'Goodfellas' actor sues 'The Simpsons' for $250M for copying mobster character

"Goodfellas" actor Frank Sivero is suing the creators of "The Simpsons" for US$250 million (£156 million) for copying the character he played in the 1990 film. Sivero alleges 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". According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor, 62, alleges that in 1989 he lived next door to the writers of "The Simpsons" and that they knew he was working on his mobster for Martin Scorsese’s film. The animated mafioso character first appeared in Fox’s long-running show in October 1991. Louie has since featured in more than a dozen episodes, including one last season.

'The Simpsons' continued use of Sivero's image and likeness for commercial purposes are all done without Sivero's consent and without compensating Sivero.

Lawsuit

The lawsuit states that “Louie’s appearance and mannerisms are strongly evocative of character actor Frank Sivero”. Louie is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who also voices Homer Simpson. The actor wants a portion of “The Simpsons’” profits because of a loss of “prospective economic advantage” and industry “type-casting”. He also claims Brooks promised him a film of his own and involvement in “The Simpsons” in the 1990s. There has been no response to the lawsuit from Fox so far.