Goodfellas Goodfellas Goodfellas (stylized GoodFellas) is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is an adaptation of the 1985 non-fiction book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980. Scorsese initially titled the film "Wise Guy" and postponed making it; later, he and Pileggi changed the title to "Goodfellas". To prepare for their roles in the film, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta often spoke with Pileggi, who shared research material left over
Robert De Niro Bickle earned him his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor. His portrayal of Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull" was lauded, as well as his interpretation of Max Cady in "Cape Fear". In 1976, De Niro appeared in "1900", Bernardo Bertolucci's biographical exploration of life in Italy before World War II, seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at the opposite sides of society's hierarchy. He also starred in "The Last Tycoon" (1976), directed by Elia Kazan. Kazan recalls that De Niro "would do almost anything to succeed" and noted that he cut his weight down from 170