Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill as a brilliant combination of violent, morally reprehensible, and skilled at forging bonds and connections. Martin Scorsese cast him in the role after seeing his work in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe). A native of Newark, New Jersey, Liotta received his big break on the soap opera Another World. Before Goodfellas, he appeared in The Lonely Lady, Something Wild, and as the famous baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams.
Liotta has had a long career in Hollywood and television. His other films include Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow, John Q, Bee Movie, Smokin' Aces, and The Place Beyond the Pines. He also voiced the character of Tommy Vercetti in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and currently plays a lead role on the television series, Shades of Blue. Throughout his long career, his performance as Henry Hill remains one of his most iconic.
Robert De Niro
While Ray Liotta never consulted with the real Henry Hill before filming, De Niro was in close contact with Hill throughout filming, reaching out multiple times a day to collect information about his character. Conway was a violent but smart and contained individual who ran a tight ship, and De Niro's performance certainly portrays this. The part was originally offered to Al Pacino, who turned it down fearing that he would pigeonhole himself as someone who only appeared in mob movies. Later, Pacino regretted the decision.
Robert De Niro has had a long and successful Hollywood career, making a name for himself playing gangsters and tough guys, and sharing a close collaborative relationship with Martin Scorsese. De Niro's first starring role working with Scorsese (and perhaps his all-time most iconic) was as Travis Bickle in the 1976 neo-noir vigilante film Taxi Driver. Before that he had collaborated with Scorsese on the film Mean Streets and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Godfather Part II. Other Scorsese-De Niro collaborations include New York, New York, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Cape Fear, and Casino. For his role in Raging Bull, De Niro won his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor.
Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci portrays Tommy as a big contradiction: a Momma's boy who does exactly as she tells him, and a man so violent that even his fellow monsters disapprove of his level of violence. For his work in the film, Pesci was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The scene in which Tommy tells the funny story to Henry and associates at the Copacabana was allegedly improvised from an actual story told by Pesci, and the authenticity is evident in his immersive portrayal. While Pesci had trouble justifying some of Tommy's violence to himself, he eventually found ways to access his character's troubled inner life.
Known for playing wise-cracking mobsters and criminals, Joe Pesci has appeared in a number of Martin Scorsese (and Robert De Niro) films, including Raging Bull (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award) and Casino. Other notable films include Once Upon a Time in America, Moonwalker, Lethal Weapon (2, 3, & 4), A Bronx Tale, Home Alone, and My Cousin Vinny. He is currently set to collaborate with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro on the 2019 film The Irishman. As a kid, he was friends with the founding members of the rock band, The Four Seasons, and was instrumental in their formation.
Lorraine Bracco
For her performance as Karen, Lorraine Bracco was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. With a perfect mix of vulnerability, wit, and grit, Bracco brings Karen's plight to light and makes it as compelling as Henry's. Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Bracco was familiar with the upbringing of her character, even if she wasn't connected to the mafia. Throughout her 20s, Bracco lived in France working as a model and frequent muse of fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. She worked on some French films, but found acting boring and unfulfilling until she worked with Lina Wertmüller on the film Camorra. This led her to pursue acting. Goodfellas was her big break and put her on the map.
Bracco's other films include Someone to Watch Over Me, The Basketball Diaries, Hackers, and Riding in Cars with Boys. Her most famous performance after Goodfellas was as Tony Soprano's psychiatrist on The Sopranos. While creator David Chase originally wanted Bracco for Carmela, Tony's wife, Bracco favored the role of his psychiatrist. For her performance on the show, she was nominated for multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino is one of the go-to actors for directors making gangster movies. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sorvino started out as a theater actor, appearing in the Broadway musical Bajour in 1964. His first film was Where's Poppa? before appearing in the acclaimed Al Pacino film The Panic in Needle Park. Other roles include a regular role on Law & Order, Reds, Nixon, and Romeo + Juliet.
Frank Vincent
For an actor who spends the majority of his scenes locked in the trunk of a car, Frank Vincent plays a pivotal role in the movie. An Italian actor raised in New Jersey, Vincent appeared in two other Martin Scorsese films during his career, Raging Bull and Casino. He also had a role in the mafia television show The Sopranos.
Debi Mazar
Debi Mazar has a small role in Goodfellas, but has had a lengthy and successful career. Her role as Sandy was one of her first. Other films include The Doors, Singles, Malcolm X, Bullets Over Broadway, Batman Forever, Empire Records, Be Cool, and The Women.
Chuck Low
In addition to his role as Morrie in Goodfellas, perhaps his most famous role, Chuck Low is known for his performances in the Robert De Niro films The Mission, The King of Comedy, and Once Upon a Time in America and his role on The Sopranos.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson plays a very small role in Goodfellas, but he went on to have a long and wildly successful career in movies such as Jungle Fever, Patriot Games, True Romance, Jurassic Park, The Hateful Eight, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown Django Unchained, Snakes on a Plane, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, Coach Carter, Inglourious Basterds, Oldboy, and Blazing Samurai. He has the record for appearing in the greatest number of highest-grossing films of all time, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Pulp Fiction. In addition to his work as an actor he was active in the Civil Rights Movement.
