Henry Hill’s wife in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is named Karen.
Lorraine Bracco plays Karen Hill, who narrates portions of the film and becomes increasingly involved in the lifestyle surrounding her husband’s organized-crime associates. Her perspective gives the story an important view from outside the mob’s inner circle.
Goodfellas was released in 1990 and is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book Wiseguy. Ray Liotta played Henry Hill, Robert De Niro played Jimmy Conway, and Joe Pesci played Tommy DeVito.
Karen is sometimes confused with characters from other gangster films, but Bracco’s performance earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film was praised for its editing, narration, music, and long Copacabana tracking shot.