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By now you've heard the news that former gangster-turned-mob informant Henry Hill passed away last Tuesday, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of moviegoers who've watched Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (itself based on the life of Henry Hill) and often wondered just how the guy managed to survive long enough to die at the age of 69 without being whacked by those he turned against. Clues to that mystery may be found in this documentary, called The Real Goodfella, which is one of the more fascinating docs on the real-life man behind the character Ray Liotta so memorably portrayed on screen. Featuring in-depth interviews with Hill, FBI agents, Martin Scorsese and more, the 47-minute doc uses dramatized reenactments to piece together what really happened versus what...

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New York mobster turned informer whose story was told in the film Goodfellas

Henry Hill, who has died of heart failure aged 69, was the mob informer whose story was told in a bestselling book, Wiseguy (1986), and Martin Scorsese's film Goodfellas (1990). From the early days of organised crime, before the advent of witness-protection programmes, informers could expect to meet the same fate as Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, who "fell" from a Coney Island hotel window in 1941. Even Joe Valachi – who in 1963 made public the inner workings of what he called "our thing", the Cosa Nostra – ended his days in prison. In contrast, Hill not only survived being kicked out of witness protection, but also avoided a return to jail himself and in the wake of Scorsese's film went on to thrive, appearing on TV shows, lending himself to many documentaries and even selling his own brand of spaghetti sauce.

Hill was born in Brooklyn,...

Henry Hill, the inspiration for Martin Scorsese’s classic 1990 movie Goodfellas (where he was played by Ray Liotta), and the nonfiction book from which the film was drawn, Nicholas Pileggi’s Wiseguys, passed away Tuesday at the age of 69. Last summer, National Geographic Channel debuted an episode of its popular Locked Up Abroad series devoted to Hill, called “The Real Goodfella,” which told the complete story of his rise and fall in the New York mob, including details of his life not featured in Scorsese’s film. Ngc will be re-airing that episode tonight and next Wednesday. In the episode, Hill, [...]...

Tonight sees a Goodfella on the lam, and more of highlights from Ngc and Nat Geo Wild programs this week. Also announced, the launch of Locked Up Abroad iPhone/iPad app! Locked Up Abroad: The Real Goodfella Wednesday, June 8 at 10Pm Et/Pt on National Geographic Channel .The wise guys had a certain code of ethics that they had to follow. Drugs was like the big no-no. There was only two outcomes: either death or incarceration for the rest of your natural life. Drugs was my downfall ... it.s a scourge and a curse and it almost cost me my life.. . Henry Hill Henry Hill, the inspiration for classic movie .Goodfellas,. tells the complete true...

Coming to your screen this week: Eight premieres, three finales, a trio of award shows, and a Bones encore that changed the game (before the game truly got changed). As but a supplement to the awesome features and original reporting TVLine has coming your way, here are 34 programs to keep on your radar.

Monday, June 6

8 pm MasterChef (Fox) | Season 2 premiere: One hundred amateur cooks hit L.A. with the dream of becoming chefs. I type this as I prepare a banana with peanut butter for dinner.

8 pm My Yard Goes Disney (Hgtv) | Series premiere: Landscapers give back yards elaborate Disney themes.