Goodfellasisn’t just one of the greatest films thatMartin Scorsesehas ever made, but one of the finest gangster dramas of all-time. It’s difficult to overstate just how radicallyGoodfellaschanged the genre when it was released in the fall of 1990. While films likeThe GodfatherandThe Untouchableshad delved into the brutality of the mafia,Goodfellasshowed why the criminal lifestyle would be so attractive to aspiring gangsters. Scorsese has made films likeRaging BullandTaxi Driverthat had been critically acclaimed but,Goodfellasinstantly catapulted him to the list of the greatest filmmakers of all-time. Amazing,Goodfellasis actuallybased on a true story,as the film was loosely based onNicholas Pileggi’s non-fiction novelWiseguy.
As with any great film based on true events,Goodfellasmakes some serious deviations from the truth for the sake of making a more entertaining story.Many of the film’s best moments were created specifically for the script, includingone famous scene that was entirely improvised.That being said,Goodfellashas had a lasting impact on popular culture, as it served as the direct inspiration for mafia-centric stories likeThe Sopranos. Here is every charger inGoodfellasthat is based on a real person.
Goodfellas
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
8Henry Hill
Played by Ray Liotta
Ray Liottamay have gotten a breakout role inSomething Wilda few years prior, butGoodfellasinstantly rankedas one of the best films he ever made. Similar to the way the character is portrayed in the film,the real Henry Hill wanted to be a gangster since he was 11 years old, and spent several years in the witness protection program after being convicted of working with the mafia. However, the film itself does not delve much into his life in the aftermath of ratting on his allies, which included seven years of working with the government.
Goodfellasis slightly skewed in its depiction of Hill, as the film is told mostly from his perspective. Given how charismatic Liotta is as an actor, it’s hard not to at least sympathize with Hill a little bit. However,Wiseguyindicates that the real Hill was far more hostile, abusive, and generally unpleasant to be around than how he is portrayed in the film.
7Jimmy Conway
Played by Robert De Niro
Robert De Nirois an icon of the gangster genre, and has had a successful working relationship with Scorsese ever since they made theclassic crime thrillerMean Streetstogether in 1973. InGoodfellas, Jimmy Conway, a gangster also known as “The Gent,” serves as a mentor to Hill as he grows into his responsibilities in the mafia.Goodfellasdid not take many major liberties with Conway’s life compared to the way he is portrayed inWiseguy, as he actually did help plan the biggest single cash robbery in American history.
As with Hill,Conway’s life after his imprisonment is not detailed extensively inGoodfellas. After being sentenced, the real Conway spent over a decade in prison, and was involved in the Boston College basketball scandal in 1979. Given thatGoodfellasis already a fairly long movie with a lot of extraneous details, it makes sense why Scorsese chose not to include this segment of Conway’s life.
6Tommy DeVito
Played by Joe Pesci
Goodfellashas one of the greatest ensemble casts ofany crime movie in history,but it’s hard not to argue thatJoe Pesciisn’t the scene stealer with his performance as Tommy DeVito. Tommy is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying, as he is desperately trying to be taken seriously by becoming a “made man” in the mafia. Pesci may have won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film, butTommy was based on the real-life gangster Thomas DeSimmeone, who was born of Sicilian parents.
Wiseguydelves deeper into DeSimmeone’s backstory thanGoodfellasdoes with Tommy, revealing that, like Hill, he became involved with the mafia when he was only a teenager. However, Tommy is ultimately just a supporting character inGoodfellas, which uses Hill’s perspective to look at how the mafia can dominate someone’s entire life.
5Paulie Cicero
Played by Paul Sorvino
The late greatPaul Sorvinogave a fantastic performance inGoodfellasthat ranks among his very best work.Although he is every bit as ruthless as Conway and Tommy, Sorvino’s character Paulie Cicero serves as a paternal figure that gives Hill guidance during his youthful years, making the betrayal even more emotional when the film wraps up.Cicero was based on the real gangster Paul Vario, who was sentenced to four years in prison after being indicted for fraud in 1984.
The depiction of Cicero inGoodfellasvaries drastically from the way Vario is characterized inWiseguy; while in the film he is seen as a smooth, competent operator, the book suggests he was far more hot-tempered like Tommy. However,Wiseguyalso includes various details about different gangster leaders that the real Hill was associated with, so its possible Cicero was based on an amalgamation of real people.
4Morrie Kessler
Played by Chuck Low
Chuck Lowplays a small, but critical role inGoodfellasas the gangster Morrie Kessler, who helps organize the Lufthansa operation with Conway. Although Kessler provides important information thatis critical to the success of the heist, his overconfidence ends up costing him dearly; Conway gets irritated at Kessler’s insistence that he is owed more money, and orders for him to be killed.Kessler is based on the real gangster Marty Krugman, who the real Hill claimed inWiseguywas buried after the mob suspected him of being an FBI informant.
The paranoia over suspicion of being a rat is one of the elements ofGoodfellasthat is the most realistic, asWiseguysuggests that the “made men” were constantly monitoring their underlings to ensure that they were completely loyal. Low’s fate inGoodfellasis a cautionary tale, and certainly foreshadows Hill’s major decision during the end of the film.
3Billy Batts
Played by Frank Vincent
While he is best known for his role as one of the most ruthless characters onThe Sopranos,Frank Vincentplayed an important role inGoodfellasas William Bentvena,a member of the Gambino crime familythat was widely known as “Billy Batts.” While he suffers a particularly gruesome fate inGoodfellas, the circumstances surrounding Billy’s real death are shrouded in mystery.Hill claims inWiseguythat was murdered by the Lucchese crime family due to his feud with Tommy, who he felt was rising too quickly within the mafia’s ranks.
The death comes as a major shock, asBatts was a respected soldier within the family who played a powerful role in New York’s criminal underworld.Wiseguysuggests that Batts was good friends with the infamous gangster John Gotti, who was portrayed byJohn Travoltain the 2018 biopicGotti.
2Karen Hill
Played by Lorraine Bracco
Goodfellasis unique compared to other mafia films because itshows just how dysfunctional family life can befor gangsters; in addition to detailing his criminal enterprises,Goodfelleasexplores Hill’s relationship with his wife, Karen Frieddman Hill (Lorraine Bracco).The real Hill claims that his marriage with Karen was far less cut-and-dry than the way it was portrayed in Scorsese’s film.According to his 1994 bookGoodfellas and Gangsters, Karen had an affair with Paulie, and was almost assaulted by Tommy. Although the two were separated in 1989, their divorce was not officially finalized until 2002.
Although there may have been some major deviations from the truth,Karen’s prominence inGoodfellasturned Bracco into an icon of the gangster genre.Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and led to her acclaimed role as Dr. Melfi onThe Sopranos.
1Stack Edwards
Played by Samuel L. Jackson
It’s easy to forget that a youngSamuel L. Jacksonmakes an appearance inGoodfellas, which was released before he became a mainstream star in films likeJurassic ParkandPulp Fiction.Edwards was based on the real getaway driver Parnell Steven Edwards, a fraud expert who helped Tommy and Frank pull off the cash heist. Stack makes the unfortunate mistake of stopping by his girlfriend’s house after the robbery is completed, leading Frank to execute him.Goodfellashas its fair share of violent moments, but Edwards’ death is certainly one of the most shocking.
Goodfellasdoesn’t shed much insight on Edwards’ background, as the real Hill did not have a significant amount of interactions with him inWiseguy. Nonetheless, the film does featurea rather underrated performance from Jackson, who proves once again that he doesn’t need a significant amount of screen time in order to give a memorable performance.
