What You Didn't Know About Paul Sorvino's Children
Hollywood said goodbye to another legend Monday, July 25, when veteran actor Paul Sorvino, 83, died from natural causes, according to Variety. Known for roles in television, film, and theater with a career that spanned more than 50 years, Sorvino was probably the most recognized for playing a veteran police officer on the NBC hit show "Law & Order," and a Mafia boss in the critically acclaimed film "Goodfellas." He also had memorable roles in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo & Juliet," "Dick Tracy," and "Nixon."
However, aside from achieving fame as an actor, Sorvino is also known as the father of actor Mira Sorvino, who won a best-supporting actress Oscar for her role in the movie "Mighty Aphrodite." While Paul and Mira Sorvino seem to have had a close relationship, the Brooklyn-born actor of Italian descent also leaves behind two additional children you might not be as familiar with — a daughter, Amanda, and a son, Michael who is from his first marriage to actress Lorraine Davis.
He discouraged his children from acting
While Mira Sorvino famously won an Academy Award and has starred in numerous hit films such as "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion," her father, Paul Sorvino, tried to discourage his oldest daughter from following in his footsteps. "He said, 'Don't do it unless it's the only thing you can do,'" Mira said in an interview with Roger Ebert. "I guess he just didn't want me to go through the waves of working and then not working, and lacking artistic control over the end product. So I went to college and tried to see if there was something else I wanted to do, and within a year I was missing acting so much that I realized that's what I had to do. I did see the world, and I still wanted to act. It's in my blood as well as his."
Acting must be in the Sorvino blood, it seems. Each of his children has at least one acting credit on their resume. Middle daughter Amanda Sorvino had a role in the movie "Midlife" in 2015, but has also written two films, including one — "The Trouble With Cali" — that was directed by and starred her father (per IMDb). His youngest, son Michael Sorvino, has 21 acting roles on his IMDb profile, along with a handful of producing and directing credits.
Amanda Sorvino is a well-known animal advocate
Paul Sorvino's middle child and youngest daughter, Amanda, hasn't devoted her career to the screen like her father and siblings. She is president of My Speckled Calf Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization devoted to preventing the slaughter and cruelty of farm animals such as horses and cows. According to her bio on the organization's website, Amanda brought cruelty to light at a New Jersey slaughterhouse after going undercover and filming violations there. She also created a dog rescue organization called Dogfellas after discovering horrible conditions in puppy mills, according to Animal Fair. Her animal advocacy proved to be a cause her father not only encouraged but supported.
In 2008, Paul Sorvino helped lobby lawmakers to prevent horse slaughter, telling WJZ.com that many racehorses end up being slaughtered unfairly for their meat. In the joint interview with Amanda and Animal Fair, he said of puppy mills: "I mean how can people do this? It's enough that we're spoiling the environment, but we're also abusing God's creatures like this? I mean, what is that? People have to be made aware. Cruelty diminishes human beings. Cruelty diminishes all of us, any kind of cruelty."
Michael Sorvino voiced the main role in a video game
Like his well-known father and sister, Michael Sorvino pursued a career in acting, but he hasn't yet achieved the same level of fame. His most notable role to date simply involved his voice, as he portrayed the main character of Tommy Angelo in the popular 2002 video game "Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven" and its sequel "Mafia II" (per Game Pressure).
On-screen, he has also acted in small roles opposite his father, Paul Sorvino, and his sister, Mira Sorvino. He had a recurring role in the 2005 TV series "Human Trafficking," which starred his oldest sister in the main role as an NYPD detective investigating a human trafficking ring. He also had a small part in "The Trouble With Cali," which his father directed and starred in and his sister, Amanda, wrote. The most recent project on his IMDb profile was the independent movie "Almost Paris," which he produced and acted in.
Michael joined a long list of celebrities who shared tributes to his father on Twitter, writing, "It is heartwarming to see the outpouring of love, admiration and fondness for my beloved Dad—who was a true Renaissance Man & wonderful father for so many decades—we his family thank everyone for their support & condolences."