero was a main Sopranos character throughout the first two seasons and another one of the main soldiers in Tony's crew. Getting his nickname from an uncanny knack for burglary, Sal was a member of the DiMeo crime family who turned into an FBI informant on The Sopranos after finding himself in financial difficulty. Predictably, Tony found out and was forced to whack his good friend. Pastore had much less to work with in Goodfellas, where he's seen helping Henry move a rack of fur coats at the Bamboo Lounge.

Suzanne Shepherd

Sopranos Character: Mary DeAngelis

Lorraine Bracco might've been hesitant to revisit Goodfellas territory in The Sopranos, but there was no such concern for Suzanne Shepherd as one of the Goodfellas actors on The Sopranos, who first portrayed the mother of Karen Hill, and then the mother of Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos. On both occasions, she was the mother-in-law of the story's main gangster. Just as Karen's mom was less than delighted about her daughter marrying into the local mafia, Mary DeAngelis had similar reservations about Carmela's relationship with Tony Soprano.

Marianne Leone Cooper

Sopranos Character: Joanne Moltisanti

Marianne Leone Cooper briefly graced Goodfellas as the wife of Tuddy Cicero, Paulie's brother, but the actress is probably more recognizable as Christopher's mother, Joanne Moltisanti, in The Sopranos. A callous woman who shows precious little love toward her son, Joanne is a difficult woman to like. Regardless, the character returned in The Many Saints of Newark, this time played by Gabriella La Piazza.

John Ciarcia

Sopranos Character: Albie Cianfalone

It's not unusual for actors to cross paths time and time again in the gangster genre, but it's far 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 one such man. First seen alongside Frank Vincent's Billy Batts in Goodfellas, Ciarcia then followed Vincent to The Sopranos, where he served as a capo to the latter's own Phil Leotardo.

Anthony Caso

Sopranos Character: Martin Scorsese

In an unlikely meta twist, Caso worked both for Martin Scorsese and later played Martin Scorsese. In Goodfellas, the actor is a simple truck hijacker grifting alongside Jimmy, but in the very first season of The Sopranos, Caso plays a fictionalized Martin Scorsese entering a nightclub complete with full celebrity entrance. The small appearance also includes a hilarious joke where Christopher yells to the filmmaker about his love of the underappreciated Kundun​​​​​​.

Paul Hernan

Sopranos Character: Beansie Gaeta

A regular collaborator of Martin Scorsese's, Paul Hernan is the "Pittsburgh Connection" in Goodfellas, where Henry and Karen go for their cocaine. Hernan also appeared in a handful of The Sopranos episodes as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta, a mobster turned restaurant owner who gets severely beaten by Richie Aprile, his former mafia associate.

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 men hailing from different generations), Carmine and Tony stayed respectful towards each other for the most part. Before Carmine, Tony Lip played real-life gangster Frank "Frankie The Wop" Manzo in Goodfellas, who receives a quick introduction in the iconic scene of Henry's Bamboo Lounge voice-over.

Nicole Burdette

Sopranos Character: Barbara Giglione

Mirroring Marianne Leone Cooper somewhat, Nicole Burdette played the unnamed girlfriend of Frankie Carbone in Goodfellas but enjoyed a larger presence in The Sopranos. She played Tony's youngest sibling, Barbara, who lived a legitimate life with her husband and children away from the violence other members of her family took part in. Despite taking diverse paths, she remained part of Tony's life.

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 the spouse of Joe Buddah in Martin Scorsese's classic. Cassaro would become the first actress to play Joanne Moltisanti, Christopher's mother, in The Sopranos, appearing in a single episode before Marianne Leone Cooper took over.

Frank Albanese

Sopranos Character: Pat Blundetto

Frank Albanese will be most familiar 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 lend Tony the benefit of his wisdom and experience. In Goodfellas, Albanese can be found playing a mob-friendly legal representative when a younger Henry Hill is arrested for the very first time.

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 unsuccessfully attempts 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.

Susan Varon

Sopranos Character: Joan Gillespie

Susan Varon made her screen debut as one of the few non-gangsters in Goodfellas, playing a background character simply credited as "Susan." Over a decade later, she was a real estate agent in The Sopranos, showing Christopher and Kelli around a new house. Outside of her mafia exploits, Varon will be more familiar to audiences from another New York-based TV series, Daredevil, in which she played Josie.

Vito Antuofermo

Sopranos Character: Bobby Zanone

Transitioning from boxing to acting, Goodfellas marked Vito Antuofermo's introduction to Hollywood, and, true to life, he played a prizefighter. Antuofermo continued to frequent the gangster genre's casting rooms and later turned up on The Sopranos as Bobby Zanone. The owner of a garbage company, Bobby had dealings with Richie Aprile, who distributed drugs using garbage truck routes as cover. The character is also remembered for having trash dumped on an angry customer's driveway.

