American actor Frank Vincent sadly passed away in New Jersey on Wednesday, September 13 at the age of 78. Vincent was born on April 15, 1937, in North Adams, Massachusetts. Originally, he had intended to establish a career in music but landed his first acting role in 1976. This was in a low-budget gangster movie called ‘The Death Collector. He was best known for his role in the HBO series ‘The Sopranos’ in which he played the role of Phil Leotardo. In addition to being an actor, Vincent was also a musician and author. He wrote a book called ‘A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man. Frank Vincent has also had roles in many movies, including many that were directed by Martin Scorsese. To commemorate his life and his acting career, here are Frank Vincent’s five top movie roles.
1. Goodfellas
Directed by Martin Scorsese, this crime drama was released in 1990. It is an adapted version of ‘Wiseguy’, a non-fiction book by Nicholas Pileggi. The storyline follows the rise and fall of a Henry Hill, a mob associate between 1955 and 1980. Frank Vincent played the character Billy Batts. Others who starred in this movie include Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco. This movie was a commercial success as it grossed $46.8 million at the US box office alone. It was also well-received by critics and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 97%.
2. This Thing of Ours
In this 2003 crime drama movie, Frank Vincent played the character Danny Santini. Also starring in this movie were Danny Provenzano, Edward Lynch, Vincent Pastore, James Caan, and Chuck Zito. It is about a crew of gangsters who are attempting to pull off the biggest heist ever undertaken by the mafia. Cosa Nostra is a term associated with the Italian mafia and this translates to ‘This Thing of Ours’, hence the title of the film.
3. Chicago Overcoat
Released in 2009, ‘Chicago Overcoat’ is a gangster movie. Brian Caunter directed this movie and also co-wrote it with Josh Staman, John W. Bosher, and Andrew Alex Dowd. Frank Vincent plays Lou Marazano, the main protagonist in the movie. Others who play main roles in this movie include Katherine Narducci, Mike Starr, Stacy Keach, and Armand Assante. This award-winning movie is about a man who was once a feared hit man who changed his ways but then reverts to his former ways to help his daughter.
4) Casino
Released in 1995, this is an epic crime drama that was directed by Martin Scorsese. Frank Vincent played the role of Frankie Marino and other starring in this movie included Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Wood, and Don Rickles. The screenplay was co-written by Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi. At the worldwide box office, ‘Casino’ grossed $161.1 million.
5. Raging Bull
‘Raging Bull’ is a black and white biographical sports drama and is another example of Frank Vincent acting in a movie directed by Martin Scorsese. Released in 1980, this movie also starred Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, and Theresa Saldana. Vincent played Salvy Batts. ‘Raging Bull’ grossed $23.4 million at the North American box office.
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