Henry Hill: The Man Behind Goodfellas Dies At 69

One of the most influential movies of all time and my personal favorite Goodfellas lost its star character this week.

Henry Hill was born June 11th 1943 and was an associate of the powerful Lucchese crime family. Hill later became an FBI informant turning on his old crew and was placed in the witness protection program.

The book Wiseguy written by crime reporter, Nicholas Pileggi was based on his life and released in 1986. Pileggi’s book was eventually adapted for the big screen by Martin Scorsese and renamed Goodfellas.

Hill was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the motion picture. In an interview with TMZ, Liotta stated he barely knew Hill and gave his condolences.

“Although I played Henry Hill in the movie ‘Goodfellas’ I only met him a few short times so I can’t say I knew him but, I do know he lived a complicated life.”

Ray adds, “My heart goes out to his family and may he finally rest in peace.” 

Hill later told his own version of the story in a documentary titled The Real Goodfella. It chronicled his life with the notorious crime family, why he did what he did, and his time in witness protection.

Although he committed the cardinal sin of mob rules (NO SNITCHING), his story (as portrayed in Goodfellas) will go down as one of the most memorable characters of all time.

The Real Goodfella

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Source: TMZ

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