Joe Pesci a comedic sidekick and best friend to protagonist detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) in the "Lethal Weapon" sequels, released in 1989, 1992 and 1998. In 1990, he reunited with Scorsese and De Niro for "Goodfellas", wherein he played mobster Tommy DeVito, based on real-life mobster Thomas DeSimone. (Tommy DeVito is also the name of Pesci's old acquaintance from Belleville, New Jersey, and a member of The Four Seasons, but contrary to popular belief, the naming is coincidental.) Old friend Frank Vincent also appears in the film; Pesci's character kills Vincent's character in a rage in
Robert De Niro Brian De Palma's 1963 film "The Wedding Party", but the film was not released until 1969. He then appeared in Roger Corman's film "Bloody Mama" (1970). He gained popular attention with his role as a dying Major League Baseball player in "Bang the Drum Slowly" (1973) and began his collaboration with Martin Scorsese when he played the small-time criminal Johnny Boy in "Mean Streets" (1973). De Niro had a pivotal role in the Francis Ford Coppola film "The Godfather Part II" (1974), playing the young Vito Corleone. Coppola had remembered his previous auditions for the roles of Sonny Corleone, Michael