Paul Herman
Paul Herman (March 29, 1946 – March 29, 2022) was an American character actor best known for his portrayals of wiseguys, schlemiels, and everyday New Yorkers in gangster films and television series.[1] Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he entered the acting profession relatively late in life, debuting on screen in his mid-30s with small roles that capitalized on his everyman appearance and authentic Brooklyn accent.[2] Over a four-decade career spanning more than 100 film and television credits, Herman became a familiar face in crime dramas, often collaborating with director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro.[3] Herman's breakthrough came in the 1980s with early appearances in films like Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982), where he played Hesh alongside Joe Pesci, and Once Upon a Time in America (1984), marking the start of his frequent work with De Niro.[3] He gained prominence in Scorsese's mob epics, including Goodfellas (1990) as a Pittsburgh drug dealer, Casino (1995) as a gambler in a phone booth, and The Irishman (2019) as the gangster Whispers DiTullio in what would be his final role.[1][4] Other notable film performances include Sergeant Heinz in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), Randy in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Jack Greene in Crazy Heart (2009).[3] His versatility extended beyond crime genres, with roles like a burglar in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and Schizo in Big (1988) opposite Tom Hanks.[3] On television, Herman had recurring parts that showcased his knack for understated, memorable supporting characters, such as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta—a pizza parlor owner and money launderer who becomes paraplegic—across five episodes of HBO's The Sopranos (2000–2002).[3] He also appeared in six episodes as the accountant Marvin on Entourage (2004–2011), contributing to the show's Hollywood satire.[1][5] Herman maintained a low public profile outside his work, with little known about his personal life beyond his Brooklyn roots and longtime residence in New York.[2] His death on his 76th birthday was announced by colleagues including Entourage creator Doug Ellin and The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli, though the cause was not disclosed.[3]Early life and background
Birth and family
Paul Herman was born on March 29, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York City.[1] Herman came from a family with roots in the borough, where he grew up alongside his brother, Charlie Herman.[6]Upbringing in Brooklyn
Paul Herman was raised in Brooklyn during the post-World War II era. As a product of Brooklyn's working-class neighborhoods, Herman's early life immersed him in the borough's multicultural fabric, where Italian, Jewish, and other communities coexisted amid everyday street life and local traditions. Herman was born to an Italian-American mother and an Ashkenazi Jewish father, reflecting the borough's diverse immigrant populations.[7] Specific details about his education are not publicly documented. Early interests and hobbies are not extensively documented. By the 1960s and 1970s, as he transitioned into adulthood, Herman remained rooted in the city's working environment before pursuing professional opportunities in his mid-30s.[2]Professional career
Entry into acting
Paul Herman entered the acting profession relatively late in life, beginning his screen career in his mid-30s after years in other pursuits, with no documented formal acting training.[2] Born in 1946, he transitioned into performing without the typical path of drama school or theater background, relying instead on his innate presence and Brooklyn accent to land initial opportunities.[8] His film debut came in 1982 with Dear Mr. Wonderful, a West German comedy-drama directed by Peter Lilienthal that explored working-class life in New York City, where Herman played the character Hesh alongside Joe Pesci as a bowling alley owner aspiring to be a lounge singer.[1] The low-budget production, also known as Ruby's Dream in some releases, marked his first credited role and showcased his ability to embody everyday New Yorkers in gritty, authentic settings.[9] In the mid-1980s, Herman secured early bit parts in prominent films such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984), directed by Sergio Leone, and The Cotton Club (1984), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, both evoking Prohibition-era New York and crime underworlds.[5] These appearances helped establish him within the genre of mob and New York-themed projects, often as unnamed toughs or associates. His Brooklyn roots aided in delivering authentic portrayals of local characters.[2] As a character actor without pursuing major leading roles, Herman faced the typical hurdles of the profession in the 1980s, including sporadic work and reliance on typecasting to build a steady career amid competition from established performers.[8] Despite these challenges, his consistent presence in ensemble casts laid the groundwork for longer-term collaborations in film and television.[9]Major roles and collaborations
