Catherine Scorsese was a remarkable American actress of Italian descent, frequently typecast as the quintessential Italian mother in films. Her most iconic role was that of Mrs. DeVito in the 1990 film "Goodfellas".
Born as Catherine Cappa in 1912, she was a native of Little Italy, Manhattan, New York City, with both her parents being Sicilian Americans. Her father, Martin Cappa, worked as a stage coordinator in theatre, while her mother, Domenica, owned her own shop.
The Cappas were a large family, with Catherine having three brothers and five sisters. The family resided in a three-room apartment in Little Italy, sharing spaces with other relatives and boarders.
By the 1930s, Catherine was working as a machinist in the Garment District. In 1933, she married actor Luciano Charles "Charlie" Scorsese (1913-1993),who was also employed in the garment industry at the time. The couple had three children, including renowned film director Martin Scorsese.
Catherine made her film debut in her son's short film "It's Not Just You, Murray!" (1964). She also portrayed maternal roles in "Who's That Knocking at My Door" (1967),"The King of Comedy" (1983),"Easy Money" (1983),"Goodfellas" (1990),and "Casino" (1995). She had minor parts in several other films. She appeared as herself in the documentary "Italianamerican" (1974),which explored the experiences of Italian-American immigrants.
Catherine made her final film appearance in "Casino" at the age of 83. At the time, she was working on her cookbook "Italianamerican: The Scorsese Family Cookbook", which was completed and published in 1996, months before her death. It was her only published work.
Late in life, Catherine suffered from Alzheimer's disease, a chronic neurodegenerative disease. The disease eventually caused her death in January 1997. She was 84 at the time of her passing.
