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Did the recent Every Simpsons Ever marathon and the launch of Simpsons World reignite a national obsession with the long-running sitcom’s characters? It’s definitely perfect timing if you want to bring attention to your lawsuit against the show’s production company!
According to Deadline, actor Frank Sivero thinks that The Simpsons ripped off a character he played in the Oscar-winning gangster epic, Goodfellas, and he demands to be compensated for it. Sivero isn’t above shaking down The Simpsons‘ producers, either — he’s asking for a whopping $250 million for serving as the inspiration for the minor character of Louie, one of the goons in Fat Tony’s gang.
The resemblance between Louie and Sivero is pretty blatant, from his appearance to his mannerisms. Sivero even suggests that his Goodfellas character, Frankie Carbone, was a direct influence on Louie; the suit (which you can read here) claims that in 1989, when both Goodfellas and The Simpsons were in production, Sivero lived in an apartment next door to one occupied by Simpsons writers. He even alleges that Simpsons producer/writer James L. Brooks was aware of Sivero and his Goodfellas character and even suggested to Sivero that “he would be part of the future” of The Simpsons.
It’s an interesting case of intellectual property — does an actor own the rights to a character he played on screen? (I’m eager to see what Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese and writer Nicholas Pileggi have to say about that.) It’s pretty obvious that the Louie character was inspired by Sivero’s on-screen persona. But is Sivero’s lawsuit a case of legitimate intellectual property theft — or just sour grapes?
Decide for yourself: here’s where you can stream Goodfellas, and check out the episodes featuring Louie on Simpsons World below.
“A Fish Called Selma” (S7/E19)
“The Twisted World of Marge Simpson” (S8/E11)
“The Great Louse Detective” (S14/E6)
“Mr. Spritz Goes To Washington” (S14/E14)
“The Mook, The Chef, The Wife, and Her Homer” (S18/E1)
“Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh” (S20/E19)
“A Midsummer’s Nice Dream” (S22/E16)
“What To Expect When Bart’s Expecting” (S25/E19)
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Photos: Everett Collection
