Paul Sorvino

Italian-American actor Paul Sorvino was born on April 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York City. Sorvino initially aspired to become an opera singer, but lacked the vocal chops to pursue it as a full-time career. He was, however, destined for show business, and while studying music at the New York Music and Dramatic Academy, he decided to go into theater.

The father of actress, Mira Sorvino, Paul Sorvino made his Broadway debut in his mid-twenties, performing in the1964 musical Bajour. At the age of thirty, Sorvino appeared in his first film, Where's Poppa?; however, he continued to appear on Broadway to critical acclaim, particularly for his performance as Phil Romano in the 1972 Broadway production of That Championship Season, for which he received a Tony nomination. During the mid-70s, Sorvino starred alongside Elliott Gould and Diane Keaton in I Will, I Will...For Now (1976); as well as the weekly series We'll Get By in 1975.

In 1990, Sorvino landed a role in hit mob movie, Goodfellas, alongside Ray Liotta, Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco. Sorvino described the film as "boring, excessively violent and not a good movie." Only hours after criticizing the movie, Sirvino apparently had a change of heart; stating; "Do you know, I'm kind of coming through a clearing here and I'm thinking that's not a boring movie. That's a good movie – that's a great movie, maybe. And I'm really good in it!"

In 1991, Sorvino began acting on the popular series Law & Order, but left only one year later, citing a lack of flexibility available with his character. He continued to act steadily throughout the rest of the decade, playing Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone's film Nixon in 1995, and Fulgencio Capulet in Romeo + Juliet in 1996, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

In 2004, Sorvino was awarded a special honor at a ceremony in Rome; The "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo" prize, which recognizes Italian emigrants who have distinguished themselves abroad. Sorvino sang at the ceremony alongside premier tenor Andrea Bocelli.

In recent years, Sorvino has remained active in the theater scene, continuing to act and direct in various productions. In addition to acting, Sorvino is also an avid painter, sculptor, cook, and founder of two not-for-profit organizations. A long-time sufferer of Asthma, he is the founder of the Sorvino Asthma Foundation; as well as the Dogfellas Dog Adoption organization, which he founded with his family and has offices in Manhattan and Pennsylvania.

Sorvino currently divides his time between homes in Los Angeles and Gilbert, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains. He is currently directing and starring in the film The Trouble with Cali, which is slated for release in 2007 and also stars his daughter, Mira.

YUDDY