Tall, burly, respected Italian American actor Paul Sorvino was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 13th, 1939. He played Nikolai Rozhenko (the foster brother of Worf) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Homeward". However, he is probably best recognized for his role as Paul Cicero in the 1990 gangster drama Goodfellas. That same year, he played villain Lips Manlis in another popular film, Dick Tracy. This film also featured other Trek alumnus such as Colm Meaney, Seymour Cassel, Ian Wolfe, John Schuck, Hamilton Camp, Michael J. Pollard, and Robert Costanzo.
Sorvino is also known for his one-year stint as Sergeant Phil Cerreta on TV's Law & Order.
Although originally aspiring to become an opera singer, Sorvino has built a solid career in films and in television since 1970. He played a reverend in the 1977 comedy Oh, God!, a film which also starred Teri Garr and featured the likes of Jeff Corey and David Ogden Stiers. In 1979, he co-starred with a young LeVar Burton in the made-for-TV drama Dummy, which also featured Star Trek: Insurrection actor Gregg Henry. Sorvino and Burton would both go on to appear in the 1994 TV movie Parallel Lives.
In 1981, he had a major role in the acclaimed, award-winning drama Reds. This film also featured Ian Wolfe (who would later appear in Dick Tracy with Sorvino). Sorvino would go on to co-star with fellow TNG co-star Terry O'Quinn in 1991's The Rocketeer. DS9 actors Tiny Ron and Max Grodenchik and occasional Trek guest star Clint Howard also had roles in this film.
In 1995, Sorvino gave a memorable performance as Henry Kissinger in the biographical drama Nixon. Star Trek: Voyager star Robert Beltran also appeared in this film, playing one of the Watergate burglers. (Also see: Richard M. Nixon.)
Sorvino's other feature film credits include William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Bulworth, and The Cooler. In 2000, he appeared in The Amati Girls, which also featured Voyager star Robert Picardo in a small role. He also lent his voice to the film Hey Arnold! The Movie, as did Christopher Lloyd and Vincent Andrew Schiavelli.
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