Henry Hill's Real Name: Henry Hill
Henry Hill → Henry Hill
Quick answer: The former mob associate and informant was known as Henry Hill. A Los Angeles Times obituary, an Associated Press report, and a BBC News obituary all identify him by that name and record his death in June 2012 at age 69. The Times gives the birth date June 11, 1943, in Brooklyn; the AP and BBC reports do not give that date. None of those accounts supplies a longer legal name.
Real name and early life
The Los Angeles Times obituary says Hill was born in Brooklyn on June 11, 1943, the son of an Irish American electrician father and an Italian American mother. BBC News independently says he was born into an Italian-Irish family and was an associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York. The Associated Press independently describes him as an associate in New York's Lucchese crime family. Those two reports do not give a birth date.
Career highlights
The Times, the AP, and BBC News all say that after becoming an informant he worked with journalist Nicholas Pileggi on the book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, and that Martin Scorsese's 1990 film Goodfellas was based on that account. The AP and BBC date the book to 1986; the Times dates it to 1987. The sources differ on that year. BBC News says he was arrested in 1980 and agreed to testify against former associates, then entered the witness protection program. The Times independently says he was in that program in the 1980s. The accounts differ on when he was later removed: the Times, citing a 2001 Associated Press story, gives 1987 and lists later convictions; BBC News says he was expelled in the early 1990s. The sources differ on those dates.
Death
The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, in reports dated June 14, 2012, both said he died that Tuesday at age 69. The Times places the death at West Hills Hospital in West Hills. BBC News, in a report published June 13, 2012, independently said he died in Los Angeles at 69. The AP, citing his longtime girlfriend, described complications from longtime heart problems. BBC News said his partner did not give a specific cause and also reported heart-related complications.
Name notes for searchers
People looking up Henry Hill are looking for the Lucchese associate and informant later portrayed in Goodfellas. The sources used here do not give a longer legal name.
FAQ
What was Henry Hill's real name?
He was known as Henry Hill. The Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press, and BBC News do not record a longer legal name.
When and where was he born?
The Los Angeles Times gives June 11, 1943, in Brooklyn. The Associated Press and BBC News do not state a birth date.
When did he die?
The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, in June 14, 2012, reports, said he died that Tuesday at age 69. BBC News, published June 13, 2012, said he died in Los Angeles at 69.