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Paul Sorvino biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Paul Sorvino
  • OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
  • BIRTH DATE: April 13, 1939 (Age: 73)
  • EDUCATION: Lafayette High School, American Musical and Dramatic Academy
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Brooklyn, New York
more about Paul

Best Known For

Brooklyn born actor Paul Sorvino has acted on stage, on television and in film and is best known for his role as Henry Kissinger in Nixon (1995).

Synopsis

Brooklyn born actor Paul Sorvino has acted on stage, on television and in film. He made his Broadway debut in 1964 in Bajour and his film debut with the comedy Where's Poppa?

Contents

in 1970. He went on to a prolific career in television but is probably best known for his role as Henry Kissinger in Nixon (1995). His daughter Mira Sorvino is a successful actress in her own right.

Profile

Actor. Born April 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian immigrants. Listening to the voices of Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza on his family's phonograph as a child, Sorvino dreamed of being a singer. After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 1962, he found work singing at charity balls, billed as "The Romantic Voice of Val Sorvino." He made his Broadway debut in 1964 in Bajour, then dropped out of showmanship completely to become vice president of an advertising agency.

In 1970, Sorvino made his film debut in the comedy Where's Poppa? and went on to find a generous amount of TV work, appearing in the sitcom Welcome Mat, the police drama Bert D'Angelo/Superstar, and the gripping TV-movie Dummy. Often playing rough, urban characters, Sorvino won critical acclaim for his work in Nixon (1995), portraying Henry Kissinger; GoodFellas; and the TV version of That Championship Season, which he also directed. In 1991, he joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order as Detective Sergeant Phil Cerreta but left shortly after to pursue opera singing. He has since appeared in several films, including The Firm, Romeo + Juliet, and Bullworth.

Sorvino has three children, Mira, Amanda, and Michael, with his first wife, Lorraine. His daughter, Mira, is a successful actress in her own right, appearing in such films as Summer of Sam and Mighty Aphrodite, for which she won an Academy Award. A severe asthmatic, Sorvino has written books on the subject and founded the Sorvino Asthma Foundation. Singing is his first love, but he also paints and sculpts as hobbies.

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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