Paul Herman specialized in portraying gritty character roles within the gangster and New York underworld milieu, contributing to over 50 films spanning four decades from the 1980s to the 2010s.[10] His breakthrough came through collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, beginning with a small but memorable part as a drug dealer known as the Pittsburgh Connection in Goodfellas (1990), where he facilitated cocaine deals in a tense underworld scene.[3] Herman reprised this dynamic in Casino (1995), appearing as a frantic gambler in a phone booth during a montage sequence that captured the chaotic energy of Las Vegas mob life.[3] Herman's high-profile partnerships extended to frequent work with Robert De Niro, including a supporting role as LAPD Sergeant Heinz in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), which highlighted his ability to embody authoritative yet understated figures in crime dramas.[3] This collaboration culminated decades later in Scorsese's The Irishman (2019), where Herman played the mobster Whispers DiTullio, a Philadelphia enforcer who commissions a key act of violence, underscoring his niche in layered mob archetypes.[3] He also forged a notable alliance with director David O. Russell, first as Randy, the boisterous local bar owner in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), a role that injected raw, streetwise humor into the film's emotional core.[3] Herman followed this with a part as Alfonse Simone in American Hustle (2013), contributing to the ensemble's satirical take on 1970s corruption and earning collective recognition for the cast.[11] For his work in American Hustle, Herman shared in the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble, though he received no individual nominations throughout his career.[11] On television, Herman maintained a recurring presence in prestige series, most prominently as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta, a resilient but beleaguered associate of the DiMeo crime family, appearing in five episodes of The Sopranos from 2000 to 2007.[3] In his later years, Herman's roles evolved toward more paternal or guiding figures, such as Jack Greene, the persistent manager to Jeff Bridges' fading country singer in Crazy Heart (2009), reflecting a shift to mentor-like characters amid his established tough-guy persona.[3]Filmography
Film
Paul Herman appeared in approximately 51 feature films between 1982 and 2019, frequently taking on supporting or cameo roles in crime dramas and New York-set stories.[10] The following table lists his film credits chronologically, with character names and directors included where notably documented in reliable sources.| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Dear Mr. Wonderful | Hesh | Peter Lilienthal[3] |
| 1983 | Easy Money | (minor role) | James Signorelli |
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | (minor role) | Francis Ford Coppola[10] |
| 1984 | The Pope of Greenwich Village | (minor role) | Stuart Rosenberg |
| 1984 | Once Upon a Time in America | Monkey | Sergio Leone[3] |
| 1984 | Falling in Love | (minor role) | Ulu Grosbard |
| 1985 | The Purple Rose of Cairo | (minor role) | Woody Allen |
| 1986 | The Color of Money | (minor role) | Martin Scorsese |
| 1986 | At Close Range | (minor role, uncredited) | James Foley[5] |
| 1987 | Weeds | (minor role) | John Hancock |
| 1987 | Radio Days | (minor role) | Woody Allen |
| 1987 | The Squeeze | (minor role) | Roger Young |
| 1988 | White Hot | (minor role) | Robby Benson |
| 1988 | The Big Blue | (minor role) | Luc Besson |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Philip the Apostle | Martin Scorsese[3] |
| 1988 | Big | Schizo | Penny Marshall[3] |
| 1989 | Next of Kin | (minor role) | John Irvin |
| 1989 | New York Stories | (minor role) | Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese |
| 1990 | Cadillac Man | (minor role) | Roger Donaldson |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Dealer from Pittsburgh | Martin Scorsese[3] |
| 1990 | Quick Change | (minor role) | Howard Franklin, Bill Murray |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate | (minor role) | Robert Benton |
| 1992 | In the Soup | (minor role) | Alexandre Rockwell |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | (minor role) | Woody Allen |
| 1994 | Somebody to Love | (minor role) | Alexandre Rockwell |
| 1995 | Heat | Sergeant Heinz | Michael Mann[3] |
| 1995 | Casino | (minor role) | Martin Scorsese |
| 1995 | Mighty Aphrodite | (minor role) | Woody Allen |
| 1995 | Terrified | (minor role) | William Mesa |
| 1996 | Sleepers | (minor role) | Barry Levinson |
| 1996 | The Daytrippers | (minor role) | Gregg Mottola |
| 1996 | The Fan | (minor role) | Tony Scott |
| 1997 | Fathers' Day | (minor role) | Ivan Reitman |
| 1997 | Top of the World | (minor role) | Sidney J. Furie |
| 1997 | Trading Favors | (minor role) | Sonnie Tse |
| 1997 | Hugo Pool | (minor role) | Robert Downey Sr. |
| 1997 | One | (minor role) | Blair Hayes |
| 1997 | On the Line | (minor role) | James Hayman |
| 1997 | Cop Land | (minor role) | James Mangold |
| 1998 | Enemy of the State | (minor role) | Tony Scott |
| 1998 | Starstruck | (minor role) | John A. Davis |
| 2001 | 15 Minutes | (minor role) | John Herzfeld |
| 2002 | Analyze That | (minor role) | Harold Ramis |
| 2007 | We Own the Night | (minor role) | James Gray |
| 2008 | What Just Happened | (minor role) | Barry Levinson |
| 2009 | Crazy Heart | Jack Greene | Scott Cooper[3] |
| 2010 | Little Fockers | (minor role) | Paul Weitz |
| 2012 | Silver Linings Playbook | Randy | David O. Russell[3] |
| 2013 | American Hustle | Alfonse Simone | David O. Russell |
| 2015 | Joy | Rifle Man | David O. Russell |
| 2019 | The Irishman | Whispers DiTullio | Martin Scorsese[3] |
Television
Paul Herman made guest appearances on several crime dramas in the 1980s, including roles in The Equalizer and Miami Vice.[12] He later gained recognition for recurring parts in HBO series during the 2000s, portraying characters in the vein of his film gangster archetypes.[9] His television credits include the following notable appearances, listed chronologically:| Year(s) | Show | Role | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Ben | 1 (episode: "Back Home")[13] |
| 1986 | Spencer: For Hire | Morgan Evans | 1 (episode: "And Give Up Show Biz?")[14] |
| 1988 | Miami Vice | Jimmy Roth | 1 (episode: "Blood & Roses")[15] |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Peter "Beansie" Gaeta | 5 episodes[9] |
| 2004–2011 | Entourage | Marvin | 6 episodes[5] |