'Goodfellas' actor Frank Sivero suing 'The Simpsons' for $250 million

Actor Frank Sivero has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios over one of the characters on The Simpsons, who resembles his character Frankie Carbone in "Goodfellas".

Sivero alleges that, in 1989, he lived next door to the writers in a Sherman Oaks, California apartment complex. "They knew he was developing the character he was to play in the movie Goodfellas," reads the lawsuit.

"In fact, they were aware the entire character of 'Frankie Carbone' was created and developed by Sivero, who based this character on his own personality. . . Louie's appearance and mannerisms are strongly evocative of character actor Frank Sivero."

According to the complaint, the Louie character debuted during an episode titled "Bart the Murderer" — the fourth of the third season — and has appeared in 15 more episodes, most recently in "What to Expect When Bart's Expecting," airing on April 27, 2014.

Sivero believes the resemblance is so great that his rights have been infringed upon ever since, having “diluted the value of the character created by plaintiff, and contributed to the ‘type-casting’” of Sivero—who’s been playing street toughs and gangsters since his earliest roles in The Godfather movies.

Sivero claims that he was courted over the years by James L. Brooks' production company Gracie Films, who told him he "would be part of the future" connected to the show's success. He allegedly even had a conversation with Brooks around 1996 about making a film; since such a movie was never created, the suit claims the company "never intended to make a film with Sivero, and that they were simply studying him further for the character Louie."

He's demanding $50 million in actual damage loss of his likeness, $100 million more over improper interference, $50 million more in actual damage loss over the appropriation of his "confidential" idea, $50 million more in exemplary damages over that same "confidential" idea, plus injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees for his lawyer Alex Herrera.

The lawsuit is actually the second of its kind to be filed by Sivero this year: Over the summer, he sued the Deli Belly in Southern California for using his likeness to promote its “Frankie Carbone Sandwich.”