Frank Sivero

Frank Sivero
Born	January 6, 1952 Sicily, Italy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1972–present

Frank Sivero (born Francesco LoGiudice, January 6, 1952) is an American character actor, perhaps best known for playing the roles of Genco Abbandando in Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II and Frankie Carbone (based on Angelo Sepe) in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.

Early life

Sivero was born Francesco LoGiudice in Siculiana, Sicily, Italy, and raised in Brooklyn, New York.^[1]

Career

Sivero can be seen as an extra in The Godfather as one of the witnesses to Sonny Corleone's brutal beating of his brother-in-law, Carlo. Director Martin Scorsese cast him as Frankie Carbone after seeing his performance in The Godfather Part II. He also appeared in the The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler.

The Simpsons lawsuit

In October 2014, Sivero initiated a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios. The lawsuit alleges that in 1989 Sivero was living next door to writers from The Simpsons and the writers knew he was working on his Goodfellas character. It alleges the writers "were aware the entire character of 'Frankie Carbone' was created and developed by Sivero, who based this character on his own personality."^[2] A short time later, a character named Louie began appearing on The Simpsons. Louie has been described as a mafioso character, second in command to Fat Tony, and similar in appearance and mannerisms to Sivero, and his "likeness is being infringed in violation of California's publicity rights law."^[3][4] The case was dismissed in August 2015, with the judge asserting it was a parody of several Mob characters.^[5][6]

Filmography

• Ring of Death (2008) - Tommy Micelli
• The Aviator (2004) - Photographer
• Truth Be Told (2002) - LaTrenta
• The Devil and Daniel Webster (2001) - Luigi
• Little Nicky (2000) - Alumni Hall Announcer
• Mariah#1's (1999) - Henchman
• Foolish (1999) - Giovanni
• Carlo's Wake (1999) - Uncle Leo
• Urban Relics (1998) - Tommy Two-Lips
• The Wedding Singer (1998) - Andy
• Dumb Luck in Vegas (1997) - Snake
• Possessed by the Night (1994) - Murray Dunlap
• Fist of Honor (1993) - Frankie Pop
• Cop and a Half (1993) - Chu
• Painted Desert (1993) - Johnny
• Goodfellas (1990) - Frank Carbone
• Crossing the Mob (1988) - Frank
• The Galucci Brothers (1987) - Frankie
• 52 Pick-Up (1986) - Vendor
• Ruthless People (1986) - the Mugger
• The Ratings Game (1984) - Bruno
• Fear City (1984) - Mobster #2
• Blood Feud (1983) - Anthony Russo
• Fighting Back (1982) - Frank Russo
• Going Ape! (1981) - Bad Habit
• Fyre (1979) - Pickpocket
• The Billion Dollar Hobo (1977) - Ernie
• New York, New York (1977) - Eddie DiMuzio
• The Godfather Part II (1974) - Genco Abbandando
• The Gambler (1974) - Donny's driver
• Shamus (1973) - Bookie
• The Godfather (1972) - extra in the Sonny beats Carlo scene

References

1. "Frank Sivero Biography ((?)-)". Film Reference. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
2. 'Goodfellas' Actor Suing Fox for $250 Million Over 'Simpsons' Mob Character
3. 'Goodfellas' Actor Suing Fox for $250 Million Over 'Simpsons' Mob Character
4. Rolling Stone article
5. 'Goodfellas' Actor Loses $250M Lawsuit Against Fox Over 'Simpsons' Mob Character
6. Fox Gets $250M ‘Simpsons’ Lawsuit From ‘Goodfellas’ Actor Tossed

External links

• Frank Sivero at the Internet Movie Database