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Part of the gang. Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and more made the mob scene come to life in Martin Scorsese‘s iconic crime drama Goodfellas.
The 1990 movie was adapted from Nicholas Pileggi‘s nonfiction book Wiseguy, which initially served as the title of the film. The writer collaborated with Scorsese on the flick, helping the actors get deep into their gangster characters.
When Goodfellas debuted at the 47th Venice International Film Festival, Scorsese won the Silver Lion for Best Director. The movie was a hit among both viewers and critics, nabbing six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Despite being entered in multiple categories, Joe Pesci was the only nominee who walked away with an Academy Award that year, winning Best Supporting Actor.
As the movie marked its 30th anniversary in 2020, Liotta, De Niro and more of the cast sat down for an in-depth look back at the film’s success. “I never played anything like this, that kind of a lethal character and three days before we were about to shoot, I called my manager and said ‘Get me out,’ I had no idea what to do,” Paul Sorvino recalled during the Goodfellas: Behind Closed Doors special with host Natalie Morales.
A decade prior, Liotta told GQ, “For 20 years now, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t hear somebody mention Goodfellas. Unless I stay home all night. It’s defined who I am, in a sense.”
Scroll down to see where the cast of Goodfellas is today: