TMZ is reporting that legendary actor Frank Vincent is dead. The legendary actor best known for his role as Phil Leotardo in “The Sopranos” and Billy Batts in “Goodfellas” died in a New Jersey hospital on Wednesday. Vincent reportedly suffered a heart attack last week and underwent open heart surgery on Wednesday, but did not pull through and died during the medical procedure.
The actor who was often cast as a tough guy or mob boss also appeared in iconic movie classics such as “Raging Bull,” “Casino,” and “Do the Right Thing.” Vincent voiced characters in “Grand Theft Auto III” and “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” In 1996, Vincent appeared in the music video for “Street Dreams” by Nas and he was his character Frankie Marino from the movie “Casino.”
e actor was known for his roles in Martin Scorsese films like Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino. Most recently, he played the role of Bishop Cattalano on Law & Order: SVU.
In a 2011 Men’s Fitness interview, Vincent revealed the highlight of his career. “I guess that ‘The Sopranos’ is and ‘Goodfellas,'” Vincent said. “That’s the one that most people recognize me or know me from and Sopranos is now picking up some of that slack. I guess you could say that the two of those are my two big highlights.”
IMDB states that Vincent was still working and was involved in three projects that were in pre-production: “Asbury Park,” “Sarah Q,” and “The Italy Boys.” He most recently starred in a 2016 episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as Bishop Cattalano.
Get your shinebox.