In 'Goodfellas', what is the name of the character played by Paul Sorvino?

In Goodfellas, Paul Sorvino plays Paulie Cicero.

Paulie is the neighborhood capo who oversees the criminal crew that includes Henry Hill, Jimmy Conway, and Tommy DeVito. He serves as the group’s quiet authority figure: cautious, insulated, and deeply concerned with maintaining control. His approach contrasts with Tommy’s explosive violence and Jimmy’s increasingly ambitious criminal schemes.

The character is based largely on Paul Vario, a real-life Lucchese crime-family caporegime associated with the Brooklyn neighborhood where Henry Hill grew up. Goodfellas adapts Hill and Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction account Wiseguy, blending real people and events with changed names and dramatized details.

Viewers sometimes confuse the character’s name with the actor’s because “Paulie” resembles “Paul” in Paul Sorvino. Sorvino’s restrained performance also differs sharply from the louder personalities around him. Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill, and Joe Pesci plays Tommy DeVito. Paulie’s eventual decision to distance himself from Henry reflects the film’s theme of loyalty giving way to self-preservation.