Martin Scorsese’s landmark mob dramaGoodfellasis based on the true story of the gangster Henry Hill, played by the late Ray Liotta. While most of the events depicted in the film are based on reality, one aspect of Hill’s life that the film doesn’t address is what transpired after he and his family entered the Witness Protection Program. Remember, the film ends with Hill lamenting how he’s becoming “an average nobody” who “gets to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”
The reality is that Hill went on to do many notable things, both good and bad, followinghis time in the Italian mafia. Whether getting divorced, relocating to California, getting remarried, writing books, opening restaurants, or getting into more legal trouble, it’s worth exploring what Hill did with his life from the time he exited the Witness Protection Program to his ultimate death in 2012.
Expulsion From The Witness Protection
Chronologically,Goodfellasends around 1980. A pre-credit title card explains that Henry Hill and his family remained in the Federal Witness Protection Program until 1987. The card also states that Hill was arrested on drug charges in Seattle, Washington, and given five years of probation. What the movie doesn’t explain are the exact drug charges and the legal consequences that followed.
To clear things up, Hill was arrested in Seattle in 1987 for cocaine trafficking. While the movie states that he was still protected under federal law until 1980 or so, the fact is that Hill and his family were kicked out of the Witness Protection Program in 1987 for his drug arrest in Seattle (viaNBC News). Once Hill was no longer forced to retain his anonymity in the program, he took the opportunity to increase his public profile and capitalize on his newfound celebrity from the release ofthe iconic mafia movie.
Divorce & Remarriage
A crucial aspect ofGoodfellasinvolves Henry Hill’s wife, Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco), and her aversion to living the mafia lifestyle. At the end of the movie, a title card states that Henry and Karen separated in 1989 after 25 years of marriage. What the movie doesn’t explain is the fact that Karen filed for divorce in 1990 — but there’s also far more to the story than that.
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Under the new identity of Martin Lewis (Hill’s name in the Witness Protection Program), Hill met a woman named Sherry Anders in 1981. They struck up such a torrid affair that the two hastily got married in Virginia City, Nevada, despite the fact that Hill was still legally wedded to Karen (viaMedium). This was one of the many things that contributed to the dissolution of Hill’s marriage to Karen, which wasn’t finalized until 2002. Following his divorce from Karen, Henry married a woman named Kelly Alor and became engaged to marry another woman named Lisa Caserta (viaBiography). Hill and Caserta lived in Topanga Canyon, California together until his death in 2012.
Subsequent Arrests
At the end ofthe all-time great Scorsese movie, a title card states that Hill has been sober since his time entering the Witness Protection Program. Alas, Hill’s sobriety didn’t last long, as evidenced by a string of drug-related arrests throughout the 2000s. In 2001, he was arrested on drug-related charges in Seattle for a second time.
In 2004, Hill was arrested again at the North Platte Regional Airport in Nebraska and charged with methamphetamine possession and sentenced to 180 days of jail time in 2005 for the crime,according toNBC. Unfortunately, his legal troubles didn’t end there. In March 2009, Hill was given two years of probation after pleading guilty to two counts of public intoxication. While on probation in December 2009, Hill was again arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, which he later blamed on his battle with alcohol (viaMassLive).
Cookbooks & Restaurants
During his legal battles in the 2000s, Henry Hill did a few positive things relative to his role inGoodfellas. In October 2002, he penned and published a cookbook titledThe Wiseguy Cookbook: My Favorite Recipes from My Life as a Goodfella to Cooking on the Run.Beyond relaying personal anecdotes from his childhood, Hill’s book includes long-held family food recipes that he learned from his parents and his mob associates, including many dishes that are seen in the movie. Hill also began selling his homemade spaghetti sauce,Sunday Gravy, on the internet.
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Sticking with the food theme, Hill also began to work as a chef in an Italian restaurant in North Platte, Nebraska around 2005 (viaToday). In October 2007, Hill opened an Italian restaurant in West Haven, Connecticut, aptly calledWiseguys. However, the restaurant closed a month after opening, due to a fire. It’s worth noting that Hill also collaborated on four other publications, including Nicolas Pileggi'‘sWiseguy, which served as the basis forGoodfellas;The Lufthansa Heistwith Daniel Simone (2012);A Personal Guide to New Yorkwith Bryon Schreckengos (2003); andGangsters and Goodfellaswith Gus Russo (2004).
Public Appearances
Henry also began to increase his public profile in the early 2000s by making several radio and TV appearances. In addition to appearing onThe Howard Stern Showand60 Minutes, Hill madea famous appearance in a photoshootforEntertainment Weeklyin 2006 beside Ray Liotta, who portrayed him inGoodfellas. After he expressed his struggles with drugs and alcohol, Liotta encouraged Henry to enter rehab for his alcohol dependency. Hill agreed and entered a rehab facility two days later.
Hill would continue to appear on TV throughout the 2000s as a way to capitalize on his celebrity. In 2008, he took part in the crime documentaryThe Irish Mob, in which he recounts his bond with Jimmy Burke (played by Robert De Niro inGoodfellas). In 2011, Hill participated in AMC’s “Mob Week,” in which he and other real-life gangsters discussed the authenticity ofScorsese’s definitive gangster movieand other mob films. Finally, two years after his demise, Hill was featured in ESPN’s “Playing for the Mob” documentary special, which charted the infamous point-shaving scandal featured inGoodfellas.
Illness & Death
Finally, Henry Hill’s post-Goodfellasstory wouldn’t be complete without detailing his ultimate demise in 2012. Following complications from long-term heart disease, Hill passed away on June 30, 2025, at the age of 69.As reported byBiography, Hill’s then-girlfriend of six years, Lisa Caserta, said that “He had been sick for a long time. … his heart gave out.”
Caserta expounded on Hill’s deathtoCBS News, adding that Hill suffered a heart attack before his death and subsequently passed away from the long-term complications of heart disease related to his chronic smoking. According to Caserta, he “went out pretty peacefully, for a Goodfella,” with his family by his side. One day after he passed away, Hill was cremated. Despite his life being cut short at 69, it’s clear that Henry Hill did the best he could to live up to the opening line ofGoodfellas; “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” If nothing else, Hill realized his lifelong dream and did things his way regardless of the consequences.
