Henry Hill

Henry John Hill Jr (June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012) was an Irish-American and Italian-American mafioso.Biography.com He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City. His mother was Sicilian and his father was Irish. Hill was a Mafia associate from 1955 until he went into the Witness Protection Program in 1980. As he was half Irish he could not be ‘made’ that is become a full Mafia member. He later left the Program. He was a violent robber, extortionist and drug dealer. He was a compulsive gambler and drug addict who served prison sentences. He married Karen (née Friedman) in 1965. The couple had a son and daughter and divorced in 2002. Hill died in hospital in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, aged 69.Telegraph obituary Hill's children survive him.

Hill's life was the basis of Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy. This was later used as the basis for movie Goodfellas, in which Ray Liotta played Hill.

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Category:1943 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Criminals from New York City
Category:Drug traffickers
Category:American mobsters
Category:People with dyslexia