Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino was born the 13 of April of 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Italian American parents Marietta, a homemaker and piano teacher, and Ford Sorvino, a robe factory foreman. He attended Lafayette High School and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
Sorvino lives between Los Angeles and Gilbert, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. He is married to Lorraine Davis, a drama therapist for Alzheimer’s patients and has three children: Mira, Michael, and Amanda.
On January 17, 2007, news reports detailed that he displayed a gun in front of his daughter Amanda’s ex-boyfriend, Daniel Snee, after the man pounded on her hotel door and made threats. Amanda testified Snee threatened to kill her at a hotel January 3 in Stowe, Vermont; she said she locked herself in the bathroom and called both police and her father. Her 67-year-old father showed up before police, she testified. When police arrived, the young man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, she said. As a deputy sheriff in Pennsylvania, Sorvino is legally able to carry a gun in different states. He did not point the gun at Snee, or threaten him.
In March 2008, Sorvino and his daughter Amanda lobbied with the Americans Against Horse Slaughter in Washington, DC for Congress and the Senate to Pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S311/HR503). The Sorvinos run a private horse rescue in Gilbert, Pennsylvania.
He is also an accomplished sculptor, specializing in cast bronze. In December 2008 his sculpture of his friend the late Jason Miller was unveiled in Scranton Pa. In addition, he guest stars on the most recent album of Neapolitan singer Eddy Napoli, “Napulitanata,” performing a duet of the song “Luna Rossa.”
In 2005, Sorvino was given $500,000 of taxpayer money to film a movie in Scranton, Pennsylvania by then Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert Cordaro. The Trouble with Cali began filming in the January 2005 and ended in late February 2005. Sorvino claimed he would only need $250,000 to complete the project, but several months later asked for an additional $250,000 of tax payer funds. As of May 2009, the film has not been released, more than three years later, and Sorvino has not said when, or if, the film might be made available.
The current County Commissioners, Mike Washo and Corey O’Brien, have repeatedly asked to speak with Sorvino about the film – when it will be released, and how they can get a return on their half million dollar investment. They have also asked for a detailed budget that explains where the $500,000 went. Sorvino refuses to make himself available to explain the status of the film. A partial budget was sent to the Commissioners by mail which showed that the bulk of the money was spent on catering and other non-essential items, and it is important to note that not all of the $500,000 was accounted for. Sorvino was then quoted in The Scranton Times saying that films take time, and he could probably complete the movie if he were given another $250,000.
Commissioner Cordaro did not require a completion bond when he handed over the half million dollars, so it is unlikely the current Commissioners will be able to recoup the money. Cordaro who since has been investigated by the FBI, has alleged ties to the Russell Bufalino crime family, current boss William ‘Elia, and controversial businessman Louis DeNaples. Investigators contend Cordaro and Sorvino were funneling money out of the production for the benefit of La Cosa Nostra . Mentioned prominently in their investigation is Cordaro and Sorvino’s relationship with Thomas “Tommy Guns” Palumbo of the Bonanno crime family.
There has been [public outrage] over the matter in Scranton, as the city and the county are in financial debt, and many local filmmakers were not given the time of day by the Commissioners. One Scranton based director put it simply: “Paul Sorvino has killed film in Northeastern Pennsylvania.” As for Sorvino, he recently sold his Pennsylvania summer.
