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‘The Simpsons’ Sued for $250 Million Over One of Its Characters

Oct 22, 2014  •  Post A Comment

Fox’s long-running animated hit “The Simpsons” has been slapped with a lawsuit claiming the show ripped off an actor for his character.

“Goodfellas” actor Frank Sivero is suing over the character Louie on the Fox show, demanding $250 million and claiming that the TV show ripped off his Frankie Carbone character, reports Deadline.com.

“This is so good and so big that you have to wonder if it is a joke — in which case the state courts are going to be plenty peeved off,” the article notes.

Sivero alleges that his “Goodfellas” character is the basis for the Springfield Mafia’s Louie, 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.”

The article notes, “While likeness lawsuits bounce around the courts all the time, this has to be one of the biggest in terms of the cash the plaintiff is seeking and the time he has waited to go after it.”

“Goodfellas,” directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in 1990. The movie received six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director, and Joe Pesci won an Oscar for his supporting performance as Tommy DeVito in the film.

Louie, who is described as a henchman for the long-running “Simpsons” mob boss Fat Tony, reportedly first appeared on the show back in 1991, on the episode “Bart the Murderer.”

Fox had no comment on the lawsuit.

Louie on Simpsons-Frankie Carbone in Goodfellas

Louie on “The Simpsons” and Frankie Carbone in “Goodfellas”

3 Comments

  1. That character has been around more than 20 years and he is just now suing the company?

    Someone must really need the money.

    It sure is sad someone can sue someone else for such an inane reason in our culture.

  2. How can someone sue over the likeness of a character, that they didn’t create? Seriously though. He’s not suing on the basis of his actual likeness. He’s suing, on the basis of his character’s likeness. That I am assuming he also didn’t costume, or do hair and make-up for. Not saying that actors don’t infuse themselves and bring characters alive, but still, on the merit of a lawsuit that big, hmmm. If he gets anything, that will be extremely depressing, in regards to our legal system.

  3. In movies, and stand-up, and radio, and television, everybody is legally a target when it comes to COMEDY.. The courts have declared that more than once. Barbara Wawa’s lawyers would have cleaned up.

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