Nicholas Pileggi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicholas Pileggi
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Pileggi in 2010
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| Born | February 22, 1933 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, screenwriter, journalist |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Subject | Mafia |
| Years active | 1989–present |
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Nicholas Pileggi (born February 22, 1933) is an American writer and movie script writer. He is famous for writing the non-fiction book Wiseguy in 1985. He also helped write the movie script for Goodfellas, which was based on his book. For this, he was nominated for an Academy Award (an Oscar) for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Early life
Nicholas Pileggi was born and grew up in Brooklyn, a part of New York City. His father, Nicola Pileggi, came from Italy and played the trombone in movie theaters when silent films were popular. His mother, Susie, was born in America. His father also owned shoe stores.
In the 1950s, Nicholas Pileggi started working as a journalist. He wrote for news groups like Associated Press and New York magazine. For over 30 years, he focused on writing about crime.
Career
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Pileggi started his career as a journalist. He was very interested in learning about the Mafia. He is best known for his book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, which came out in 1985. This book was later made into the famous movie Goodfellas in 1990.
He also wrote the book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. This book was also turned into a movie called Casino in 1995. Both Goodfellas and Casino were directed and co-written by the famous filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Pileggi also wrote the movie script for City Hall (1996), which starred Al Pacino. He also wrote another book called Blye, Private Eye in 1987.
In 2012, Pileggi helped create and write the first episode of a TV show called Vegas for CBS.
Personal life
Nicholas Pileggi was married to Nora Ephron, who was also a writer, journalist, and filmmaker. They were married from 1987 until she passed away in 2012. The journalist Gay Talese is his first cousin.
Film work
Nicholas Pileggi has worked on many films and TV shows. Here are some of his main projects:
- 1990: Goodfellas – He wrote the book and the movie script. He won awards for the best adapted screenplay.
- 1993: Father Hood – He was a producer for this film.
- 1995: Casino – He wrote the book and the movie script.
- 1996: City Hall – He wrote the script for this movie.
- 2007: Kings of South Beach – He wrote and produced this film.
- 2007: American Gangster – He was an executive producer.
- 2012: Vegas – He was a co-creator and executive producer for this TV series.
- 2019: The Irishman – He was an executive producer.
- 2025: The Alto Knights – He is listed as a writer for this upcoming film.
