Teh One Who Knocks
10-24-2014, 11:50 AM
People Magazine
http://i.imgur.com/g8cXgZO.jpg
As far back as we can remember, we always wanted to be a character on The Simpsons. But not everybody feels the same way.
Actor Frank Sivero, who played Goodfellas character Frankie Carbone, has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios for basing one of The Simpsons's mob characters on his likeness.
Sivero alleges that he lived in a Sherman Oaks, California, apartment next door to writers of the show and that Simpsons producer James L. Brooks was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons character Louie would be based on this character."
"During this time, both writers knew who Sivero was, and they saw each other almost every day," the complaint continues. "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."
The suit continues, alleging that the show's production unit, Gracie Films, told Sivero "he would be part of the future" of the show, and that he spoke to Brooks at a party in 1995/6 about working together.
The character of Louie, one of mobster Fat Tony's henchmen, first appeared in the fourth season of The Simpsons, in October 1991.
http://i.imgur.com/g8cXgZO.jpg
As far back as we can remember, we always wanted to be a character on The Simpsons. But not everybody feels the same way.
Actor Frank Sivero, who played Goodfellas character Frankie Carbone, has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios for basing one of The Simpsons's mob characters on his likeness.
Sivero alleges that he lived in a Sherman Oaks, California, apartment next door to writers of the show and that Simpsons producer James L. Brooks was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons character Louie would be based on this character."
"During this time, both writers knew who Sivero was, and they saw each other almost every day," the complaint continues. "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."
The suit continues, alleging that the show's production unit, Gracie Films, told Sivero "he would be part of the future" of the show, and that he spoke to Brooks at a party in 1995/6 about working together.
The character of Louie, one of mobster Fat Tony's henchmen, first appeared in the fourth season of The Simpsons, in October 1991.