Martin Scorsese Pays Tribute to Late 'Goodfellas' Actor Frank Vincent

Martin Scorsese has spoken out about the death of actor and frequent collaborator Frank Vincent.

The director worked with Vincent three times in his career: 1980's Raging Bull, 1990's Goodfellas and 1995's Casino. In the wake of the actor's death during heart surgery on Wednesday, Scorsese had nothing but admiration for Vincent.

"Frank Vincent was someone I could count on," he said in a statement. "He was a natural who was at ease in front of the camera — on a set or on a stage. He made it look easy in all respects. He was genuine."

The acclaimed director also went on to praise Vincent's ability to understand his material and give remarkably natural performances.

"We worked together on three pictures, each time with his old partner Joe Pesci, and I always marveled at his genius for improvisation," Scorsese said. "He was a hard-working actor, he understood the world we were portraying so well that he really didn't appear to be acting at all. I will always marvel at his artistry, and consider myself lucky to have had the chance to work with him and to know him."

In addition to his work with Scorsese, Vincent was also known for his role as mob boss Phil Leotardo in the later seasons of The Sopranos.

Vincent's other film credits include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) and Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (1989).

Photo Credit: HBO

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