Goodfellas actor loses Simpsons case

Goodfellas actor Frank Sivero has lost his lawsuit against FOX Studios, claiming they stole his likeness for The Simpsons.

Sivero, who played Frankie Carbone in Goodfellas, claimed Springfield’s mobster Louie, was based on Frankie Carbone from the 1989 movie.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rita Miller dismissed the case, saying the cartoon character doesn’t look enough like Sivero to merit a continuation of the matter.

“If I was a teenage girl and I had a crush on your client, would I be happy with a poster of this character Louie?”

“Even if Mr. Sivero’s face was on this, as long as it is parody and has certain other characteristics, you can’t win.”

Sivero’s lawsuit had stated that he lived in the same apartment building at the writers of The Simpsons in 1989.

“During this time, both writers knew who Sivero was,” the complaint alleged. “They knew he was developing the character he was to play in the movie Goodfellas, a movie Sivero did in 1989. In fact, they were aware the entire character of Frankie Carbone was created and developed by Sivero, who based this character on his own personality.”

Dan Castellaneta has previously said the character’s voice was modelled on Joe Pesci.

Source: Deadline