Daniel P. Conte

Sopranos Character: Faustino 'Doc' Santoro

Credited as a character by the name of Dr. Dan, Daniel P. Conte has made cameos in several Martin Scorsese movies, Goodfellas included. He'll perhaps be better remembered for his stint in The Sopranos, however. Conte's character, Doc Santoro, is a Lupertazzi family capo who engages in a power struggle with Phil Leotardo, played by the aforementioned Frank Vincent. Santoro loses after being murdered by a bullet through the eye.

Jerry Vale

Sopranos Character: Soundtrack Performer

Vale sings "Pretend You Didn't See Her" in Goodfellas, while Henry and the other gangsters watch on in awe with their girlfriends. Vale would later perform several uncredited numbers in The Sopranos.

Frank Adonis

Sopranos Character: Guest #1

Adonis played another Goodfellas character based on a real-life figure — Anthony Stabile. He's one of several characters trying to calm Tommy during the famous "you think I'm funny?" scene, believing Joe Pesci's erratic mobster was genuinely mad. Adonis later played an unnamed man in The Sopranos season 2's "House Arrest" episode.

Angela Pietropinto

Sopranos Character: Helen Barone

In two cameo roles one of the Goodfellas actors on The Sopranos, after appearing ever so briefly as Paulie's wife in Goodfellas, Angela Pietropinto is seen in The Sopranos season 6's "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh."

Victor Colicchio

Sopranos Character: Joe

Victor Colicchio is one of the unnamed faces serving as young Henry's criminal pals during Goodfellas' 1960s scenes. The actor would later reform himself for The Sopranos, appearing as Joe, a mechanic at the garage owned by Salvatore.

Gaetano LoGuidice

Sopranos Character: Bada Bing Patron

It seems Henry's crew members were in high demand after Goodfellas, as Gaetano LoGuidice also made the trip to The Sopranos. Unlike his fellow Goodfellas alumni, however, LoGuidice earned more than one credit in the HBO TV series, including a patron at the Bada Bing! strip club, a casino guest, and a funeral attendee.

Anthony Alessandro

Sopranos Character: Waiter

Alongside Colicchio and LoGiudice, Alessandro acts as another of Henry's young friends in Goodfellas' opening act. He also can be seen when Tommy DeVito is chewing out a younger Henry with "funny how?" He also scored a small part as a waiter in The Sopranos season 2.

Gene Canfield

Sopranos Character: Police Investigator

One of Canfield's earliest acting gigs came as a prison guard in Goodfellas after Henry and the boys are sentenced to a stint inside. Sticking on the right side of the law, the actor appears as a cop in The Sopranos season 1.

Vito Picone

Sopranos Character: Vito

Better known as the lead singer of The Elegants, Picone is simply credited as "Vito" in Goodfellas. He also made an uncredited appearance during The Sopranos' pilot episode.

Every Sopranos And Goodfellas Cast Member Who Has Passed Away

Fans Have Had To Bid Farewell To Several Key Members Of These Mob Classics Have

Several actors on Goodfellas and The Sopranos have since passed away. Tony Lip, most famous as Sopranos crime boss Carmine Lupertazzi and Goodfellas Franceso Manzo, died in 2013. Frank Pellegrino, who played Frank Cubitoso in The Sopranos and Johnny Dio in Goodfellas, passed away from lung cancer aged 72, in 2017. Frank Vincent, who portrayed The Sopranos' Phil Leotardo and Goodfellas' Billy Batts, died from a heart attack the same year at age 78. Goodfellas actor Frank Adonis, who played Anthony Stable and also had a brief Sopranos cameo, passed away the following year at age 83 from kidney failure.

2022 was a particularly hard year for fans of Goodfellas and The Sopranos as three iconic cast members were lost. Tony Sirico, a.k.a. Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in The Sopranos and Tony Stacks in Goodfellas, died aged 79 from natural causes associated with dementia. Paul Herman also passed away at age 76 and played Beansie Gaeta in The Sopranos as well as a dealer in Goodfellas.

Paul Sorvino, who played Paul Cicero in Goodfellas, died at age 83 the same year. The most notable loss from the Goodfellas cast, though, is Ray Liotta. Liotta passed away in 2022 in his sleep while filming Dangerous Waters. Liotta supposedly turned down a Sopranos role but later starred in the spin-off movie The Many Saints of Newark. It's been a few decades since Goodfellas was released and The Sopranos finished, and the popularity of these classics allows the memory of these actors to live on.

• 

  The Sopranos

  Release Date:

  1999-01-10

  Cast:

  James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler

  Genres:

  Crime, Drama

  Rating:

  TV-MA

  Seasons:

  6

  Writers:

  David Chase

  Network:

  HBO Max

  Streaming Service(s):

  Max

  Showrunner:

  David Chase